shantytown

each year there is a community trust conference in NZ that alliancebernstein sponsors and attends. it was the first conference that i attended as a fund manager in NZ when i worked for amp capital, and it continues to be the best. it's a great mix of people from all over the country - and less in your face with respect to finance and products (global equities, fixed income, etc.) that some of the other conferences we attend can be. and each year it's hosted by a different community trust in NZ. the first one i went to was in invercargill a.k.a. "the asshole of the world" (according to keith richards), last year's was in wellington (at te papa - a top-notch museum) and this year we had the pleasure of going to shantytown. it only took a tiny plane (i was in seat 1-A and my feet were in the cockpit - and i'm a midget) and an airport/baggage claim in one to get there! but well worth it.

initially, when i heard "shantytown" i thought it was a nickname for some hick village on the south island. and i would joke, "i'm going to shantytown!" but i soon realised it is actually a real place. it's a replica of the old gold mining villages from the mid-1860s on the west coast of the south island of NZ. it's sort of a miniature disneyland (and i mean miniature) with one ride (a choo-choo train ride).

one of our portfolio managers flew in from hong kong to speak on global fixed income. quite interesting and topical considering the recent subprime crisis in the US, and the flow on effect this has had on global markets and credit spreads (especially in NZ) around the world. honestly, i've never been so entranced listening to someone speak about fixed income, which means it had to be good. one of our domestic fixed income managers spoke as well, "browny" (as i like to call him - because his name is mark brown and there are two mark's in the office, in addition to my mark, so it gets confusing). not that i'm all about my company and our people, but they rocked. it's hard to simplify such a complex topic, but they did it in the most impressive way possible (yeah, yeah i'm a geek).

there were quite a few fun dinners during the three days we were in shantytown. which by the way is located in one of the prettiest parts of NZ. amazing scenery. back to the dinners - the third night was a costume "gold rush" theme. people came as train drivers, can-can dancers, miners ... surprisingly, people really got into it. the alliancebernstein crew took it to a whole other level and dressed up as "gold diggers" - literally. we wore gold and carried shovels - see, we were the true "gold diggers". yes, i came up with the idea and yes, i had to convince my team (although it didn't take too much convincing!) to wear the cheesiest gold suits/dresses, but we did well. some of us were a bit doubtful re: the gaudiness of our costumes ...

...until the russell investment guys showed up in drag (and played the roles to a tee - all night long). we did win a prize - yeah, we looked hot. i'll let the pictures speak for themselves (especially the pancake rocks which on our ride to the westport airport at the end of the conference - wicked). only in new zealand i say, only in new zealand ...