The first day of the conference will focus on the future of the hedge fund industry. In association with CNBC Europe and the International Herald Tribune, EDHEC will be organising a Hedge Fund Roundtable featuring leading figures from the global alternative investment industry, foremost institutional investors, senior officers of regulatory authorities, and chief executives of non-financial corporations. The roundtable will examine the controversial issue of shareholder activism. In the afternoon, stream sessions will examine the new frontiers of an industry being dramatically remodelled by institutionalisation and advances in asset allocation techniques.

The second day will centre on the integration of alternative investments in institutional portfolios and survey the latest trends in the alternative investment space. Senior officers from Europe's largest pension funds and EDHEC researchers will present state-of-the-art approaches for optimal use of alternative investments in asset-liability management. Investment managers and academics will examine stimulating product and strategy innovations affecting the various alternative classes and bring new insights into alternative asset allocation, risk management, and performance measurement.