Delivering Strong Transactions
M&A Conference Chicago
JUNE 24 & 25, 2026 | UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO GLEACHER CENTER
$2,000 | $0 for Members Learn About All Access Membership Accounts
This prestigious annual M&A conference brings together corporate development leaders, in-house M&A and antitrust counsel, diligence and integration teams, and private equity investors to discuss current challenges impacting complex transactions and consider innovative methods for improving the deal process and transaction performance.
The cross-disciplinary agenda will be unpacked by a diverse speaking faculty from various industries and roles, who will share first-hand experiences, best practices, and guidance on delivering high performing transactions.
DAY ONE AGENDA
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Welcome Lunch | 12:00 - 12:45
Opening Remarks | 12:45 - 1:00
Crafting the M&A Strategy for a Volatile World | 1:00 - 1:50
How are leading acquirors designing an M&A strategy that works in volatile market conditions? What should corporate development teams consider as they navigate pressure for scale and corporate clarity against longer-term pressures? What unique approaches are being used to drive internal alignment and accelerate dealmaking?
Engaging M&A Targets | 2:05 - 2:55
What are the most effective approaches for negotiating establishing agreements and preliminary financial terms? How detailed should an IOI/LOI be to ensure the best outcomes? What methods can be employed to re-visit core financial terms and other material deal points?
Innovating for Better & Faster Diligence | 3:15 - 4:05
How can diligence be accelerated through an optimal use of AI, external advisors, and data sampling? What IP diligence practices - such as code reviews and information security scans - should be standard? How much integration planning is appropriate ahead of deal approval?
Aligning with the Regulatory Landscape | 4:20 - 5:10
How are recent HSR requirements reshaping the corporate M&A process? What is the current best practice for engaging with antitrust agencies? Which jurisdictions are significantly increasing their review processes?
Synchronizing M&A with Capital Market Dynamics | 5:10 - 5:30
What capital market dynamics are shaping the environment for M&A? What is the current "market standard" for deal financing and forms of consideration? How are corporate M&A teams developing pro-forma guidance and investor messaging to prevent post-announcement share price volatility? When are unique structures being employed to mitigate market risk between signing and closing?
Reception & Dinner | 5:30 - 7:30
DAY TWO AGENDA
Thursday, June 25, 2026
Welcome Breakfast | 8:15 - 9:00
Streamlining Negotiations and Risk Allocation | 9:00 - 9:50
How can the balance of warranties, indemnities and other risk allocation mechanisms be optimized? What is the current market standard for closing conditions? How are break fees and other dispute resolution provisions changing?
Engaging Human Capital Effectively | 10:05 - 10:55
Who should be engaged when developing a cultural integration framework? How do you determine the pace of change an organization can endure? What adjustments are made in integration planning based on cultural due diligence findings?
Managing the Sign-to-Close Period | 11:15 - 12:05
How are interim operating covenants being structured to flex for slow close transactions? How are corporate M&A teams avoiding gun jumping while actively planning for rapid post-close actions? How should corporate M&A teams oversee working capital mechanisms and other closing adjustments to prevent gaming?
Lunch | 12:05 - 1:00
Securing Critical Talent | 1:00 - 1:50
What benchmarks are being used to design executive compensation and benefit programs? How can retention milestones be effectively engineered to align with value creation? What are the most effective mechanisms for aligning incentives among stakeholders? Has the use of restrictive covenants and non-competes changed in light of recent legal scrutiny and changes in policy? How should corporate M&A teams optimize earn-outs and contingent consideration?
Long Break | 1:50 - 2:10
Delivering the Deal Thesis | 2:10 - 3:00
When should the integration thesis and playbook be designed and confirmed? How can go-to-market teams effectuate and accelerate tough revenue synergies and establish stretch targets? What early cost synergy-capture opportunities should be prioritized to deliver quick wins and head-off value leakage? How are the most effective M&A teams tracking synergy delivery and working with institutional investors to level-set expectations?
Engineering Successful Divestitures | 3:15 - 4:05
Is a divestiture an acquisition in reverse? What are the key planning, readiness, and organizational design questions that need to be tackled early? How are the most effective organizations managing through the sale process? What are the material TSAs and post-close considerations that need to be calibrated?
Applying AI in M&A | 4:25 - 5:15
This session will drill into gen AI and agentic AI use cases. Applications for M&A will be shared including; strategic planning and market modeling, target screening and assessments of growth themes, market modeling and scenarios reviews, and integration assessments and risks.
Case study #1 | The Corporate Development use case
Case study #2 | The in-house Legal Counsel use case
Case study #3 | The M&A Integration use case
Closing Reception | 5:15 - 6:00
The Institute is an accredited provider of CPE and CLE in Illinois. This M&A Conference offers 9 CLE credits and 11 CPE credits. An Illinois certificate will be issued. If you are licensed in another state, please check for reciprocity regarding continuing education credits.
Program Materials
Participants will receive both digital and print materials with more than 100 charts with information on recent shifts in deal volume, negotiation points, and best practices, including the selection below
Exclusively for Corporate M&A Teams
M&A Conference
University of Chicago Gleacher Center
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
12:00pm - 7:30pm CST
Thursday, June 25, 2026
8:15am - 6:00pm CST
$2,000 | $0 for Members Learn About All Access Membership Accounts
Registration is not open to M&A consultants, advisors, vendors, or members of the media. Unqualified registrations will be canceled and refunded, less a $100 bank processing fee.
Also at the University of Chicago Gleacher Center
M&A Academy
JUNE 23 & 24, 2026
This curriculum-driven program provides structured guidance on engineering the deal process — from target sourcing through closing — to help corporate M&A teams build sound practices to deliver high-performing transactions.
