Connect19 - Presented by Cetera Financial

Presented by Cetera Financial Group®, Inc.

A conference created
for advisors by advisors...

2018 was a milestone year for Cetera Financial Group.
It marked the inception of their national conference
– Connect. Connect18 was the first-ever conference
comprised of Cetera’s entire network of advisors from
six member firms, strategic partners and home office
leadership. The risk Cetera took in pioneering a new
conference format paid off – Connect was established
as a breakthrough financial services conference created
for advisors, by advisors.

On the heels of a successful year, Connect was poised
for growth. Knowing that expectations for 2019 were
only greater, Cetera shifted focus from establishing
Connect18 to elevating Connect19.

Every aspect of Connect19 reflects Cetera’s commitment
to raising the bar:

• Elevated Resources
• Elevated Impact
• Elevated Engagement

Cetera’s refusal to rest on their laurels and determination
enhance the event experience resulted in Connect19
transcending the typical corporate event to become
something far greater.

“The most important
things in life are

the connections you
make with others.”

+

ADVICE CENTRIC
EXPERIENCE

RAISE THE BAR:

A MILE ABOVE THE
COMPETITION

Connect19 is the premiere financial services
conference created for advisors, by advisors. This
three-day gathering focused on tangible solutions
for Advisors’ challenges, opportunities, and biggest
needs. The financial industry’s brightest and
most innovative minds came together to discover
powerful new digital tools and find answers to their
toughest questions.

CONNECT CENTRAL

The Basecamp for Advisors’ Climb

No basecamp would be complete
without an ample stock of the
most necessary resources.

Solutions Focused Technology

Connect Central boasted an enhanced and comprehensive technology
center to kick start Advisors’ digital transformation. Attendees had the
opportunity to learn from subject matter experts on practice management,
mobility, transparency, accessibility, and lead generation to name a few.

Expert Guidance

Freshly designed, well-marked meeting areas for maximum engagement
with product specialists. Top Trends? Portfolio ideas, retirement planning,
annuities, and other alternative investment strategies and more.

Exchange of Ideas

Connect Central was designed to encourage peer-to-peer Advisor
conversations. Attendees had ample opportunity to catch up with old
colleagues at the firm-focused lounges or network comfortably across firms.

Agenda Builder

The redesigned online Agenda Builder tool allowed attendees to easily
customize their agenda for the ultimate Connect19 experience. Over 200
sessions to choose from across a wide range of learning formats from
inspiring general sessions to strategic partner led Fireside chats and
dynamic tabletop discussions.

I feel attending Connect19
will help me achieve my

88%business goals

“The educational and networking
opportunities are phenomenal.

Learning about new options for
our clients, the advancements in
technology and how to capitalize

on them and ways to build the
business are valuable.”

- Connect19 Guest Survey



ELEVATING THE
EVENT IMPACT

In recent years, Cetera’s firms have been bringing their philanthropic efforts
together to create an even bigger difference in the lives of those in need.
Caring Cetera began as an advisor-led philanthropic initiative at one firm
and has now expanded across all Cetera firms. What better way to share a
focus on giving than at Connect19?

Caring Cetera selected Denver-based Youth on Record as the Connect19
charitable footprint recipient. Youth on Record believes that all young
people, including those who are at-risk, have the ability to turn their lives
around. This organization is committed to ensuring that the youth they
serve graduate from high school and are ready to enter the workforce, and
transition to college or enter advanced technical training and careers. Their
programs empower thousands of teens in some of Denver’s most vulnerable
communities to make life choices that positively impact their future by
teaching them to develop the coping tools and inspiration to succeed in
today’s world and to become leaders of tomorrow.

Over three days, the nearly 4,000
financial advice professionals who
gathered at Connect19 raised $210,000
for the Youth on Record organization.

After learning about Youth on
Record through Connect19,
classical pianist, author and
conference keynote speaker, Jade
Simmons extended her time in
Denver to visit the organization’s
headquarters. Jade shared her
story and message of courage with
Denver’s young people as a guest
on the Youth on Record podcast.

Youth on Record opened Connect19 with a
performance of the “Star-Spangled Banner”

SETTING SUSTAINABLE
GOALS

Cetera’s focus on elevating Connect19’s impact extended beyond their
people-centered efforts. The event planning team collaborated with
Denver’s convention bureau to learn and apply sustainable event practices
to Connect19.

When it came to Connect19 sourcing, the event team kept environmental
impact top of mind ultimately choosing Colorado Convention Center
(CCC) – a LEED certified and GMIC verified facility – as the 2019 venue.
Additionally, they capitalized on Denver’s walkability by sourcing only hotels
in close proximity to the CCC allowing them to eliminate the need for event
transportation at Connect19.

Over 10,000 room nights across 17 hotels
within walking distance of the CCC

Rather than bringing in rental pieces to furnish Connect Central, Cetera
purchased all the items and made a post-event donation to Denver Parks
and Rec. The items are now in use across Denver rec centers and mountain
parks.

72 Adirondack Chairs and 28 Picnic Tables
donated to Denver Parks and Rec.

At Cetera’s request, Visit Denver provided post-event sustainability report
which not only held them accountable to their commitment to make a
positive environmental impact through Connect19 but will be a benchmark
for their sustainable efforts in future years.

58% of Connect19 event waste diverted from landfills

MELEEAVSAUTRIIONNG

I am likely to attend

91%Connect next year

Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Methodology

NPS allows a company to track customer experience over time and provides
a meaningful measure for which to benchmark effectiveness of actions
taken to improve drivers of an advisor experience and is calculated from the
responses of a single question:

How likely are you to recommend this conference
to another financial advisor?

Connect19 14-point
NPS
NPS 45 increase

compared to the

2018 conference

“It is a wonderful opportunity to hear from top management
of Cetera, learn about new product and program rollouts and
network with home office staff and other advisors.”

“The conference was great. I always come back with renewed
ideas and motivation. Also excited about the upcoming
technology releases.”

“Our entire office comes to the conference. It’s a good
opportunity to see the ‘whole’ picture and to meet other people
in various roles from all over the country.”

“I thought the convention was extremely well run. The keynotes
were very inspirational and directly related to our business. I
also found the breakout sessions very informative!”

Connect19 Advisor Experience

“The best and most well thought through conference I have
ever attended.”

“I felt the conference offered a great amount of insight and
resources. It was worth my time away from the office.”

“Great conference. Great to see lots of old friends and make
new connections. General sessions were entertaining.
Breakout sessions were informative.”

“So much valuable information and networking that would
be hard to obtain in any other setting.”