Panel discussion:“The Industry View from Fund Distributors”

Executives from distributors discuss what they’re seeing and what they’re seeking from fund firms. Panelists include: Erin Donnelly, head of mutual fund manager relationships at Merrill Lynch; Stephen Seifert, head of mutual fund manager relationships at Edward Jones; Marc Brookman, director of product development for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney; Andrew Gotfried, director of mutual fund research and marketing for Raymond James. Moderator: William Rittling, director of advisor resources group at MFS Investment Management.

Coffee/networking break

Strategic Insight Presentation: “What Will Work At the Biggest Distributors”

SI’s Dennis Bowden presents on fund sales trends and opportunities at national broker-dealers.

Strategic Insight Presentation: “Looking Ahead to 2010”

SI’s Avi Nachmany gives a presentation on fund company planning for 2010.

Strategic Insight Presentation: “Product Development: Present & Future”

SI’s Sonia Mata & Loren Fox discuss product development trends in the mutual fund and ETF marketplace.

Panel discussion: “The Challenge of Product Innovation in Today’s Environment”

Practitioners discuss the why’s and how’s of fund product development today.  Panelists include, among others: Christopher Thompson, head of product management at Putnam Investments; Richard Davies, head of DC investments product strategy at AllianceBernstein; Paul Schaeffer, president of fund-services innovator ReFlow.