4 Reasons Why AFP Conference 2018 Was Successful

Now that I have had a chance to reflect on our recent trip to the 2018 Association for Financial Professionals Conference (AFP) in Chicago, I wanted to take time to comment on the immense success and valuable lessons we learned after attending.

See Also:

• Why AFP Conference 2018 Was All About Hedging
• AFP Gurus: Why Financial Professionals Keep Coming Back

As a former AFP employee, I’ve witnessed the conference’s evolution over the past few years. From working the Hedge Trackers’ booth, to walking the floor, and listening to the educational sessions, this was by far the best conference AFP has ever hosted. Here’s why:

The location was ideal for everyone

First, Chicago was the perfect location. Not only is it a fun city, but it’s also in the middle of the country, making it very easy for companies to send staff. This was clearly AFP’s best attended conference by the numbers.

Attendees were excited to be there

With more people, the conference was naturally more engaging, energetic and educational. It was evident that AFP was trying new things to get the crowd excited – and it worked. The speakers were terrific and effective at addressing the industry’s hottest topics, which our team at Hedge Trackers connected with deeply.

Everyone walked away feeling smarter

A conference is truly successful when it provides attendees with the opportunity to stretch their minds and imaginations, connect with new people, talk about new things and, ultimately, break out of the myopic, tunnel-vision nature of day-to-day operations. Sometimes, you can be so entrenched in your work that you have no opportunity to look at the world differently, try new things and innovate.

The sessions were relevant for our team

We weaved our way in and out of several different sessions – including 15-minute vignettes where people could share their ideas, best practices and interests in an open forum. We came back with a better understanding of our industry and our role as a company whose goal is to provide financial risk solutions.

For AFP 2019, Boston will lend its charm as another great venue. You can always count on the team from AFP to produce compelling speakers and highly educational content. We look forward to seeing you in 2019!