The IPEM LP Congress is a dedicated event just for allocators.
There had always been a LP-only gathering on the afternoon prior to IPEM Global in Paris. These sessions gave attendees the chance to learn more about each other and discuss subjects of interest with their peers. LPs started to suggest topics for the program and share their needs and pain points. The demand for an event built by allocators, for allocators was clear - and the purpose of the LP Congress was born.
The LP community has been the heart and soul of IPEM from the start,” said Antoine Colson, CEO of IPEM, when he opened the inaugural LP Congress. “Today, they remain the cornerstone of our event program and future of the industry.”
Being an allocator can be a lonely job. It often means working in a team with just a few people, or being a team of one. Opportunities to meet other peers is limited to GP annual meetings or LPACs. And as the industry develops and diversifies, the need for stronger allocator networks for content and deal sharing grows in importance.
These events serve a really important purpose but they’re not designed to give allocators a chance to build their networks and address their burning issues,” says Sarah Startup, Head of Investor Intelligence & Coverage at IPEM. “It’s obvious that when you’re being hosted by a GP, there are topics which are just off limits.”
That is the gap the LP Congress fills - a program that represents allocators’ interests and a trusted space to build networks.
Today, the diversity of the audience makes it unique. From the most advanced allocators to the newcomers to private markets, all are welcome. Institutions that represent European, North America, Gulf and Asian capital. Where else can you find 700 allocators from pension funds, endowments, insurance companies, sovereign funds, private banks, family offices and fund of funds all actively investing in private markets - with no GPs in sight!
We want to bring together perspectives of how different types of institution invest, where ideas from one market may inspire investors in another.”
IPEM Global is regarded as a key meeting place for LPs and GPs in their annual events schedule. IPEM’s unique format, where GPs host meeting booths, is a highly efficient ecosystem which mirrors the industry need for in-person meetings in one venue. The event enables allocators to navigate easily throughout the venue to meet existing managers and discover new ones.
Together, the full IPEM experience enables you to spend the Congress comparing notes with peers, then to put what you’ve learned to work in manager meetings at IPEM Global.
Throughout the year, the IPEM Allocator Community team hold hundreds of conversations with our community. The result is a programme that is born out of the issues which are top of mind for LPs. This approach to building the content ensures that we are at the pulse of industry developments and build the day for allocators by allocators.
On the plenary stage, you can expect interviews and panel discussions with some of the most sophisticated global allocators.
Just as you can expect to hear a Korean pension fund talking about active portfolio management, you can also hear a German insurance company on managing secondaries and primaries within the same portfolio. Curious what’s in the inbox of three CIOs of US endowments? Not a problem. What about Canadian “Maple 8” pension on their manager criteria? We got you covered.
The breakout sessions are a chance to dive deeper into data that illustrate the burning questions we hear about. How do you diligence a CV? Who pays the price for liquidity? Are the days of information asymmetry numbered? And how do you get an emerging manager past the IC?
Topic signposts in the networking areas make it easy to find and connect informally with participants who share your interests. IPEM Global provides an independent platform for global allocators to come together in a peer-to-peer trusted environment
We believe there is potential for the LP Congress to represent a powerful barometer of private markets’ sentiment. The 1,795 LP participants who joined us in 2026 will make over 100bn in fund commitments in the next 12 months. The collective power to validate your stance…
Together, we have an industry and an asset class and a future to shape, build, grow and imagine."
Watch this space!