Handelsblatt PE conference report

21 May 2004

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The fourth Handelsblatt-Jahrestagung Private Equity conference took place at the Arabella Grand Sheraton Hotel in Frankfurt on 5 and 6 May 2004. The two-day event was attended by over 100 professionals, representing the private equity, M&A, advisor and banking sectors. The conference saw various topical issues being debated by leading figures from European private equity firms starting with a discussion of major trends in European private equity, which was led by Jean-Bernard Schmidt (Soffinova Partners). The discussion focused the European market and current industry & regulatory issues. Particular attention was paid to International Accounting Standards and the implications of Basel II. Further discussions were led by Professor Ann-Kristin Achleitner (Technische UniversitÃ¤t MÃ¼nchen) and HansjÃ¶rg Zelder (Haarmann, Hemmelrath & Partners), as well as a number of other speakers from firms such as Ingenium Capital, SCM Strategic Capital Management, AXA, T-Venture Holding, PÃ¶llath & Partner, Von Braun & Schreiber a number of others. A very interesting seminar was held by RÃ¼diger Andreas GÃ¼nther, CFO of Claas KGaA, highlighting the challenges companies are faced with when seeking funding. Discussions on private debt and the gap between equity and debt financing were a key topic on the second day of the conference. Many of the speakers claimed that the German market was, once again, on the rise and that a greater number of deals and larger fund volumes could be expected in the future. The conference was hosted in cooperation with the BVK, and was co-sponsored by Debenvoise & Plimpton LLP and also sponsored by CMS Hasche Sigle.