The Alternative Investments Society was founded in 2006 by a group of undergraduate students at the LSE, and continues to be run by students from the university. The first Alternative Investments Conference was a one-day event hosted on the LSE campus in 2007, and was attended by 200 students who heard from several notable investors. The AIC has evolved considerably over its twelve-year history, having changed venues and ultimately becoming the world’s largest student conference on hedge funds, private equity and venture capital.
Overview
Format
The Conference takes place over two days at the five-star London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, bringing together over 40 senior level industry leaders and 320 student delegates from many of the world’s leading educational institutions. Delegates come from a range of backgrounds, including both undergraduates and postgraduates studying finance, law, engineering, history as well as many other disciplines. Admission to the Conference is competitive, with only 4.3% of applicants to AIC 2017 being selected to attend. The Conference is international in character, with applicants coming from over 200 universities located across more than 120 countries world wide. The format of the Conference sees delegates attend keynote speeches, panel discussions and workshop sessions designed to allow for them to learn from and interact with experienced professionals from within the investment community. Networking events are also held during the Conference by the AIC’s partner firms, as well as a dinner for all attending delegates hosted during the evening of the first day of the event. Sponsor firms of the AIC include Point72 Asset Management, , Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Terra Firma Capital Partners, GAM, , Bain & Company, Bain Capital, 3i, Patron Capital, Lansdowne Partners, , and Dechert.
In the Media
The Conference is well regarded on campus, as well as outside of the LSE, having been cited in the media a number of times and described by the Financial Times as 'a chance for the best brains in asset management to meet'. Several keynote sessions from past conferences are also available to watch online.
The 2020 Alternative Investments Conference will be held at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, on February 3rd and 4th 2020. The event will mark the fourteenth annual edition of the Conference and will feature 320 delegates and 40 speakers across 2 days.
