Creating Opportunity for Investor Interaction

The Situation

Each January J.P. Morgan kicks off the year for healthcare investment professionals and executives alike by hosting its annual investor conference in San Francisco. This has become a “must attend” event for participants in all healthcare sub-sectors. While the conference itself has approximately 6,000 registrants, the event draws nearly 15,000 people for four days of intensive networking and marketing by corporate management teams, vendors and every investment banking firm with healthcare expertise. The coveted conference presentation slots generally are limited to investment banking clients or companies under coverage by J.P. Morgan. In more recent years, the bank’s dealings with small, emerging companies has declined dramatically, leaving most of LHA’s clients out of the conference. Our challenge has been to leverage this large, global audience of industry professionals to the benefit of our healthcare clients.

LHA’s Solution

Over the years, LHA has refined and expanded an off-site strategy that involves procuring meeting space in a hotel within easy walking distance of the conference site. LHA began this initiative in 2002 by planning and hosting a group dinner for a single client that was presenting at the conference. This off-site initiative has grown significantly over the years, with LHA now procuring a full floor of a hotel and hosting more than 300 one-on-one meetings during the course of the conference. The implementation of this strategy is a herculean task anchored by extensive targeting, high-level outreach, communication and organization, and involves every member of LHA’s healthcare franchise for the better part of two months.

LHA’s Results

In addition to the numbers posted below, each of our participating client companies benefitted from being part of the industry’s most prestigious investor gathering, including attending any number of receptions and networking events. Management’s time is utilized with utmost efficiency with meetings typically starting on the hour every hour, from early in the morning through dinner. LHA consistently receives high marks from clients as to the value of this initiative and the skill with which it is carried out.

• 2005: 6 clients, 3 days, ~ 40 meetings + 2 group dinners
• 2006: 17 clients, 3 days, ~110 meetings + 3 group dinners
• 2007: 18 clients, 3 days, ~170 meetings + 3 group dinners
• 2008: 26 clients, 3 days, ~350 meetings + 2 group dinners
• 2009: 20 clients, 3 days, ~260 meetings + 2 group dinners
• 2010: 18 clients, 3 days, ~250 meetings + 1 group dinner
• 2011: 24 clients, 4 days, ~310 meetings + 1 group dinner