Virtual ETF Summit to Bring Advisors Together Without Leaving Their Desks

ETF Trends and RIA Database have announced plans for an ETF virtual summit for advisors that will feature keynote speakers, exhibitor booths and networking opportunities without requiring advisors to travel away from the office—and it’s free.

The online summit at ETFVirtual.com on Jan. 10 will include a keynote session with predictions for 2012 from Morningstar Director of ETF Research Scott Burns, IndexUniverse President of ETF Analytics Matt Hougan and ETFtrends.com Editor and Publisher Tom Lydon.

“Traveling isn’t that much fun anymore and advisors are spending more time in the office with their clients,” Lydon, a contributor to Investment Advisor magazine, said in an interview with AdvisorOne. “And advisors who use ETFs are more tech savvy, so they’re more open to this kind of research technology to learn more.”

ETFtrends.com and financial software provider RIA Database organized the event, and “marquee” sponsors are BlackRock’s iShares and State Street Global Advisors’ SPDR funds.

Notice about the event just went out on Thursday morning, and the organizers have already received a greater response than expected, said Lydon (left), adding that he expects more than 5,000 advisors to attend in light of the fact that ETF flows recently surpassed the $1 trillion mark.

Advisors who sign up for the four-hour event will get expert analysis and tips on implementing ETFs in their portfolio management strategies, Lydon said. “More than $1 trillion has gone into fixed-income ETFs and bond funds in the last two years, which says that both individual investors and advisors have less appetite for risk. But yields are at a 30-year low, so this virtual forum will look at yield-producing ETFs,” he said.

The virtual conference will go a step further than a webinar, according to Lydon.

“There’s an interactive nature to the communication whereas with a webinar it’s one way,” he said. “We have a conference center with keynote speakers, panel discussions, exhibitors’ booths and a networking lounge with group chats. In the networking lounge you can say hi and chat with people, and in the exhibitor booths, company reps have avatars waiting to chat with you.”

Registration is now open at www.ETFvirtual.com, where Internet surfers can get a sneak peek into the event’s format. The online summit is free to all advisors. Attendees will also be able to receive CFP Board CE credits.

Read more about ETFs from Tom Lydon at AdvisorOne.com