Agenda
Agenda details are subject to change—please check back often for updates and new speaker announcements.
Each General Session and Breakout Discussion is eligible for (1) CPE credit.
All times are listed in Eastern Time.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2027
| 1:00 PM | The AM&AA Open: Winter Conference Add-OnKick off your 2027 Winter Conference experience with an afternoon of golf and networking at Plantation Preserve. Connect with fellow M&A professionals, meet decision-makers, and build new relationships in a relaxed setting before the conference begins. Foursomes will be strategically matched based on participants’ professions, deal sizes, business interests, and personal preferences. Date: Wednesday, January 27, 2027 Select this option to add the AM&AA Open to your Winter Conference registration. Plantation Preserve, 7050 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation, FL 33317 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2027
| 11:45 AM | Welcome Luncheon & Keynote Join us for lunch as we kick off the 29th AM&AA Winter Conference. It’s a great chance to connect with fellow M&A professionals before an afternoon of meetings and sessions. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1:00 PM | Market Update: New Directions for M&A in 2027 Hear from middle market M&A executives with deep private equity and strategic transactional experience as they discuss market dynamics that bring us to where we stand currently in the M&A cycle, including data on closed deals. The discussion will include current market characteristics and statistics, including deal volume, valuation and leverage dynamics, as well as trends under way that will shape the next 6 months of deal activity.
CPE Credit: 1 - Specialized Knowledge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2:20 PM | Breakout Sessions Choose from two breakout sessions featuring focused discussions on timely topics in M&A. Session details and speakers will be announced soon. CPE Credit: 1 - Specialized Knowledge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3:40 PM | How Bankers and PE Firms Build Relationships That Move Deal Flow Deal flow doesn't run through mass distribution lists — it runs through relationships. Yet the two sides of the M&A ecosystem rarely compare notes on how those relationships actually get built. This session unpacks the reciprocal dynamic between investment bankers and private equity: how bankers move from a name on a distribution list to a trusted advisor who earns both sell-side mandates for portfolio companies and buy-side assignments, and how PE firms move from the back of a 1,000-name blast list into the inner circle of a sector-focused banker's short list — ahead of the deal, not after the teaser goes out. Moderated by a PE professional and joined by both investment bankers and PE practitioners, the panel trades concrete tactics from each side of the table: what earns trust, what wastes it, and what a genuinely mutual relationship looks like versus a transactional one. Attendees leave with a practical playbook for improving the relationships that drive their deal flow — regardless of which side of the table they sit on. CPE Credit: 1 - Specialized Knowledge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4:30 PM | AM&AA New & Legacy Member Happy Hour Join us for a perfect opportunity to get to know fellow members, meet our leadership team, and learn how to get value from the start. Enjoy an exclusive happy hour, with networking, and a brief orientation to introduce you to the conference, members, and benefits available to you. Invitation Only | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2027
| 9:30 AM | The QSBS Playbook: From Formation to Tax-Efficient Exit and Beyond This session will cover QSBS from business formation through exit, including eligibility requirements, early planning decisions, common mistakes that can put QSBS status at risk, and opportunities involving gifting, trusts, stacking, and rollovers. CPE Credit: 1 - Specialized Knowledge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:45 AM | Breakout Sessions Choose from two breakout sessions featuring focused discussions on timely topics in M&A. Session details and speakers will be announced soon. CPE Credit: 1 - Specialized Knowledge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1:00 PM | Navigating M&A in the Construction Industry Construction businesses present a unique set of opportunities and challenges in M&A. Unlike many industries, buyers must evaluate project risk, backlog quality, bonding capacity, customer concentration, workforce stability, and the sustainability of earnings beyond a single project cycle. While these factors can narrow the buyer universe, they also create opportunities for well-positioned companies to command premium valuations. This panel will explore what sophisticated buyers look for in construction businesses, the issues that most often derail transactions, and how owners can prepare their companies to maximize value and improve deal certainty CPE Credit: 1 - Specialized Knowledge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2:30 PM | Breakout Sessions Choose from two breakout sessions featuring focused discussions on timely topics in M&A. Session details and speakers will be announced soon. CPE Credit: 1 - Specialized Knowledge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3:45 PM | How AI Is Actually Changing M&A Execution This session will focus on how M&A professionals are putting AI to work across the deal process. Panelists will share practical workflow changes, real-world examples, and what they are learning as these tools continue to evolve.
CPE Credit: 1 - Specialized Knowledge
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