May 23, 2014

May Fest: MicroCap and Memorial Day

May Fest: MicroCap and Memorial Day

Next Thursday, May 29th, is the 3rd Annual Marcum MicroCap Conference, which will again take place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. In just three years, our conference has become one of Marcum’s signature tent pole events and the preeminent venue for matching up microcap companies (generally, public companies with a market capitalization of $500M or less) with potential investors.

With less than a week to go, this year’s event already promises to be the best yet. We have a record 130 presenting companies and expect close to 2,000 attendees. During the course of the conference, presenting companies will not only be able to make their cases before a group of prequalified, potential investors, but will also have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with investors who have expressed interest in talking privately with their management teams.

This year we are honored to have former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as our luncheon keynote speaker. We expect a packed house, along with significant media coverage.

All in all, the Marcum MicroCap Conference has become a runaway success, something that David Bukzin, the head of our SEC Practice, and I couldn’t have imagined three short years ago when we sat down at one of our favorite watering holes. We ordered drinks, David sketched out his vision and a working budget on the back of a napkin, we agreed to take the risk and commit the funding. We then ordered another round, toasted and hoped for the best. Four months later, the MicroCap Conference was born.

Today, thanks to our very generous sponsors, participating companies and attendees, the Marcum MicroCap Conference is the place to be for the microcap community. And this year we’ve upped the ante by introducing a free mobile app for anyone with an i-device or android phone wanting to follow what’s happening at or with the conference, whether you’re attending or not. The Marcum MicroCap Conference App – powered by event sponsor theIRapp – can be downloaded at the App Store or Google Play.

To David and the rest of the Marcum team that spends months putting the conference together every year, my sincere thanks and congratulations. It looks like you’ve all outdone yourselves again. And for those of you who won’t be attending this year, we hope to see you in 2015.

On another note, this weekend is Memorial Day, a solemn occasion to honor the brave men and women of our armed services who have made the ultimate sacrifice. First and foremost, let us all be sure to take time this weekend to acknowledge them and their families, and the legacy they have left us.

Of course, Memorial Day is also the unofficial start of summer. It was a particularly brutal winter this year – cold and snowy – and the beginning of spring hasn’t been much better – cold and rainy. So I’m sure we’re all ready for some warmth and sunshine. Monday will be the first day we’ve closed Marcum’s offices for a holiday since New Year’s. Many of us, including yours truly, are taking today off and making it a four-day weekend, a well-deserved break after our busy season. Whatever your plans are, I hope all of you get some time off to relax and enjoy yourselves. Be safe everyone!