Several major international business events are headed to the Island next year, including two inaugural conferences that could attract hundreds of corporate delegates to Bermuda for the first time.

Bermuda Business Development Agency (BDA) this evening announced it has succeeded in bringing the prestigious Legal Week Private Client Forum Americas 2016 to Rosewood Tucker’s Point Resort in February, and is now finalising details with Canada’s Radius Financial Education to stage the World Alternative Investment Summit (WAIS) 2016 here later in the year.

“These are both big-name events that will serve to heighten Bermuda’s profile as an international financial centre,” said Sean Moran, BDA business development manager for the asset management and private client sectors.

“They will also boost our business tourism numbers through overseas attendees and generate potential interest among delegates who may want to consider doing business here. Events of this kind raise our profile and bring direct investment.”

The Legal Week event is scheduled for February 10—12 and will focus on wealth-planning issues affecting high-net-worth individuals and families based in North, South and Central America.

WAIS events bring together participants within the global alternative investment industry, including investment managers, hedge funds, family offices, equity managers, investment banks, attorneys and investors.

For the past 14 years, Radius has been Canada’s leading producer of large high-level financial service conferences.

“We are thrilled to be hosting the World Alternative Investment Summit in Bermuda in 2016 and we believe our conference will provide global asset managers an excellent platform to Bermuda,” said Tony Sanfelice, president and CEO of Toronto-based Radius.

“We have been very impressed with the assistance we have received so far from the BDA and believe the agency’s targeted marketing and business development strategies will prove invaluable to Bermuda’s growth within its financial services sector in the coming years.”

That sentiment is being echoed by numerous groups that have worked with the BDA over the past year to stage successful events on the Island, said BDA conferences & events manager Nicole Conrad Morrison, adding her team had noticed increased interest in Bermuda among a wide gamut of industry sectors, while those that had held events are now committed to returning to the Island.

“Bermuda has seen a positive trend with the increase of international conferences finding a home on the Island,” said Ms Conrad Morrison.

“This is an extremely positive reflection on the jurisdiction and our high-calibre talent across all industry pillars. The BDA provides valuable support to conference producers when they’re considering Bermuda. We guide them through the process, connecting them with necessary contacts, resources and industry support. That close teamwork, and the resulting success of these Bermuda events, encourages their return.”

Significant industry events that are coming back to Bermuda next year include:

• Regulatory Compliance Association (RCA) Regulation, Operations and Compliance 2016 Symposium, scheduled for April 17—19 at the Fairmont Southampton, which this year attracted more than 250 alternative investment and asset management executives to Bermuda;

• Transcontinental Trusts: Bermuda Forum, May 9—10 at the Fairmont Southampton, which brought 240 delegates and speakers in the trust and private client industry this past April and garnered very positive reviews;

• Global Fund Forum, a three-day gathering organised by Hedge Connection for October 24—26 at the Fairmont Southampton. This year’s event brought together several hundred hedge fund managers and qualified investors at the Fairmont Southampton for one-on-one meetings, workshops and informal networking.

• Asociación Latinoamericana de Administradores de Riesgos y Seguros (ALARYS) Congress, a biennial conference for risk managers from countries throughout Latin America, will be held at the Hamilton Princess, Bermuda between September 25—27. It was held previously on the Island in 2004 and 2010 — the only non-Latin venue in its 20-year history.

“After a successful event in 2015, Hedge Connection has decided to host the Global Fund Forum again at the Fairmont Southampton in October 2016,” said Lisa Vioni, CEO of Hedge Connection, a Bronxville, New York-based marketing platform for hedge funds and a portal for investors.

“The beauty of the Island combined with the financial industry focus of many Bermuda-based companies, plus the support of the BDA, makes Bermuda the perfect venue for our three-day alternative industry event.”

The annual Bermuda Captive Conference, running June 13—15, 2016 at the Fairmont Southampton, is another event, this one put on by a local organising committee and attracting more than 600 delegates from Bermuda and overseas. Next year’s keynote speaker is Joe Flowers, a well-known American healthcare futurist and author. ILS Bermuda’s popular Convergence event, that brought 300 delegates to its Front Street venue earlier this month, will also go ahead again next year.