Hugh Richards and Mark Nesbitt (Latimer Partners)
As partners enter mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity at an average rate of one deal every 52 hours across Australia, EDGE 2021 will deep-dive into how business leaders can maximise value whether buying or selling in the current local climate.
Delivered via an exclusive session by consultancy firm Latimer Partners, this specialised track will assess updated and fast-moving market trends, evolving investment appetite and immediate areas of focus in 2022, supported by boardroom guidance specific to building out viable M&A strategies in the months ahead.
Billed as an “unstoppable force” taking shape across Australia, EDGE 2021 will provide a unique forum in which “everyone will talk to everyone” as partner transactions continue to close at a rate of one deal approximately every 52 hours, just over three per week and roughly 14 per month.
“We're still seeing tremendous deal flow and we’ve never had such a large pipeline,” noted Mark Nesbitt, principal of Latimer Partners. “In some sectors, COVID-19 has caused owners to reflect on what other things they’d rather be doing which has naturally had an impact.”
In addition to navigating such a challenging 18 months, Nesbitt acknowledged that business owners are also receiving increased inbound interest with valuations at an “all-time high”.
“If it’s becoming hard and there’s substantial interest, why not think about a transaction?” he asked.
Building on Nesbitt’s market observations, Hugh Richards -- a fellow principal of Latimer Partners -- cited three core factors triggering a surge in activity, most notably “cheap equity cash, high equity valuations and a market thirst for growth”.
“Businesses are generally not leveraged up or debt financed and when it comes to software and IT services companies, they are generally equity financed,” he noted.“It’s not so much that cheap debt is driving this, rather a wall of equity capital.”
Richards observed the “eye-watering” sums of money flooding the market currently which in turn is accelerating consolidation efforts in Australia.
“There is a war chest of money available,” he outlined. “A lot of equity capital money is being put to work and high equity prices are feeding off this. Players in the local market today are very highly rated and investors are crying out for the growth which is hard to deliver in a small local market so it’s very easy to go out and buy other assets.”
Credit: ARN / Foundry Industry gears up for EDGE 2021
Executive demand to attend EDGE 2021 has reached heightened levels of interest as the industry comes together for the in-person event on 20-23 March 2022, located at Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort.
Operating as the leading technology conference for business leaders in Australia, the decision to reschedule from November 2021 to March 2022 and continue hosting in a face-to-face format comes in response to strong market feedback.
“We look forward to hosting EDGE 2021 in full form, recognising the value of face-to-face interaction among executive delegates,” said Cherry Yumul, vice president of Strategic Partnerships and Innovation at IDG.
“We remain fully committed to the preparation and delivery of a COVID-safe in-person conference but understand all precautionary actions must be taken and believe a proactive approach is required to ensure minimal disruption to our attendees and sponsors.”
Attendance at EDGE 2021 on Sunshine Coast is by invitation only, limited to decision-makers shaping the technology landscape across Australia.
Such high calibre of attendance is the catalyst for a four-day destination event designed to provide business coaching at an executive-level, targeting seasoned leaders to aspiring entrepreneurs.
The market is saturated with conventional conferences following traditional rules of engagement, delivering predictable insights with no actionable takeaways or outcomes. In an industry fixated on the why, EDGE focuses on the how, offering step-by-step guidance around technology monetisation, business growth and customer acquisition.
Plans are now finalised to shape an editorial narrative built around the theme of Commercialising Hype -- offering step-by-step guidance on revised customer priorities, new areas of opportunity and how partners can realistically transition from recovery to growth mode.
This will be underpinned by EDGE Research, housing in-depth end-user and partner analysis across Australia, uniquely delivered in partnership with Tech Research Asia.
Following nine months of planning -- shaped by industry feedback and consultation -- EDGE 2021 will play host to the most influential business leaders in technology, reflective of a diverse, innovative and expanding channel ecosystem.
As the world becomes more collaborative, so is the network of providers delivering transformational solutions to customers. Different technology buyers are requiring different technology partners, challenging the market status quo in the process.
Mirroring the market, EDGE brings together emerging and established technology players, spanning bleeding edge start-ups and cloud specialists to independent software vendors and application developers. This is complemented with business consultants and boutique agencies, alongside solution providers and system integrators -- all collaborating, all contributing.
EDGE creates a unique environment in which extreme partner types can join forces in the pursuit of innovation, acting as the conduit for customer transformation since first launching in 2015.
