Dear IPEM friends,
One month ago (see our Oct. 5th letter) we were already cautious about the covid-19 situation and the prospects of organizing a great and safe IPEM 2021 in February. Today, as a second wave is hitting most parts of Europe and as lockdowns / travel restrictions are back in our lives, we believe it is more sensible to move IPEM to the summer of 2021.
The next great IPEM edition is officially taking place July 6th / 7th / 8th 2021 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. Please ensure to take note of important logistical and practical information provided at the end of this letter.
As organizers, we are making the most of these 5 extra months of preparation to deliver an even greater experience to our IPEM community. This starts with offering the most effective and productive business connections at IPEM 2021. As we are writing this letter, 550 companies / 200 GPs / 215 LPs / 150 speakers have already confirmed their participation – and 200 meeting booths are already booked (more than at the last IPEM edition!). We are expecting a higher community engagement than ever before and believe that IPEM will be a turning point for European Private Equity after months of Zoom calls! By then, we will also have developed and improved our MyIPEM digital platform to facilitate business connections and help you to better schedule meetings at the event.
July in Cannes also opens a world of new formats and networking opportunities. All restaurants, hotels and venues will be open; the Nice airport is much better connected with direct flights from European capitals and the rest of the world at this time of year; the city of Cannes and la Croisette will be sunny and lively… We are already scouting local locations and will come back to you soon with new events, new venues (especially outdoors), and fresh proposals to enjoy IPEM in a summertime version!
The IPEM team is staying active to serve our great community in these strange times. Please save Feb. 3rd, 2021 for us in your calendar. This should have been the busiest day in Cannes, so we will make sure that it remains a special moment with an exciting surprise! We will also be pushing hard to upscale our digital capabilities early in 2021 with some new networking formats online, new tools for the industry and exciting content for our community. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us and to let us know about your needs / how we can help. We will do our best (as always) to serve you!
Finally, we want to thank you all for being so supportive and positive in these unprecedented times. IPEM has a very strong sense of community. We feel grateful and energized to work and grow with you. Private equity is certainly entering a new phase; we are ready to take on the challenge with you and to bring the industry to its next level. Let us shape the future of PE together in Cannes!
All the best,
Antoine COLSON and the IPEM team
#WeLovePE #WeLoveIPEM
