University of Michigan's Zell Lurie Institute to Host Annual Private Equity Conference

Event to Explore Trends in Private Equity, Strategies for Deal Sourcing and Legal Developments

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week the Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies and its Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business will host nearly 200 private equity, investment banking and business leaders for its annual Private Equity Conference. The event will cover new insights on the current state of the private equity industry and the strategies needed to excel heading into 2012. It is being held Friday, October 28 at the University of Michigan Union.

Now in its sixth year, the Private Equity Conference is a boutique event that covers emerging topics in the nation's economy and credit markets that pose challenges and new opportunities for those in private equity and institutional investing. During the half-day program, keynote speakers and panelists will assess the current state of the marketplace and discuss strategies private equity firms can utilize to take advantage of current and predicted market conditions.

The program will kick-off at 7:30 a.m. with a networking breakfast. At 8:15 a.m., the keynote address will be delivered by Stewart Kohl, co-CEO of The Riverside Company, the largest and oldest global private equity firm investing in companies with enterprise values of under $200 million. Kohl will address the future of the industry in his presentation, "Private Equity: Will it Evolve or Fade Away?" Following the keynote, attendees will then be able to attend professional development sessions and listen to several in-depth panel discussions on topics including:

• Limited Partners Private Equity Outlook and Investment Perspectives
• Exit, Where Art Thou? Options Amidst Uncertainty
• Strategies for Deal Sourcing
• Legal Trends and Recent Developments in Private Equity M&A

"The only constant in the private equity world as of late is change," said David Brophy, director of the Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance and associate professor of finance. "The Conference format provides an opportunity for our alumni to interact with practitioners from this increasingly important aspect of our global financial markets."

All attendees are invited to a pre-event golf outing taking place on Thursday, Oct. 27 at noon, which will be followed by a dinner reception at 6:00 p.m. at the Campus Inn. Online registration is open through Wednesday, Oct. 26; on-site registration will open Friday morning at the Michigan Union beginning at 7:30 a.m. For more information or to register, visit http://www.bus.umich.edu/Conferences/UMPE/ViewConference.aspx

About the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies

The Institute and its Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance bring together a potent mix of knowledge, experience and opportunities from the front lines of entrepreneurship and alternative investments.  The student learning experience is further enhanced through internships, entrepreneurial clubs and events that serve to provide viable networks and engage the business community.  The School's three student-led investment funds, with over $5M under management, immerse students in the business assessment and investment process.  Founding Board Members include Samuel Zell, Chairman of Equity Group Investments and Eugene Applebaum, Founder of Arbor Drugs, Inc. For more information, visit the Institute at www.zli.bus.umich.edu.

SOURCE Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies