A London evening, quarterly
A private room for the people who inherit the deal. Good company, then a proper mingle. Corporate development, integration and deal leaders only.
Usually twenty minutes from one speaker who has actually done it, then two hours of proper conversation with people carrying the same problem. Quarterly, in the evening, in London. The first evening is simply a meet and greet before Christmas.
Request an invitation
Places are approved by hand so the room stays corporate. Three details is all we need.
The next four evenings
The Christmas edition. Deal people and music people, one room. No speaker and no agenda beyond good conversation, good music and a few drinks, then on to KOKO for those who want to keep going.
The first stage of MERGE. Before the offer, map both companies as they really run: the systems, the contracts, the people and the operating rhythm. An evening on what to look at early, and what a map shows that a data room never will.
The second stage of MERGE. Integration cost is usually a placeholder in the model and a surprise in the first budget cycle. An evening on building the number bottom up: run costs, one-off costs, the transitional service exit, and the ones people forget until month four.
The third stage of MERGE. Signing is the start, not the finish. An evening on getting two leadership teams, two sets of priorities and two ways of working pointed at the value the deal was bought for.
The fourth stage of MERGE. Day One is a promise to customers, staff and the board. An evening on cutting over without drama: what has to work on the day, what can wait, and how to tell the difference.
The final stage of MERGE, and the start of the next loop. Most acquirers relearn the same lessons every deal. An evening on turning one integration into a process the whole business can run again.
What is in it for you
Twenty people at most, nearly all of them corporate development, integration or deal leads. You will recognise the problem in the person next to you.
Every evening ends with anonymised data or a working structure drawn from real engagements. Not a brochure.
Stylish London rooms, good sound, good drinks, space to actually talk. Your host is an Organic House DJ, so the music is handled.
One adviser is in the room and he is pouring the wine. No sponsors, no pitches, Chatham House throughout.
How the room works
Who it is not for
Merge is convened and paid for by Beyond M&A. We do not sell from the front, and nobody in the room is obliged to speak to us afterwards.
Speak at Merge
Twenty minutes, no slides required, no product. The best sessions are the ones where something went wrong first.
