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[Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) have matured from niche products to become a core component of modern investment strategies. But their rapid rise and ever-growing diversity have placed pressure on financial advisors, institutional investors, and financial research professionals in learning how to navigate a growing global pool of disparate ETF vehicles. This higher level of complexity on research, due diligence, analysis, selection, and portfolio construction has spawned the need for single focus conferences to more thoroughly explore an increasingly intricate universe of Exchange-Traded Products (ETPs).
To learn about the behind-the-scenes strategy and mechanics of how a major industry ETF Conference is designed for the needs its audience, we reached out to Trammel Robinson, Director, ETF Issuer Relations at ETF Global – a leading, independent provider of enterprise-grade ETF reference data, analytics, and hosts of their twice-a-year ETP Forums dedicated exclusively to the global Exchange-Traded Products (ETP) ecosystem.
Beyond ETF data and tools, their semi-annual ETP Forums have become the largest one-day ETF conferences in the industry. These forums bring together top ETF issuers, analysts, and investment professionals to share perspectives on identifying market and product trends, decoding regulatory updates, and exploring emerging and innovative portfolio strategies. They function as a central hub for collaboration in the ETF ecosystem.
We asked Trammel to share with us the thinking and planning behind assembling their ETF industry events and give us a sneak peek at what they have orchestrated for their upcoming November 18, 2025 ETP Forum at the New York Athletic Club in New York City.]
Tooth: What has been your goal in originally launching and actively maintaining two ETP forums per year? Why is the effort important?
Robinson: We have two main goals with our Exchange Traded Product (ETP) conferences. The first is to provide the best content, presented by the most knowledgeable people in the ETP industry. We have always placed great emphasis on the quality of our panels and the professionals who participate on them – individuals from ETF companies, leading industry providers and partners who can discuss the most important and timely topics shaping the industry. The caliber of people involved in these discussions has always been our top priority.
The second main goal is networking. These conferences are business events. We are proud to host such an event in the financial capital of New York, at the prestigious New York Athletic Club. It’s about gaining insights and creating connections that can lead to meaningful, actionable decisions in the marketplace.
It is not without reason that we organize two forums every year. Our autumn forum will serve as a review of the ETP sector’s progress to date and explore what the coming year may bring, what trends we can predict and what will drive discussions in the next cycle. Our Spring Forum focuses on the current state of the industry, addressing the most pressing issues and emerging trends, and considering what actions or shifts are likely to shape the near future.
Ultimately, both ETP forums focus on what is currently happening in the industry. By holding them twice a year, we can maintain that immediacy. One annual event would leave us wondering whether we should look backward or forward, but by meeting twice a year we can do both in a timely and relevant way.
Tooth: Now in your 13th year, how did you expand the ETP forum again for 2025?
Robinson: Historically, the conference has been very focused on the ETF industry, primarily on the issuers, custodians, managers and service providers. About two years ago we started discussing who was attending other ETF conferences and what they wanted to achieve from them. During that discussion we identified the main types of participants.
We started with the ETF issuers, including their service providers. Their goal is to connect with the people who will directly invest assets in their products. On the other side are ETF investors, asset managers, endowments, family offices, RIAs and others. We asked ourselves how we could provide the greatest value to both groups at the same time. By listening directly to the product makers, you will gain valuable insights into ETF strategies, creating a transparent path to understanding these products more deeply.
The decision was to expand our forum structure to meet the needs of each group through two separate information channels. Having two tracks does not mean that no one can attend sessions in either track. Instead, we can tailor content to each audience, while still taking into account the broader needs and priorities of the ETF market as a whole.
Tooth: Tell us more about the nature of the two tracks. How are they each constructed individually?
Robinson: Let’s start with the ETF investor side. We’ll start with topics like actively managed ETFs and how they continue to dominate new ETF issuance. We cover crypto ETFs, defined outcome ETFs, fixed income ETFs, options-based ETFs, and top opportunities for 2025 and 2026. Essentially, we focus on the actual products that participants invest in. We take the discussion one step further by connecting directly with the people who make these products. We ask them why they chose to develop these products, what makes them useful and what challenges they experience during the creation and distribution process.
Our goal is to have product makers and managers talk directly to investors about the thinking behind their offering and why they believe a product is successful. Listening directly to the people responsible for these products provides invaluable insights.
The investor journey is intended for professional investors, asset managers and family offices who are looking for new products or opportunities that align with their company’s strategies. At the same time, some participants may be clients of these investors and have the opportunity to hear from them directly and answer specific questions. The focus of the investor journey is to highlight products and trends that investors want to know more about, directly from the managers behind that ETF offering.
The sector track, on the other hand, focuses on the business side of ETFs. Participants in this process are often ETF managers and issuers who want to listen to major exchanges, legal and compliance professionals and other service providers. They want to understand why they should list their products on one exchange rather than another, what legal and compliance topics they should consider and discuss, and which service providers can offer them the best value. This journey also includes trade-focused panels, mutual fund to ETF conversions, strategies for maximizing visibility and distribution, and much more.
Tooth: How do you go about planning and developing a forum? How do you choose topics and draw up an agenda?
Robinson: While I take a leadership role in the process, we rely on the entire team to make it happen. It really does take a village. We start by identifying the most important topics and aim to keep the panels as fresh and relevant as possible. We look at the current market environment, new product launches, recent SEC regulations, and any emerging hot topics or news about innovative product announcements. All these factors guide us in curating the most attractive and up-to-date content.
Once we determine the topics, we focus on finding the most relevant experts to speak on those topics, ensuring that each session offers timely and meaningful discussions led by the highest quality experts in the field.
Hortz: Can you wWhat are some of the key themes or topics of interest for the upcoming fall ETP forum in NYC?
Robinson: There are two new topics I can highlight now. One of these is a panel that focuses on the distribution of ETFs. We understand that an issuer can have the best product, but if no one knows about it, it will be difficult to sell it and ultimately acquire assets. This panel will discuss some of the key strategies that ETF issuers should and should not implement in their own distribution process.
The second topic is the rise of UCITS and global ETFs. As the growth of ETFs continues not only domestically but also globally, many US-listed companies are beginning to place their ETFs in UCITS wrappers to make them tradable in European markets. This marks a fundamental shift in the ETF landscape and an increased focus on the European market.
Tooth: Is there anything else we should know about the Forum and why industry professionals should come to the event?
Robinson: It is clear that our forums are business-first conferences. We are purposeful and deliberate in the way we design them to ensure that companies can justify sending their people away from their desks knowing they will get real value from the experience. We want participants to benefit from the ETP Forum in a meaningful way and to see a return on the time, effort and resources they invest in attending.
That value can come from the high-quality education provided in panel discussions or from insightful conversations with fellow attendees, whether through panel insights or networking sessions in the intimate setting of the New York Athletic Club. Our approach to the structure and design of the ETP Forum is focused on ensuring that participants walk away with actionable insights and lasting connections that will help them better serve their businesses and customers.
This article was originally published here and is republished on Wealthtender with permission.
About the author
Bill Tooth
Founder Institute for Innovation Development
Bill Hortz is an independent business consultant and founder/dean of the Institute for Innovation Development, a platform and network for business innovation in the financial services industry. With over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, including expertise in asset manager sales/marketing/branding, as well as creatively restructuring and developing internal/external sales and strategic account departments for 5 major financial firms including OppenheimerFunds, Neuberger&Berman and Templeton Funds Distributors. His broad experiences have led Bill to a strong belief, passion and advocacy for strategic thinking, innovation creation and strategic account management as the nexus of business skills needed to meet a business environment challenged by an increasingly rapid pace of change.
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