Nascent advisor conference Wealth/Stack is postponing its in-person event this year, citing continuing uncertainty around the coronavirus pandemic. The postponement moves the in-person event to 2021, according to a joint press release issued by event coordinators Inside ETFs and Ritholtz Wealth Management.
In its place, Inside ETFs is opting to hold a virtual conference in December 2020, dubbed “Wealth/Stack Live.”
“The inaugural Wealth/Stack was a huge success, bringing over 700 financial advisors and planners, RIAs and independent broker-dealer advisors,” explained John Swolfs, CEO of Inside ETFs, in a statement. “Given the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be impossible to deliver the same level of experience in the fall in-person.”
“We have decided that postponing the live event until 2021 is the best course of action, in order to ensure [the] same value and unique experience for our attendees,” he added.
“Wealth/Stack has incredible momentum,” said Ritholtz CEO Josh Brown, who took a leading role in the 2019 conference, in a statement. “While we are all disappointed to not continue with this momentum in September, the in-person Wealth/Stack experience is one-of-a-kind and worth preserving.”
This year’s virtual conference, Wealth/Stack Live, will be managed by Inside ETFs, with the participation of advisor publication WealthManagement.com, on Informa’s new online event platform, according to the release. The event is scheduled to take place December 1-3, 2020. (Both Inside ETFs and Wealthmanagement.com are owned by Informa Plc.)
While technology will be featured heavily, Swolfs said timely attention to advisors growing their businesses in the midst of COVID-19 will also be included. “Wealth/Stack Live will mirror our current working lives,” he said, “as our industry becomes more and more based on technology and remote work.”
Wealth/Stack plans to return to a physical, in-person event for 2021, scheduled for October 24-26, 2021, in Carlsbad, Calif. Advisors who registered for 2020’s live event will see their registration honored for 2021.