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The SkyBridge Alternatives Conference (often stylized SALT or SALT iConnections) is an annual hedge fund conference sponsored by
SkyBridge Capital SkyBridge Capital is a global investment firm based in New York City, United States. It is run by founder Anthony Scaramucci, Brett S. Messing, and Raymond Nolte. SkyBridge produces the SkyBridge Alternatives Conference, or "SALT" Conference, a ...
that started in 2009. The world's largest hedge fund conference, it is considered by ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' to be "one of Wall Street's most prominent gatherings" and by
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
to be a flagship conference for
Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...
. Traditionally held in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, Nevada, the conference moved to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
in 2021. The conference is known for hosting talks by "high-profile market experts, politicians and show business personalities".


History

Founded in 2009 by
Anthony Scaramucci Anthony Scaramucci ( ; born January 6, 1964) is an American financier and broadcaster who briefly served as the White House communications director from July 21 to July 31, 2017. Scaramucci worked at Goldman Sachs's investment banking, equitie ...
, SALT has evolved into a three-day conference that initially caused his rise to fame. The inaugural conference took place in May 2009 in the ballroom of the
Encore Las Vegas Encore Las Vegas (also called Encore at Wynn Las Vegas or simply Encore) is a luxury resort, casino and hotel located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The resort is connected to its sister resort, Wynn Las Vegas, located directly so ...
. The 2012 conference featured a performance by
Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, d ...
and speeches by
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
and
Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, and author who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nomi ...
. That same year saw the launch of SALT Singapore, which was later rebranded SALT Asia. By 2014, SALT Asia was reported to attract approximately half as many attendees as its larger Las Vegas counterpart. In 2017, the attempted sale of
SkyBridge Capital SkyBridge Capital is a global investment firm based in New York City, United States. It is run by founder Anthony Scaramucci, Brett S. Messing, and Raymond Nolte. SkyBridge produces the SkyBridge Alternatives Conference, or "SALT" Conference, a ...
to
HNA Group HNA Group Co., Ltd., was a Chinese conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in Haikou, Hainan, China. Founded in 2000, it was involved in numerous industries including aviation, real estate, financial services, tourism, logistics, and ...
resulted in the SALT conference being spun off into its own entity and Scaramucci's divestiture to join President Donald Trump's first administration. Eleven days after his hiring, he was fired by Trump and returned to SALT. The proposed sale, which caused a hiatus in 2018, did not complete, with HNA Group withdrawing its bid. Starting with the 2019 conference, the conference's focus shifted from being predominantly hedge fund focused to attracting wider audiences. It features world leaders, after-hours parties, and a concert. The 2019 conference included a performance by
John Fogerty John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty, he founded the swamp rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), for which he was th ...
. Speaking with Reuters in 2019, which noted how the conference was more subdued than in previous years without a party atmosphere, Scaramucci stated "What we are trying to do is very sober". The conference experienced its second-highest attendance that year, with attendees interviewed by Reuters appreciating "the faster-paced program" and "subdued tone", which they felt "was more appropriate for the current times" The 2023 conference featured an interview with Dr. Garry Nolan about
Unidentified flying objects An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shape ...
which was hosted by SALT managing partner Alex Klokus. Klokus hosted another object discussion with retired Lieutenant colonel Karl Nell, a former member of the
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) is an office within the United States Office of the Secretary of Defense that investigates unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and other phenomena in the air, sea, and/or space and/or on land: someti ...
, at the 2024 conference.


Attendance

The largest hedge fund conference in the world, SALT was referred to by journalist Lawrence Delevingne in 2014 as "the
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
of hedge funds". As of 2018, SALT has averaged 1,800 attendees and hosted former US Presidents
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
and George Bush.


References

{{Reflist Conferences in the United States Annual events in New York City May