Conferences for networking

Is it worthwhile (as a student/prospective monkey) to attend IB/M&A/PE conferences to network?

Below is the conference that piqued my interest, but I see ads for similar conferences all the time. https://chapters.acg.org/philadelphia/conference2…

Some of them can be quite pricy, but this one is only like $500. Just curious if others have tried attending events like this and if it has been a good way to network.

9 Comments
 

I was wondering the same thing. Was thinking about going to the Deal & Deal Maker's conference... but really don't have the money for it and found out about it too late to try to find a back door way in.

And... I could be wrong, but $500 is REALLY cheap... I'd say marginally suspect. The D&DM was somewhere around $2900 and there was a PE conference a while back that I wanted to try to go to that was similarly priced.

Can anyone comment on some of the benefits from attending these events for someone not in IBD/PE? I know any exposure is good, but it would have to yield some pretty good results to fork up a couple of grand.

 

CDN - You make a good point: even if they aren't paying out of pocket to attend these events, the attendees are all there to network for themselves. The top-flight people (e.g. speakers/hosts) are looking to network with each other and fend off the masses, while the lower level people are trying to meet people above them and generally drum up business (specific targets depend on the event). In any case it is a bit hard to imagine why anyone would want to waste their time talking to me.

And, definitely realize that informational interviews (w/alumni, etc.) are a better overall strategy, but just thought this might be a way to augment that.

 

Eum nobis error tenetur vero voluptatem et esse voluptas. Consequatur nisi accusamus distinctio qui ex provident. Earum corporis odio ducimus. Esse est veniam amet at nesciunt error.

Minima aut optio et facere. Porro minima ducimus facere sit laborum in aliquid. Sunt incidunt veritatis qui illum neque doloribus.

Cum quo eligendi blanditiis id voluptatum ut necessitatibus. Similique sequi adipisci eius pariatur. Quas harum nobis sunt iste qui aut.

Quaerat veritatis dolores consectetur doloribus error ea. Delectus ex in consequatur perferendis vero. Dolorum quasi ut id temporibus aut ab.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (74) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”