| Dear Reader, I hope you enjoyed reading some of the personal stories from me and my team that I sent you, yesterday. You cannot believe how much effort goes into building the SIC each year. But when I recount some of these stories, and think of the friendships I have built at the conference over the years, the long days are more than worth it. Something else that makes all the effort worthwhile is when attendees tell me that the SIC is the best conference they have ever attended. What is it that so impresses them about the SIC? I wish I could say. I don’t follow any template. Each year is quite unlike past editions, yet somehow, the SIC keeps getting better. My rule from the beginning was always—unlike most conferences—you can’t be a sponsor and buy your way onto my stage. All speakers are there because (a) I want to hear them, and (b) I know they’ll add something interesting and useful to the mix. That’s why the SIC is almost entirely A-list speakers. Many organizers will bring in one or two A-listers, then fill the remaining time with sponsors and lesser-known speakers. The room fills up for the headliners and stays half-empty the rest of the time. The SIC isn’t like that. The room stays packed. And there is no atmosphere quite like a packed SIC hall when a power hitter like a Niall Ferguson or Jeffrey Gundlach takes center stage. Now, when I said that attendees regularly tell me that the SIC is the best conference they have ever attended, I wasn’t being metaphorical. Here’s some feedback I have received from past attendees. “Great conference, one of the most thought-provoking, valuable business conference of any kind I have attended.” —Andrew M. “Thank you for a wonderful conference. I have been to many conferences over the years and this one was truly the best by a mile. The depth of insights and the kindness of everyone was truly inspiring. Thank you again and see you next year.” —Tadhg M. “In addition to being skilled as a critical thinker in the global markets/economy, I believe you have a unique gift in your ability to maintain relationships with people who think differently than yourself. In my opinion, this gift shines brightly every year at the SIC. Actually, more than that, I believe it raises the bar in a transformative way and separates your conference from others.” —Jeremy B. “As a principle, I try NOT to attend the same events, but rather experience new and different forums. However, I couldn’t resist a return for the SIC and have once again talked the ears off my fellow traders on the desk.” —Danny A. “I attended my first conference this year and loved it! I am a small investment manager just starting out, so I was looking to gain some perspective on how to protect my portfolio and profit from likely events that will be occurring in the future.” —Matthew. If you haven’t yet been to a SIC, you really should consider coming. I think of it as the perfect place to synchronize your unique needs and my best ideas—along with the best ideas of a unique and powerful mix of speakers. I try to get everything together in one place: You, me, and hundreds of others like us, along with my hand-selected A-list of economic, investment, and geopolitical experts. I have set a personal goal to get as many first-time attendees as possible to the SIC 2018. The dates are March 6–9, 2018, at the Manchester Hyatt in San Diego, California. It will be an amazing three days, and I want to share them with people who will appreciate them the most. It’s time to hit the send button, but watch your inbox in the coming days. I have some “SIC insights” to share with you that highlights the power of ideas you’ll be exposed to by attending the SIC. Your planning something extra special for the 15th SIC analyst,
John Mauldin
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