Q Wealth Partners is back with an enhanced Canadian Tiki Lounge at the Future Proof Festival, offering progressive Canadian advisors the chance to benefit from world-class thought leaders
This article was produced in partnership with Q Wealth Partners.
The build up to the 2024 Future Proof Festival is gathering pace. Advisors are assessing shorts and sunglasses options and spinning old Beach Boy records to get an early feel of the California “Good Vibrations.”
But scratch the surface of the beach view, trendy food trucks and fun atmosphere at the Huntington Beach event and you’ll discover a laser focus on addressing where the wealth management industry is heading, particularly for those ambitious professionals exploring independence. For many, this is where they go to find out what the future looks like.
Future Proof’s progressive reputation is why Q Wealth Partners will once again host the Canadian Tiki Lounge, the event’s premier evening activity spot exclusive to Canadian advisors. It’s a space to chat, network, hang out and eat some In-N-Out burgers as the sun cools on another busy day. After last year’s success, Wealth Professional is once again proud to be the lounge’s official media partner.
Stephen Gasparek, chief marketing officer and executive partner at Q Wealth, said the event is simply the biggest thought-leader conference in the world for the contemporary advisor. “We’ve got global thought leaders from practice management, marketing, technology, operations – all topics that are relevant to making advisors’ practices more efficient.”
Speakers already confirmed include Mike Gitlin, CEO of Capital Group, renowned financial planning guru Michael Kitces, and Brian Portnoy, author and founder of Shaping Wealth. A host of other CEOs and industry leaders are also slated to speak.
Beyond the line-up, it’s hard to look past the cool factor of the event, which takes place from September 15-18. Rock band Third Eye Blind has been booked as entertainment headliners, there are yoga and exercise sessions, a DJ, and a beachside bash welcome party. Outside the panel discussions, it’s a festival that not only targets the next-gen advisor but also the hip, more experienced professional looking for fresh insights to improve their business and client service
This willingness to look outside the norm of stuffy conference halls chimes with Q Wealth Partners’ ethos of incorporating the best elements from outside the financial world to improve the industry. No one from Q’s marketing department is a legacy financial person, for example.
Establishing a Canadian presence in Huntington Beach is an example of this willingness to work outside the status quo and, after attending for the first time in 2022, Q Wealth’s partnership with Future Proof was born out of a fundamental desire to get, and stay, ahead of the curve. Gasparek explained: “The US [wealth industry] is 10, 15 years ahead of Canada, so anyone attending [Future Proof] is going to see where the industry is going. It’s like reading the tea leaves and looking into the future.”
The second major attraction for Canadian attendees is the chance to network and set-up business-changing deals. The speed-dating style breakout sessions are something Future Proof has become known for and offer a rare opportunity for new, up-and-coming professionals to meet industry titans.
Of course, after a day networking and learning, Q Wealth offers Canadians the opportunity to relax at the jungle-themed lounge. Q Wealth has more than 20 partner firms attending this year, along with event partners from technology, financial planning, financial institutions, and independent platforms.
“It’s the most progressive conference in the world; the Coachella of finance festivals,” said Gasparek. “It's for any advisor looking to where the world is heading, and wanting to know what the future looks like for private wealth in Canada.”
