NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ICR, a leading strategic communications and advisory firm serving more than 650 private and public company clients, recently held its 21st Annual ICR Conference in Orlando, Florida with a record attendance of 2,500+ over the course of three days. Attendees included management teams from 180 public and private companies, 150+ research analysts, 500+ institutional investors, 375 private equity attendees and more than 500 representatives from sponsoring investment banks. Business, financial and industry trade media attendance included The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Forbes, Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Business and WWD, with CNBC’s Kate Rogers broadcasting live from the conference.
The annual growth company event launched with public company presentations on Monday, January 14th and Tuesday, January 15th followed by private company presentations on Wednesday, January 16th. Over the course of three days, business leaders from top consumer growth companies provided attendees with insights into their corporate growth strategies and perspective on key industry trends and issues for the year ahead.
In addition, the event featured a CEO cocktail reception with Tim Tebow and a variety of thought-provoking panels discussing industry hot topics, including restaurant and retail technology, how changing consumer demands are impacting retail and food, and the growing cannabis industry. The panels hosted were as followed:
- Retail CEO Keynote Panel
- A View from the Ground: How Retail Centers are Adapting to Changing Consumer Demands
- Putting the AI in Retail
- Private Company Panel: Capturing Distracted Customers in a Disrupted World
- Cannabis Investing: Capitalizing on a New Global Asset Class
- Emerging Cannabis Panel: Private Cannabis Companies Poised for Growth in 2019
- ESG Beyond the Acronym: What Companies Need to Know in 2019
“Since its inaugural year in 1998, the ICR Conference has grown exponentially to become one of the largest investment conferences of the year, providing a unique platform for corporate executives and the industry’s top financial influencers, to network, discuss industry trends and share their strategies,” said Tom Ryan, Chief Executive Officer, ICR. “I would like to thank all of our presenting companies, sponsors and attendees whose valuable partnership and support makes the event a success year after year. We look forward to seeing you all next year in Orlando.”
According to a survey of ICR Conference attendees, the majority of respondents reported that they are optimistic about the economic outlook for the year ahead, with 63.0% responding in the positive range, “Very Positive”, “Positive” or “Somewhat Positive”. However, this represents a 29.8 point decrease from last year’s survey, which had 98.2% of the respondents in the positive range, with respondents citing concerns over trade, tariffs and rising interest rates.
To view the complete survey findings of attendees’ viewpoints, please visit: http://www.icrconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ICR-2019-Conference-Survey.pdf
The 22nd Annual ICR Conference will take place January 13th – 15th, 2020 at the Grand Lakes Resort in Orlando, Florida.
About The ICR Conference
The ICR Conference is a unique platform where public and private company management teams, institutional investors, sell-side research analysts, investment bankers, private equity professionals and select media connect and network with one another as the year begins. The event is one of the largest investment conferences of the year, featuring presentations by more than 150 public and private companies, with attendance regularly exceeding 2,300. For more information, please visit http://www.icrconference.com.
About ICR
Established in 1998, ICR partners with companies to execute strategic communications and advisory programs that achieve business goals, build awareness and credibility, and enhance long-term enterprise value. The firm’s highly-differentiated service model, which pairs capital markets veterans with senior communications professionals, brings deep sector knowledge and relationships to more than 650 clients in approximately 20 industries. ICR’s healthcare practice operates under the Westwicke brand (www.westwicke.com). Today, ICR is one of the largest and most experienced independent communications and advisory firms in North America, maintaining offices in New York, Norwalk, Boston, Baltimore, San Francisco, San Diego and Beijing. ICR also advises on capital markets transactions through ICR Capital, LLC. Learn more at www.icrinc.com. Follow us on Twitter at @ICRPR.
