SFNet's Asset-Based Capital Conference offers you the opportunity to join your colleagues in asset-based lending, alternative asset management, private debt, private equity, distressed debt, and service providers such as attorneys and appraisers for panels and discussions on the rapidly changing economic environment and how it impacts your portfolios and business opportunities.

On March 9-11, we will bring ABCC to you live online, with the great content and opportunities for networking that you have come to expect from the conference. The conference will be accessible through our acclaimed SFNet Connect Platform, offering hours of dedicated and facilitated meeting time each day. This year, we will be offering more insightful sessions than ever before. This year’s ABCC also offers unlimited company registrations. Click here for more information.

We caught up with ABCC Conference Chair, Barry Bobrow, managing director and head of Loan Sales & Syndications for Wells Fargo Capital Finance who discusses what will make this year’s Conference stand out.

Q: What can attendees expect to see this year at ABCC?

A: We worked to broaden the content for this year’s ABCC to appeal to a wide variety of attendees. This year, in addition to panels addressing the broader economic outlook, and public and private debt markets, we’ll hear from Keynote Speakers Robert Buonanno, managing director at Warburg Pincus, and Kevyn Orr, Partner-in-Charge at Jones Day.  Warburg Pincus is a private partnership focused solely on private equity. With over $57 billion in assets under management, the firm has a 50+ year track of growth investing, building world class businesses around the globe. We are pleased to have Rob Buonanno, managing director of Capital Markets, participating in our 2021 ABCC conference. Rob will be interviewed by Randy Schwimmer, Head of Origination and Capital Markets at Churchill Asset Management and the Editor of The Lead Left, a leading weekly publication focused on private capital. They will address the current deal environment from the perspective of a private equity firm.

Kevyn Orr of Jones Day’s U.S. Offices Washington, D.C. office, was appointed in 2013 by the then Governor of Michigan to be the Emergency Manager of Detroit as it went through a financial restructuring. Building on that unique experience, Kevyn’s current practice in part focuses on other states and municipalities address financial and restructuring issues. Kevyn will address the current environment for entities in this area his client base and also address the unique issues that arise in restructurings when they are in the public sector.

We also have a new feature that we’re calling Executive Insights Sessions.  Attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from executives such as David French, Sr. VP of Government Relations of the National Retail Federation; John Linker, CFO of JELD-WEN, the world's largest window and door manufacturer, Robert Kaslow-Ramos, partner at Apollo Global Management, George Hearn, VP & Treasurer of Performance Food Group and Simon Properties chief investment officer and JC Penney Interim CEO, Stanley Shashoua.

We’ll also be joined by world-renowned physicians and scientists from the leading respiratory hospital in the nation, National Jewish Health (NJH). The institution is involved in mass-scale vaccine deployment, new clinics for children and adults with suspected COVID-19 and for patients recovering from the virus, as well as treatment for hospitalized patients. NJH is well known in the asset-based market for their highly successful fundraising event, the annual Financial Industries Dinner in New York, where numerous leaders from our industry participate and have been honored.

There really is something for everyone this year and attendance is tracking well above prior years.

Q. What is the on-demand SFNet’s Capital Markets Boot Camp held right before ABCC?

A: This is the perfect precursor to the conference panels. First-time attendees (and those looking for a refresher) can join senior capital markets executives for this SFNet Foundation program focused on the basics of the syndicated asset-based market.

"Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs is excited to sponsor the first Capital Markets Boot Camp program," said Bobbi Acord Noland, partner, Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs. "Capital markets experts in our industry will discuss the ABL syndication market and will provide their practical and professional insights. We hope that many attendees will view this on-demand program before the ABCC to help better enhance their knowledge and experience during the conference.” 

Attendees will learn about each of the key concepts in the syndicated ABL market, including size and trends in the market, market capacity and a survey of the data available on the market.

Q. Most people have been virtual now for a full year. What do you say to those who may be feeling a little “Zoomed Out” by this point? What makes SFNet’s ABCC different from other conferences or virtual networking events?

While we are all disappointed that we won’t be able to get together in person for this year’s event, the move to a virtual format has opened up many new possibilities for the actual content. ABCC has always been known for having rich and important content for attendees.  Without the requirement for our presenters to be in attendance in Las Vegas we have been able to broaden and strengthen our agenda for 2021, with significantly more segments than we have been able to include in prior ABCC events.  ABCC 2021 will help give attendees access to even more of the critical and timely information they need to help their businesses succeed.

We’ll still have a taste of the Strip brought to your home or office with our Vegas-themed networking rooms and evening entertainment with Tom Pesce, who will perform a fast-paced and highly interactive magic show and a comedy-based dueling piano show.

Q:  After the Conference is over, how can attendees remain engaged and continue the conversation?

A: With the SFNet Connect platform, attendees can continue to network through the app or on their laptop even after the conference ends.  The platform makes it easy toto set up meetings, breakout into private rooms, and chat with attendees throughout the conference. All panels and presentations will be available after the conference ends, so if you missed something, you can access it after the fact.