Morgan Joseph SPAC Conference -- Conclusion: Mo Money, Mo Less Problems?

Led by Tina Pappas, A.K.A. the "SPAC Lady", Morgan Joseph held its first annual SPAC conference in New York last week, attracting over 500 participants.

Attendees bemoaned the slowdown, with Richard Heckmann of Heckmann Corp. saying:

"...it seems to me that the SPAC market should be hotter than it is. Tell me a market you can go into where you can't lose money, the worst that can happen is that you'll get your money back."

... and that:

"My advice to a [new] team doing a SPAC is to bring something to the party. It's always about the management, it's always about the team. Money doesn't solve problems, management does..."

Click here for more coverage from Business Wire and TheDeal.com.

Equal Time: Another SPAC Conference to Hit New York City in June

Dealflow Media is sponsoring a SPAC conference on June 5, 2008 at the Hilton Hotel, New York City. Should be a good one with a hole slew of tasty topics, and you save $200 if you sign up by April 18th.

At the conference, they're covering:

• Different Trading Strategies for Units, Common Stock & Warrants
• Understanding the Listing Alternatives: OTC, AIM, AMEX, Euronext and Nasdaq
• Tactics to Avoid Liquidation
• How Regulatory Changes Might Impact Blank Check Offerings
• Practical Valuation when SPACs are in Play
• Management Considerations: What it Takes to Run your Own Deal
• How to Arbitrage SPACs
• The Do’s and Don’ts of Searching for Targets & Tactics to Avoid Liquidation
• Dealing with Liquidity Issues and Positioning for a Shareholder Vote
• Approaches to Special Situations
• SPAC Structuring Alternatives including Trusts, Voting & Banker’s Compensation
• Moving a SPAC's Shareholder Base Away from Hedge Funds
• Data & Statistics: A Comprehensive Tour of the Modern SPAC Marketplace

Click here to register

SPAC Conferences: It's all Happening, Man...

What could be a bigger hoot than hanging out with a bunch of lawyers, i-bankers, accountants and investor relations folks in a hotel ballroom? Why, hanging out with a bunch of lawyers, i-bankers, accountants and investor relations folks in a hotel ballroom while talking about SPACs!

Closely on the heels of their SPAC conference on the West Coast, an outfit named Vintage Filings is putting on a series of SPAC conferences in various cities. The next one is in Boston on March 18.

Click here to learn more.