Conference Agenda - June 24th, 2026
Workshops Included for Executives
(Executives need to attend a minimum of 4 Pre-Conference Workshops and 2 Post-Conference workshops)
(Workshop joining links will be emailed)
🔵 Six Pre-Conference Workshops (11:00 AM – 12:30 PM CST)
Workshop #1: June 10, 2026
Workshop #2: June 12, 2026
Workshop #3: June 17, 2026
Workshop #4: June 19, 2026
Workshop #5: June 22, 2026
Workshop #6 (Conference Day): June 24, 2026
🔵 Three Post-Conference Workshops (11:00 AM – 12:30 PM CST)
Post-Conference Workshop #1: June 25, 2026
Post-Conference Workshop #2: July 1, 2026
Post-Conference Workshop #3: July 8, 2026
7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
CDT
Virtual Conference Personal Set-up (BMC Full Conference Execs only)
Please use this time to make sure you are prepared for the start of your conference at 8 AM CDT.
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
CDT
Pre-Conference Workshop #6 with Gerald O’Dwyer, Managing Director – BlackmoreConnects (Includes Full and LITE executives)
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
CDT
Introductory remarks by Gerald Introduction by Executive to Private Equity Firms (30 secs for each Executive)
9:30 AM – 10:15 AM
CDT
Panel 1 – How To Pick The Right Private Equity Firm Partner
- Questions to ask on the front end
- Actions/Signals to observe
- Capital availability – Firms with Funds vs. Independent Sponsors vs. Family Offices
- Operational control vs. Private Equity Interference
- Growth/ ROI-oriented capital, add-on acquisitions
- History of acquisition and exits
- Management team and hiring
Moderator:
- Yelena Edelstein, Deal Partner – BlackmoreConnects
Panelists:
- TBD
10 minutes break
10:25 AM – 11:10 AM
CDT
Panel 2 – Valuations Through Volatility
- Volume of inbound deal proposals in Q4 2025 vs. Q 4 2024 and outlook heading into Q1 2026? Do you measure this explicitly?
- Any changes of sector focus given today’s economic outlook? Verticals moving in or out of favor?
- How are you dealing with noisy financials and obscure forecasting (lingering COVID impacts of past period comparisons, tariffs on again-off again, persistent areas of inflation, pricing, etc.). Can you get your hands around it for valuations?
- Any deal structure changes emerging to help bridge economic and forecasting volatility? Owner expectation changes?
- How are your investors reacting to deals you put in front of them? Tightening their focus areas or risk tolerance? Feedback on these inputs on your deal criteria?
- We’ve been in a ‘lots of dry powder’ mode for several years now… will anything break this logjam?
- How are you using AI as a firm? What changes do you expect in 2026 for this topic on your operations? On deal attractiveness or targets usage of AI?
Moderator:
- James Fanning, Pamaseco LLC, Translating Experience into Trusting Engagement
Panelists:
- TBD
10 minutes break
11:20 AM – 12:05 PM
CDT
Panel 3 – What It’s Like to Work With a PE Investor
- Value creation process
- Differences in operating styles between firms
- Communication rhythms
- Board meetings and expectations
- Operational vs. strategic involvement
- Introductions / networks
- 100-day plan execution
- Budgets and alignment
- : Assessing a PE sponsor’s philosophy and approach to all of the above
- : Questions executives should ask during the courting phase to understand how a specific PE firm works with their CEOs
Moderator:
- Tim Van Mieghem, Partner – The ProAction Group
Panelists:
- TBD
10 minutes break
12:15 PM – 4:00 PM
CDT
Speed Networking Sessions between Private Equity and Executive Attendees via Microsoft Teams.