General Sessions

All listed times are in the Central Standard time zone (CST)

10:20 AM - 11:30 AMWelcome Remarks and A Macro View of the State of the Market

David Asmus, Conference Chair & Emcee opens Advantage 2021: Moving M&A Forward.

The conference will kick-off with a review of current market trends post/mid-COVID through the optics of GF Data's statistical data. Learn how the M&A community is handling the new normal and its impact on the middle market.

11:30 AM - 12:30 PMM&A Is Still Happening, but What Does It Take to Get Deals Done?

M&A Access Survey Results: a detailed look at data from over 2,400 recent deals, what it takes to get deals closed in today’s market, where the opportunities will be looking forward, and how to use the report to win them.

A panel of leading M&A experts will present and discuss new, unpublished data from the AM&AA M&A Access Market Survey Report. Topics will include 1) details on the composition of consideration, deal terms, and the most critical factors and challenges to get deals to close, and 2) examples of how to use data from the report (by industry, geography, buyer type, etc.) to find and win new clients and deals.

12:30 PM - 12:45 PMThought Leader of the Year Award Ceremony

Sponsored by BKD CPAs & Advisors

1:00 PM - 2:00 PMSuccessfully Navigating the Shifting Debt in the M&A Landscape

A panel of experts discusses capital availability changes from a senior lending perspective and what kinds of underwriting changes are happening.

This session explores deal risk, deal execution risk, debt covenant, and types of seller notes as capital availability from the lenders' perspective. Gain an inside look at the future of middle market financing, underwriting, and credit landscapes.

2:00 PM - 3:00 PMThe Dry Powder Is Real: Market Demand on the Buy-Side

The previous panel's critical conversation continues as we take a closer look at capital availability through the lens of private equity and the family office.

9:30 AM - 10:30 AMBIEF: Campaign for Clarity

Learn the latest about BIEF’s efforts in Washington, D.C., to enact a bill clarifying when M&A advisors need to hold FINRA Securities Classifications in order to facilitate M&A transactions legally.

10:30 AM - 11:30 AMDiligence During COVID: Prepping Companies for Navigating Diligence Issues

A panel of transaction advisory experts will discuss due diligence considerations for M&A transactions during the COVID era. Learn what sellers should keep in mind when preparing to come to market. Following this session, attendees will have the insights needed to predict and address diligence issues and considerations presented during this ongoing health crisis.

11:30 AM - 12:30 PMBridging the Valuation Gap: How Earnouts and Seller Notes Are Being Used in the Current Deal Environment

In this session, a panel of experts consisting of a deal attorney, investment banker, and private equity investor will discuss the elements of Earnouts and Seller Notes and how these are changing in the current deal environment. This session will familiarize attendees with the tools and methodologies for designing structures that help bring deals to a close.

1:00 PM - 2:00 PMFederal Tax Matters Post-Election: Going Forward and Impacts on M&A Transactions

Tax experts from leading firms will share their insights as they discuss the post-election impact on M&A transactions and implications for the middle market.

2:00 PM - 3:00 PMETA: The Future in Lower Middle Market Deals Is Upon Us

Join our 2019 Thought Leader of the Year, Walker Deibel, as he discusses how Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition is coming to the lower middle market deal space. Learn the critical transaction aspects you'll need to advise your seller and buyer clients. In 2021 and beyond, M&A deal winners must be forward-thinking and better positioned to explore new avenues of business transactions and deal flow. Join Walker and moderator David Asmus to learn why, when it comes to ETA, "the future is upon us."