As many of you are aware, we hosted an event called the Alpha Ideas 20-20 Meet two days back on Saturday 28 July, 2018.
Wanted to share a few thoughts on the same.
Why an Event?
During my evolution as an Investor,I read a quote by Howard Marks on Warren Buffett that was very interesting :
“Long ago, Mr. Buffett turned himself into an information hub , sponging up data, storing it in his prodigious memory and developing a network of contacts brimming with good ideas”
So that got me thinking as to how I could develop my own network of contacts brimming with good ideas?
To develop a network, you have to meet people and the best way to do it is to attend Events/Conferences.
But nearly all the Events etc were conducted by wealth firms/brokerage houses for their clients.
They had no interest (justifiably so) in inviting someone like me !
So, I thought one day, I will host an event where serious investors can meet, listen to other great investors and network with each other.
That day finally came two days back…there was more than 2,000 years of investing experience in that room that day.
Why the 20-20 format?
The 20-20 format was inspired by the Tamilnadu Investors Association. They had conducted a similar program last year in Chennai.
I realized that most of the speakers and a large part of the audience was from Mumbai .
Hence I felt this Event could do well in my Karma Bhoomi, Mumbai.
20 20 is a beautiful format in the sense that it forces the speaker to cut to the chase and come to the point quickly.
The Speaker doesn’t ramble on and put the audience to sleep.
Also, since there are 20 speakers- you get a tremendous diversity of ideas-on Tax,on Cyclicals,on SMEs, Compounders, Growth Stories, Value Plays, Midcaps,Small Caps, Turnarounds etc
Its like a complete buffett with a variety of dishes to sample on.
It also gives you a glimpse outside your own area of competence.For example, if you are a growth investor and someone makes a mind blowing presentation on a value play, it makes you go hmmm…
Why the live coverage?
Alpha Ideas 20-20 is probably the first Investor Conference where there was live tweeting, live webcast and interviews happening.
My speakers are amongst the best investors in the country.They deserve a national audience to listen to their investment thesis, thought process and tools of analysis.
Based on Speaker Preferences ,around 15/20 were live webcasted by the good folks of Bloomberg Quint. You can catch the videos here
This converted the Event from being an one city, one venue Event to a National Event watched by tens of thousands of folks all over the Country.
I compare it to watching a T20 match live at a stadium and watching the same at home-both are different experiences.
A Personal Note.
Growing up in a middle-class family in socialist India, the Taj was something very intimidating and very glamorous at the same time.
So , I always had this item on my bucket list, that one day I will host an Event there.
So even though the Event got sold out in four hours and there were lots of requests to change the Venue to a bigger one, I did not do so.
I am glad since the Taj lived up to its reputation and did a terrific job.
Leaving with one pic of the Event with the Speakers…I am the well-fed happy looking guy in the middle
