Wrap-Up of ACA's Spring 2019 Compliance and Performance Conference

ACA's Spring 2019 Compliance and Performance Conference was held May 8-10 at the Mandarin Oriental in Miami, Florida. Over 300 compliance professionals came together for three days of educational sessions, engaging speakers, and endless networking opportunities in a beautiful setting. 

Denise Paglia-Cole, international leader and sought-after speaker for Own the Room, opened ACA Professional Skills Academy on Wednesday morning with Executive Presence and Authentic Connections. In this session, attendees learned how to increase influence during meetings and presentations, overcome fear, and become an invaluable leader. 

ACA Professional Skills Academy finished off the half-day program with Meeting Mastery. In this interactive training, attendees reexamined the way meetings are traditionally held. By the end of the session, attendees learned how to get the most out of meetings while keeping them fun.

During the main conference, attendees participated in educational tracks focused on hot topics, news, and emerging trends in regulatory compliance, performance, cybersecurity, and technology. In addition to these sessions, attendees broke out into peer discussion groups for hedge fund, private equity, real estate, and traditional fund managers. Wednesday concluded with a lively welcome reception in the conference exhibitor hall where vendors showcased their products and services over appetizers and drinks.

Thursday kicked off with an outstanding keynote address from Sheelah Kolhatkar, former hedge fund analyst and current staff writer at The New Yorker. Sheelah shared her insight into the “largest insider trading investigation in history.”

Thursday continued with more sessions in both the compliance and performance tracks. Our most popular sessions for both tracks that day were:

• Tone at the Top: How to Get Employees on Board with Compliance: It is often difficult for compliance professionals to get buy in from senior management as well as other employees on key compliance issues. During this session, a panel of compliance professionals discussed how they have dealt with struggles of setting tone at the top with senior management, and how they have presented compliance at their firm in a way that employees understand its importance. 
• Common Practices of GIPS^®-Compliant Firms: Many ACA clients contact us when considering implementing a new policy or changing an existing one. The most common question we receive from clients is, “What do other firms do?” This session shared recent findings gathered from more than 900 GIPS-compliant firms to provide answers to the most commonly asked questions.

This conference also marked the fourth year of ACA’s Women’s Networking Lunch, during which attendees had the opportunity to seek new professional connections within the industry.

Thursday ended on a high note with a festive reception that featured several buffets of authentic Cuban cuisine, live music, and drinks including fresh Pina Coladas straight from the coconut. We would like to thank Sidley Austin, LLC for sponsoring both the Women’s Networking Lunch and Thursday’s Networking Reception.

ACA’s 2019 Spring Compliance and Performance Conference was a great success, and we thank all of our clients, exhibitors, sponsors, and friends who attended. We hope to see you in September at ACA's 2019 Fall Compliance Conference at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa in Lost Pines, Texas. Sign up for our mailing list to take advantage of early bird registration.

About the Author

Lauren Hazelwood is the Marketing Associate for ACA Performance Services, a division of ACA Compliance Group. Her primary responsibilities include overseeing webcasts and digital marketing. Lauren earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.