Events and Conferences

Note: The Calendar is updated with the latest schedule of upcoming events. Please check back often as the schedule may change at any time. In addition, during the investment banking recruiting season (fall quarter and early winter quarter) you should consult the Career Services company presentations calendar which changes very frequently, so be sure to check it regularly.

IPO Challenge, October 18, 2008
The IPO Challenge is an annual event in which first-year GSB students compete to win a mandate to underwrite an initial public offering.  GSB students form groups of five, analyze the proposed deal, and deliver presentations to a Board of Directors comprised of second-year GSB students.  The Challenge serves as an opportunity to apply recently learned valuation techniques including discounted cash flow, comparable transactions, comparable companies and leveraged buyout analysis.  Judges determine the winning team based on the overall presentation, quality of the analysis, and responses to questions posed by the judges.

IBG Conference, November 21, 2008
Held in Chicago in the fall, this conference offers opportunities for networking with banks as well as career panels featuring current industry professionals. Company representatives from banking, sales & trading, and research were present at least year's conference. More information, including the agenda, will be available as the conference date nears.

Global Markets Conference, November 17, 2008 (New York City)
This conference is a new addition to the IBG roster of events. It is held in New York City in the fall and focuses solely on careers in Sales & Trading, Research and Private Wealth Management. The first Global Markets Conference was held in November 2005 at the AMEX with company panelists, speakers, and networking opportunities. More information will be available as the conference date nears.

Bank Week, December 15 - 19, 2008 (New York City)
Bank Week provides Chicago GSB students an opportunity to visit banks in New York City during the week after the fall quarter ends. The IBG arranges for banks to host students for lunches, presentations, cocktails and other networking events. Students participate in informational interviews and those interested in Sales & Trading often arrange to sit on trading desks while in New York for Bank Week. The IBG co-chairs will provide more details on schedules and how to prepare as Bank Week nears.

Valuation and Modeling Seminars (Dates TBD)
The IBG brings in professional instructors for two seminars: Valuation 101 and Financial Modeling 101. These seminars will ensure that you hit the ground running during your summer internship in investment banking. Valuation 101, through practical examples and exercises, illustrates the fundamentals of popular valuation techniques used by Wall Street practitioners, and discusses applications of key valuation concepts such as EBITDA, Enterprise Value, WACC, accretion / dilution and LBOs. Through this seminar and other IBG activities, you will be prepared for your investment banking interviews. Financial Modeling 101 is an intensive two-day workshop designed to develop financial modeling skills through actual hands-on construction of a financial model. Each participant will build their own interactive financial model from “scratch” to practice blending accounting, finance, and Excel skills.

Other Events
In addition to these major events, the IBG holds events on campus including student panels about the recruiting process, resume reviews and mock interviews, and education workshops held by banks on topics such as credit derivatives or M&A case studies.