(First time to a Forum? Please read this!)
Forums are not like other conferences you may have been to. They are designed to maximize the free exchange of experiences and interests amongst its participants in a balanced way. You will find three types of engagement in three different ways:
- General Sessions with everyone in a ballroom setting and a more formal, directed conversation, with audience participation.
- Breakout Sessions are a mix of topics and deep dives that are entirely participant-driven discussions and working sessions.
- Social Settings such as meals, receptions, and activities to allow more self-directed interaction and networking.
These represent the three key mechanics we use to help you and your organizations learn and grow at our in-person Forums. Every breakout session at the Forum is a dynamic conversation and discussion between members in which to share best practices and successes along with learning from one another about beginning, implementing, and improving on your own efforts. The breakout sessions are purposely succinct in their titling and description to allow the participants to drive more of the content, priority, and overall direction of the discussions. Facilitators for each session you register for will be reaching out to you in advance to gain your input for that session and help ensure that you are able to maximize your participation in it. Please be sure to provide them with your needs, interests and perspectives when they reach out.
In addition to member participants from a broad spectrum of asset management firms, a curated selection of Vendor Partners and Solution Providers has been invited for showing deep understanding and dedication to this space in the financial services industry and in particular to Sales, Marketing, Client Servicing and the tools, technologies, and practices that enable them. However, unlike other conferences, they do not have booths, tables, or other dedicated space at the events. On the contrary, we invite them to participate in the sessions as a means for them to continue learning about what we are tasked with, how they may be of help and how they have assisted others in similar situations as us. They are forbidden from making sales pitches but encouraged to share their accomplishments and experiences with us as sources of expertise and broad exposure to our industry. As such please be open to learning and sharing with them as well.
Still not sure?
Just call us at +1-917-561-9553 or write to SMEForum@TheSMEForum.net for help thinking through who best to attend based on content, opportunity and what is happening at your firm. Let’s get the right people to participate.
Agenda and Session Descriptions
(As of August 27, 2025)
Download Agenda to Share and Print (pdf)
View and Download Session Descriptions (pdf)
Monday, October 27
All Day: Arrivals and Check-In
5:30 – 8:00 PM: Welcome Reception
Tuesday, October 28
8:00 AM: Registration and Networking Hot Breakfast
9:00 AM: Welcome from the SME Forum
9:30 AM: The Acceleration of AI Capabilities for Asset Management, Alec Crawford, CEO (AICRisk)
10:15 AM: Networking Break
10:30 AM: Tuesday Morning Breakout Sessions:
Sales & Distribution Sales Enablement Integration
Marketing Content Creation and Curation w/ AI
Data, Tech & AI Dashboards Best Practices
Solutions Workshop XALT – Accelerating Go-to-Market Success
12:00 PM: Networking Sit Down Lunch
1:30 PM: Panel Discussion – How modern technology is reshaping distribution and organizational strategy
2:15PM: Tuesday Afternoon Breakout Sessions:
Sales & Distribution Institutional Distribution Challenges
Marketing Products & Relationships
Data, Tech & AI Client Segmentation Strategies
Solutions Workshop Kyloe – Break out of the Cell – how much Excel is too much?
3:45 PM: Networking Break
4:00 PM: What’s an AI Agent—and Can I Use One Without Breaking Compliance? – HSO
4:45 PM Final Thoughts Day 1
5:30–8:00 Onsite Reception and Sit-Down Dinner at Hotel Restaurant
Wednesday, October 29
7:30 AM: Registration and Networking Hot Breakfast
8:00 AM: AI Challenges Benchmark Study – Loren Fox (Fuse Research)
8:30 AM: Bluprintx – Compliant Content at the Speed of AI
9:15 AM: Wednesday Morning Breakout Sessions:
Sales & Distribution Mobile CRM – Success Stories
Marketing Marketing Technology – Key Solutions to Drive Activity
Data, Tech & AI AI to enhance the customer experience
Solutions Workshop HSO – AI Agents in Action: How to Move from Use Case to MVP
10:45 AM: Networking Break
11:00 AM: How to go to market at scale for Marketing and Sales – Greg Healy, CEO, Synthesis Technology, Fireside Chat with Lara Hoffmans, Managing Director of Marketing, Diamond Hill Investment Group
11:45 AM: AI is solving distribution’s pain points today.- SS&C
12:30 PM: Networking Sit Down Lunch
1:30 PM: Wednesday Afternoon Breakout Sessions:
Sales & Distribution Harvesting Sales and Marketing Activity
Marketing Driving Activity for the RIA Channel
Data, Tech & AI Personalization of Sales using AI
Solutions Workshop SalesPage – From Resistance to Resilience: Leading People Through Disruption
3:00 PM: Closing Reception and Networking – Sponsor: SalesPage
5:00 PM: Forum Concludes and Departures
6:30 PM: Leadership Council Offsite Dinner (by invitation)
Thursday, October 30 (SME Leadership Council – by invitation only)
8:00 AM: Leadership Council Breakfast and Meetings
11:30 AM: Meeting Concludes and Departures
To confirm your firm’s membership status please visit https://thesmeforum.net/membership/. While Forums are primarily reserved for any employee of a member firm, we welcome any request for guests and others who would enrich the experience for the community. If you need any help with your registration, please feel free to call us at +1-917-561-9553 or email smeforum@thesmeforum.net and we will address any questions you may have promptly.
Online Registration for the Fall Forum
Please email smeforum@thesmeforum.net if you have any questions or to request information about registering at the event
Confirmations and other emails from this registration site will all come from ”Event Smart.com” with a similar domain of @eventsmart.com. Please add these to your safe address list and check your spam or junk folders. Credit Card receipts will be cleared through Thoth Advisory Services, LLC.
Notice: Some sessions and other portions of the event may be video and/or audio recorded. By registering for this event, you grant consent to The SME Forum for the use of your image, video, audio, or any combination of the three by the SME Forum on behalf of the membership.