Conference Notes | The 2010 ACG CT Private Equity Expo

Man, it's been a while since I've started my day at 5 AM. One Metro North train later, I made it to the Stamford Marriott for the 7th annual ACG Connecticut Private Equity Expo. With more than a dozen private equity firms exhibiting, I was able to catch up with some clients and contacts, make some new contacts, and see what's been going on regarding deal flow.

Moreover, Ramsey Goodrich, the president of ACG CT, presented some results from the ACG-Thomson Reuters DealMakers Survey. Luckily, PEHub already posted the results in text form here.

Some quick takeaways:

• Closing Deals Before Year-End: I asked many firms on how many deals they're trying to close before the end of 2010. I got various answers from "We're looking for new deals" to as many as 3. Deal flow for mid-market firms is at a case-by-case basis.
• Tax Situation: Some firms were more worried than others about the current tax situation, but not all of them mentioned it when we talked. A few mentioned that they're not worried at all, as they believed it's going to drag along for at least another 6 months.
• Strategic Buyers' Market: A whopping 74% of respondents on the DealMakers Survey said that most buyers are going to be strategic, while 11% said it would be moreso private equity firms.   

A great conference overall, and if you're curious about which firms were there, feel free to ask! 

A side note to ACG Connecticut: For the next event, please post the agenda on the event website. People were fine that they had to wait outside 45 extra minutes so private equity firms could talk amongst themselves, but at least let us know that that's going to happen beforehand.