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17th Annual Exit Planning Conference

The Premier
Exit Planning
Conference

Where Exit Doers Connect, Learn & Lead

Four days of substantive content, candid practitioner conversation, and relationship-building that moves your practice forward — built around the complete exit planning engagement lifecycle, from first conversation to execution team.

Register Now View Full Schedule
Dates Oct 27–28, 2026
Location Boston, MA
Venue The Bostonian Hotel
Also Oct 26 & 29
Conference Begins In
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Reserve Your Spot!

About the IEPA

Exit Doers — Not Just Exit Talkers

The International Exit Planning Association is a practitioner-led organization of approximately 275 senior-level advisors and consultants who deliver high-quality, customized exit planning solutions. Our mission: to positively impact 10,000 business owner exits over the next decade.

This year's conference follows the complete exit planning engagement lifecycle — session by session, from finding the owner to building the execution team. Every attendee leaves with copy, tools, and connections they can put to work immediately.

275+
Senior-level member advisors and consultants
$500M+
In liquidity events facilitated for business owners
59%
Of CBEC® advisors charge $10K–$25K per engagement
0%
Of CBEC® advisors use exit planning as a loss leader

What to Expect

Walk a Full Engagement, in Real Time

This year the agenda follows the exit planning engagement lifecycle from start to finish. Each session builds on the last — so attendees experience a complete engagement together, then leave with copy, tools, and connections they can put to work Monday morning.

🎯
Expert Instruction Paired with Owner Stories
The advisor shows the method; the owner validates it from the other side of the table. Every session is grounded in real cases.
🤝
Member Introductions Become Content
Experienced IEPA members open each session with a short practitioner frame — an average of 11 years of exit planning experience in the room.
📋
Take-Home Copy & Marketing Material
Every session sends attendees back with something they can use — scripts, frameworks, an AI-powered marketing plan, and a plan-writing platform unveiled at the conference.
🤖
AI Plan-Writing Platform — Unveiled Here
Built from hundreds of real exit planning cases, the IEPA's new AI-driven plan-writing platform will be revealed and made available to attendees for the first time at this conference.
🏆
Excellence in Exit Planning Award
The 2026 Excellence in Exit Planning Achievement Award is presented on Day 2, with the prior year's winner passing the torch to the new honoree.
💼
Exit Deal Connect
A structured Tuesday morning session where exit planners sit down with sponsors and capital providers for live deal-making conversations around real owner situations.

Event Schedule

October 26–29, 2026

The Bostonian Hotel · 26 North Street, Boston, MA 02109 · Faneuil Hall at Quincy Market

Monday, October 26
The Welcome
Pre-conference programming — invitation only
6:00 PM
Welcome Reception & Kick-Off Dinner
Study-group members, committee participants, sponsors, and the IEPA Leadership Council gather to open the week. The first handshakes of the conference happen here — North 26 Restaurant and Bar, The Bostonian Hotel.
By Invitation
Tuesday, October 27
The Front End — Finding owners, earning trust, opening the engagement
Main conference day one · Registration & arrival networking from 12:00 PM
8:30 – 11:30 AM
Exit Deal Connect
Exit planners sit down with the sponsors and capital providers met the night before. Structured introductions surface real owner situations and active opportunities — the morning the deals begin.
Featured · Morning Session
12:00 – 12:20 PM
Welcome Session
Opening remarks welcoming attendees, sponsors, and recognizing key contributors. New-member recognitions and announcement of this year's CBEC® designees.
12:20 – 1:00 PM
IEPA Update & Opening Keynote
Framing the engagement-lifecycle arc for the two days ahead — each session builds on the last, from prospecting through plan delivery. A comprehensive update on the direction of the IEPA.
1:00 – 1:30 PM
Sponsor Presentation
Platinum Sponsor #1
1:30 – 2:20 PM
Session 1 — Prospecting Owners Who Don't Know They Need You
Where do qualified owner relationships come from? Two experienced IEPA members compare systematic versus reactive prospecting — one leads with B2B professional-network outreach through centers of influence, the other with direct owner marketing. Covering two different advisor types: wealth advisor and former business owner.
2:20 – 3:30 PM
Session 2 — Owner Insights: What Made Them Finally Listen
A panel of business owners tells it from the other side of the table — what an advisor said or did that finally got their attention, what almost made them walk away, and what they wish they'd been told earlier. Paired deliberately with Session 1.
3:30 – 3:50 PM
Break
A structured networking prompt at each table — not just a coffee break, but a quick, guided exchange that keeps the room connected before the next session.
Structured Networking
3:50 – 4:40 PM
Session 3 — The First Meeting: Walking In With a Goal, Walking Out With a Second
The first owner meeting as a craft. What's the real goal? Which questions open a conversation versus close it down? Two advisors share their engagement philosophy and approach — a wealth advisor and a business consultant — offering different perspectives on how they structure initial meetings, followed by structured Q&A.
4:40 – 5:30 PM
Session 4 — Prospecting Workshop: Build Your Marketing Plan
A hands-on workshop where attendees learn to fold AI strategies into how they market to business owners — and leave with a concrete, AI-powered marketing plan ready to put to work in their own practice.
Interactive Workshop
5:30 – 7:00 PM
Cocktail Reception
A designed networking reception with a content anchor — the perfect close to Day 1. The day's conversations carry into the evening over drinks, with the Bostonian's bar and suites open well after.
Reception
Evening
Sponsor-Hosted Dinners
Sponsors connect with attendees ahead of time and plan dinners for small groups at local Boston restaurants — an evening where conference attendees experience Boston and build the relationships that matter most.
Wednesday, October 28
The Deep Work — Delivering the plan, executing the strategy, building the team
Main conference day two · Continental breakfast from 8:00 AM
8:00 – 8:30 AM
Awards & Recognitions + Sponsor Presentation
The day opens with our Platinum Sponsor, followed by the announcement of this year's Excellence in Exit Planning Achievement Award — last year's winner passes the torch to the 2026 honoree. Award categories include: Excellence Award, Largest Plan, Most Complex Plan, Tools Usage, and Rookie of the Year.
Platinum Sponsor #2
9:00 – 10:40 AM
The Centerpiece — The 100-Minute Session on Writing the Exit Plan
Build it, present it, get the owner to act — the highest-stakes moment in the engagement. Three segments: Plan Architecture (what makes a plan genuinely useful — sequencing, language, framing that moves owners to act), The Presentation (presenting to an owner seeing one for the first time, with a live demonstration), and Owner Perspective (owners who received a plan share what was clear, what motivated them, and what they'd change).
Centerpiece · 100 Minutes
11:00 – 11:50 AM
Session 5 — From Plan to Action: Why Some Owners Do Not Move Forward
Execution is the most commonly underserved phase. How do experienced advisors prioritize recommendations with the owner, and create accountability without creating anxiety? A look at meeting cadence, progress tracking, and the mental and emotional readiness that determines whether owners actually act.
11:50 AM – 12:30 PM
Collaboration & Putting the Execution Team Together
A hands-on workshop built around exercises that help attendees assemble the execution teams for their own practices — mapping which CPAs, attorneys, wealth managers, and advisors they need, who leads what, and how to run that team smoothly inside a live engagement. Two breakout sessions: Growth Team and Exit Team.
Breakout Workshop
12:30 – 1:40 PM
Lunch
Assigned seating by tenure — members mixed deliberately so newer advisors share a table with those who have been doing this for fifteen years.
1:40 – 3:00 PM
Session 6 — Capital Markets, Legislative, Tax, Legal & PE Buyer Interests
The annual update every practitioner needs: lower-middle-market capital conditions, key legislative developments, live tax-planning considerations, legal updates on deal documentation, reps and warranties, and post-close matters — plus what private equity is looking for in acquisitions today.
3:00 – 3:50 PM
Session 7 — Final Workshop: Pulling It All Together
The AI plan-writing platform — unveiled here. Built from hundreds of real exit planning cases, this closing workshop shows how to turn the cases studied all week into finished, owner-ready plans. Attendees leave with a concrete, actionable takeaway for their practice.
AI Platform Reveal
3:50 – 4:00 PM
Conference Wrap-Up & Raffle Drawing
A synthesis of the two-day arc — what attendees should take back to their practices and put to work immediately. The conference ends on a high note with the $1,000 cash raffle drawing.
Thursday, October 29
The Wrap-Up — Synthesizing the learning, committing to action
Post-conference session — returning by popular demand
9:00 – 12:00 PM
Table Talk — Practice-Management Roundtable
An end-of-conference roundtable and plan-writing discussion among practitioners. Smaller, candid conversations led by members on what's working in their practices, plus new-member connections — pairing newer IEPA members with experienced planners to carry relationships forward.
Open to All

Member Spotlight

Hear From Our Members

The IEPA is a practitioner-led community. Hear directly from the advisors who are shaping this year's conference — and why they're coming to Boston.

Joe Bazzano
Session Lead — Finding the Owners & The Exit Plan Centerpiece
Russ Gorman
Session 6 Moderator — Capital Markets, Tax, Legal & PE Buyer Interests
Member Video · Coming Soon
Member Spotlight
More member videos will be added as the conference approaches

Before You Arrive

Our Conference App

Register early and download the Whova conference app — the same one we used last year — to make the most of your time in Boston before you even land.

📱
Connect Ahead of Time
Message attendees and book one-on-one meetings months in advance from the dedicated meeting room.
📅
Plan Your Schedule
Build your personal agenda across all four days and get reminders before each session.
🔗
Pre-Conference Activities
Zoom meet-ups and networking prompts that maximize your connections before the event even starts.

Proven at the 2025 Conference

84%
of attendees downloaded the app (77 people)
617
direct messages sent between attendees
235
community board posts during the event
100%
of users said they loved using the app

Our Sponsors

Made Possible by Our Sponsors

Our sponsors and capital partners power the receptions, dinners, and deal connections throughout the week. Sponsorship includes complimentary registrations, recognition across the agenda and app, and a presence at meals and sessions. For sponsorship inquiries contact tommy@theiepa.com.

Sponsorship inquiries: tommy@theiepa.com · (781) 821-2608

Conference Venue

The Bostonian Hotel

After committee feedback, the IEPA's new home is The Bostonian Hotel — downtown Boston, steps from Quincy Market and the waterfront. An elegant setting for our 17th Annual Conference.

  • Steps from Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market — all attendee rooms in one area of the hotel
  • Seasons Ballroom with dedicated Foyer — all foot traffic passes through the sponsor area
  • Bar access for after-dinner networking and suites that host after-hours gatherings
  • Logan International Airport approximately 15 minutes by car
  • A reduced group rate is available for conference attendees. Book your room at the group rate →

What's Nearby:

📍 Faneuil Hall & Quincy Market
📍 Freedom Trail & North End
📍 Financial District
📍 Government Center

Reserve Your Seat

Ready to Join Us in Boston?

Seats are limited. Register now to secure your place at the 17th Annual Exit Planning Conference — October 27–28, 2026 at The Bostonian Hotel, Boston, MA.

Register Now Contact Us