The largest annual healthcare investment conference is quickly approaching. In the third week of 2020, from January 13—16, over 40,000 professionals will congregate in San Francisco to discuss healthcare business and industry updates at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. Management teams of both private and public medtech, life science tools and diagnostics, pharmaceutical, biotech, distributors, managed care, facilities, provider networks, and HCIT companies will present and meet with members of the investment community, business service providers, and each other. While the extent of events surrounding the actual conference at the Westin Saint Francis Hotel can be overwhelming, it is a very good opportunity to increase your company’s visibility and network in an efficient manner. To make the most of your time, we have created a list of potential goals to maximize your time at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.
Before you set your goals, take time to evaluate your current position, as this will inform your goals. If you are looking to raise capital in the first half of the year, you might consider expanding your banking syndicate and take time to vet additional bankers. Keep in mind that this conference is your chance to set the tone and kick off the year with messaging and milestones that best reflect your business going forward.
1. Strategize in the (early) fall.
The first goal is to set goals! Remember, this conference always comes up quicker than expected; after Q3 reporting in November, there are holidays, then year-end close, and all of the sudden JPM is here. Prioritizing and planning in advance will allow you to create a more efficient schedule and be less distracted or scattered by the overwhelming number of events. A home base meeting room at a hotel reduces travel time, allowing you to fit more meetings into a day. Group dinners and breakfast meetings also allow you to make the most of your time.
2. Increase corporate visibility.
If you are attending the conference, you are looking to market and increase visibility for your company in some way. There are several ways to accomplish this. If you have a handle on the fourth quarter revenue, you can pre-announce with a press release; additionally, if you are comfortable with the 2020 projections, you can issue guidance as well. Pre-announcing this news frees up conversations with investors and can lead to more productive meetings. Other ways to increase visibility would be issuing a press release of any news, rolling out a new investor presentation, or just networking in general.
3. Meet with five of your top holders.
A significant portion of all healthcare investors will attend the conference. Take this as an opportunity to reach out to your top 20 holders and spend one-on-one time with a handful of them. They will appreciate the effort, even if they are not attending the conference. Investors do not typically have space to host meetings, so plan on hosting them and having a home base for a “home” day.
4. Meet with 10 targeted investors.
Given the significant number of investors attending the JPM conference, this is a great opportunity to introduce yourself to new investors and follow up with others that have shown interest in your company. Create a large pool of investor targets by checking your meeting history and researching owners of your competitors and owners of companies with similar sizes and profiles.
5. Catch up with all your covering analysts.
Most of the sell-side analysts that cover your company will be at the conference. This is a great opportunity to have quick check-ins with them. They will generally travel to you.
6. Hold introduction meetings with three target analysts.
If you are looking to expand the group of sell-side analysts covering your company, JPM is a great place to start a dialogue. Sell-side analysts play a vital role in supporting companies and expanding their visibility with investors.
7. Meet a current banker and have an introduction with another.
Bankers generally host meetings in hotel suites surrounding the Westin St. Francis. Plan these for your “away” day, when you are running around Union Square to other meetings, not a day when you have reserved your own meeting space.
8. Explore a strategic opportunity.
If there is a potential partner you have wanted to approach but there has not been an opportune moment to introduce yourself, your paths will most likely cross at JPM. On the other hand, if an opportunity has already been presented to you, schedule time at the conference to flesh out any potential plans.
9. Catch up with a board member.
Any board members that are involved in the healthcare industry could possibly be attending the conference. As you are probably in regular communication with them, fitting in a quick hello over coffee could be ideal.
If you are looking for additional help coming up with a detailed game plan for maximizing your time at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, reach out to our team today!
Philip Taylor, Associate
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