New research⁽¹⁾ from FIRST, a leading global events agency, reveals that over the next three years, 63% of private equity professionals think the level of funds raised by the industry will increase when compared to the previous three years.  Only one in five (20%) expect it to fall.

Some 69% of those anticipating it to become easier to raise funds say it is because investors are increasingly looking to diversify their portfolios, and they will therefore increase their exposure to private equity.  Some 27% believe it is because returns from private equity will become more attractive.

Separate research⁽²⁾ with pension professionals reveals that over the next three years 51% expect schemes to increase their allocation to private equity, and just 13% anticipate pension funds to reduce their exposure here.

When it comes to which geographical regions private equity professionals believe offers the industry the best investment opportunities, 55% cite Europe, followed by 43% who said North America.  One in three (33%) think Asia is an attractive market for private equity, followed by 18% who said this about Africa.

The research from FIRST reveals that with many private equity professionals feeling optimistic about the future prospects of the industry, 29% plan to attend more industry events and conferences over the next 12 months than they did in the previous year, compared to 7% who think they will be going to fewer.  83% of those planning to attend more say it’s because they need to increase their level of networking for fund raising purposes, and also to help finance attractive investment opportunities.  

Mark Riches, MD FIRST – UK said: “These are exciting times for the private equity sector, and our research shows the level of networking is increasing.  Many private equity firms are expanding their reach into new sectors and geographies, and the importance of meeting investment prospects, investors and business partners has never been greater.

“Live events are a valuable tool to increase communications, build ideas and foster innovation. At FIRST we use our breadth of global expertise to help our clients deliver their important key messages in insightful and memorable ways. We look forward to partnering with our private equity clients to design and deliver an increasing number of live event activities.”

FIRST, which was founded as First Protocol in 1996, is international global events agency with offices in London, New York, Los Angeles and Singapore. It specializes in the design and delivery of high-quality, live events for some of the world’s most iconic companies.  FIRST has worked in the private equity sector since 1999.