| Dear Reader, Over the past week, I have talked about the Strategic Investment Conference and how attending will help you take the big powerful ideas that I covered in my five-part series (and many others) to the next level. You probably gathered from the attendee feedback in my last email just how valuable coming to the SIC can be. But the fact that attendees routinely tell me “ the SIC is the best conference I have ever attended” is only a byproduct of what I try to achieve with the SIC. Today, I want to take a step back and reflect on what exactly I am doing with the SIC, and why it is so highly regarded. A conference I would want to attend My big-picture goal for the SIC has always been to create a conference that I want to attend. Let me explain. At most conferences, speakers give their presentations, hang on for a short Q&A session, and then disappear. For someone who enjoys having facetime and networking with speakers (me), this is disappointing. For the SIC, I work really hard to ensure the speakers are available to attendees. When you come, you will be able to interact with them and ask follow-up questions. As past attendees can attest to, most of the speakers stick around for the whole conference, which means you will get to meet them in between sessions. Better yet, the intimate dinner roundtables we organize for the evenings give you further opportunities to interact with speakers—while having a spectacular meal in a top-rated restaurant. Great food and even better company. Giving you the best bang for your buck Another yardstick I measure the SIC by is: How much bang for their buck are attendees getting? The largest cost of coming to the SIC is your time, and believe me when I say: I make it worth every minute. From the time you sit down for breakfast, through all the presentations and panels, to the dinner roundtables in the evening—you will be constantly learning and gaining insights. Another way I ensure attendees get value for money is by filling the roster with only A-list speakers. At the SIC, all the speakers are keynote speakers at whatever other conference they are at. That’s why the room is always packed, and every presentation is “can’t miss.” And as every speaker knows the lineup, they all bring their A game, typically giving a new and fresh presentation for the first time. I can tell you that gentle competition pushes up the quality of the presentations. After all, attendees get to rate the speakers, and only the best get invited back. I know you want to hear from the big thinkers and world changers. The SIC brings together the great and the greater. It’s a strategic-minded investors dream because you will walk away with new concepts to consider and ideas to execute. An incubator for “aha” moments At many conferences I have gone to, there is no interaction between speakers. Sure, presentations are great, but the real gems and unique insights often come out when a speaker is challenged by his or her peers. This is what I do with the SIC. I have panels and Q&A sessions where speakers moderate and bounce questions off one another. The interaction really creates those special “aha” moments. Notice what I said. The “aha” moments don’t come out of nowhere. I intentionally create them by combining specific brains and personalities on stage. I don’t always know what will happen when I put A and B together... but I know it will be enlightening. You’ll be among a special group of thinkers But the best part of attending the SIC? Not only do you get to hear all the speakers, you also get to interact with your fellow attendees. I could put together a fabulous, informative conference with just the people in the audience. You will be in the center of a very special group that has been “curated” over time. The SIC is not a gathering of the economics community or the finance community. It’s a gathering of the thinking community. And that’s where great things will happen and plans for successfully negotiating the complexities of the world we live in will be made. If you haven’t yet been to an SIC, you really should consider coming. In my humble opinion, it’s the single best investment conference in the country, bar none. You will meet some of the smartest people on the planet, and walk with many new friends. The dates are March 6–9, 2018, at the Manchester Hyatt in San Diego. I really hope you can make it. You can learn more about attending the SIC 2018, and about the speakers who will be there, here. Your raring to go analyst,
John Mauldin
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