I recently
had the opportunity to speak to David Chun, CEO and Founder of Equilar about
their 2010 Executive Compensation Summit. I asked David to provide a little
information for ECE members and potential attendees.
David, can
you give me the basics? How long has Equilar been hosting an annual
event? What drove your decision to conclude the industry could use
another conference?
This is our second
year of hosting our executive compensation client event. Our clients were the
biggest influence in us deciding to do a conference. They called on us, as an
independent body, to bring together the various experts of executive
compensation. So, what started out as two small regional events has turned into
one larger national.
When and where will
this years event be held?
Appropriately, we’ll
host this year’s in Washington, D.C. on June 15 and 16. We thought with
all the government engagement in the field, from TARP to new SEC regulations,
what better place than in their backyard.
Tell me a
bit about the speakers. Are they people I would or should know?
On day one alone, we
have more than 25 of the “who’s who” in executive compensation: the heads of
the largest pay advisors, media, issuers, academics, and
policymakers. There’s too many to name. Those interested should check out
the speakers list.
Something new we
are doing is a pair of focused programs on day two. For senior professionals,
we have industry and topical roundtables that are lead by experts from
companies that include Staples, Walmart, Texas Instruments, Proctor &
Gamble, Allstate, and many more. For future exec-comp leaders, we’ve
partnered with WorldatWork to present a forum on the “Practitioner’s
Perspective,” led by Verizon, Intel, Hartford, and Pfizer executives.
Who is the typical attendee for the Summit?
Since we’ve grown
the program to embrace elements for both senior and mid-level practitioners,
we’ll have both executive and manager-level attendees. It’s going to be a
fantastic place to network and learn.
Can you tell me a little about the format? How is this event different
than other industry events? What types of programs can an attendee
expect? What types of networking opportunities?
The format is a big
update and a result of direct feedback from our Client Advisory Board.
It’s intended to facilitate tremendous networking, in both large and intimate
settings. On day one, the general session will take on the biggest issues, and
we’ll have ample networking breaks and an entertaining evening event. On day two,
we’re taking networking to another level with smaller industry roundtables, led
by chairs from key companies in those industries. We will then break into
topical discussions in the afternoon. This format ensures that there are many
opportunities not only to meet peers, but also to get answers to difficult
questions from a variety of platforms.
We also carved out
an Education Track, focused on building hands-on product skills in the morning.
In the afternoon, we’ll have a WorldatWork forum, to hear directly from exec
comp leaders about career progression, preparing for board meetings, and
improving executive communications.
I read on your website that there will be Roundtable Sessions lead by
practitioners from well-known corporate issuers. Can you provide details on
these? Who is leading the forums? Who can participate?
Besides the details
above, I can tell you that the roundtables are really focused on bringing the
senior leaders in companies together. Typical participants will be
Director-level or above. We do, however, only allow Equilar clients to
participate in the roundtables. We have a list of the chairs on our site
and the industries this year include Retail, Industrial Manufacturing, Technology, Financial Services, Consumer Packaged Goods, Energy and Insurance.
They are all very impressive organizations. We’re also very
grateful to have roundtable co-chairs from leading consultants, including Hay
Group, Exequity, Pearl Meyer, Semler Brossy, Farient Advisors, Mercer, and
Compensation Advisory Partners. So, you’ve got two pros from the issuers,
teamed with an expert consultant, on each roundtable.
Is the event just about issue updates, or will there be providers with
solutions?
We will have an
exhibit floor for attendees interact with a variety of solution providers and
we also encourage plenty of dialogue during both days of the conference.
How much does it cost to attend?
We have a few
options. One-day admission is $1,795 and two-day admission is $2,795. Equilar
clients receive a significant discount: $995 for one day and $1,795 for two
days. We are also running a Spring Break special through mid-April, which takes
$200 off any of those prices.
If someone wants more information, what is the best
resource?
Visit the Summit
website at www.equilar.com/summit2010
Lastly, if someone wants to register, what should they do next?
Register
now and take advantage of the Spring Break special (through mid-April)