By Brett Kaufman. 8 years using relationships to build sales pipelines, from political fundraising to a 7 figure business to running matchmaking for two communities. Over 1,000 introductions facilitated.

ACG CapCon follow up starts with your DealSource meetings. Within 48 hours, text every banker or PE firm who named a live mandate or a buy box at the table, send any intro you promised, then reach the advisors and executives from the sessions on a 30 day clock.

It is Thursday afternoon on the drive out of the Gaylord. You had a dozen pre scheduled meetings across two days. A banker in Orange County said a family owned manufacturer might go to market in the summer. A sponsor said they want add ons in California healthcare services. You wrote both down somewhere. You are not sure where.

I run matchmaking for two communities, and I spend most of my attention on what happens after the room empties. Here is how I would run this one.

What makes CapCon different from DealMAX?

CapCon is a regional room of about 300, built around one meeting program. The official CapCon27 page lists it for March 10 to 11, 2027 at the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center in San Diego, organized by ACG San Diego, with more than 300 attendees expected: private equity investors, investment bankers, corporate executives and trusted advisors.

The format is DealSource, which the chapter describes as a highly curated one on one meeting program that connects investment banks with private equity firms through pre scheduled meetings. Programming covers California’s business landscape, San Diego’s M&A market and middle market leadership.

Compare that to DealMAX follow up, which is a 3,500 person national event booked through ACG Access.

	CapCon27	DealMAX 2027
Organizer	ACG San Diego	ACG
Size	300+ expected	3,500+
Meetings	DealSource, curated and pre scheduled	ACG Access, self booked
Focus	California and middle market	National middle market
Follow up angle	Fewer meetings, deeper and regional	Volume, triage hard

Sources: CapCon27, DealMAX.

That changes the follow up. At CapCon, the banker across the table likely covers your region, and you will run into the same people again. A dropped follow up is more visible here, not less.

Before San Diego: who to research and who to book

DealSource is curated, so your schedule may be shaped for you. The event page does not list how DealSource matches are made or who can take part, so ask ACG San Diego directly. Then do the work on each name you are given.

• If you are a banker: for each PE firm on your schedule, know their platforms in California and their last two adds. Bring the one client that fits them best.
• If you are PE: for each bank, know what they sold in the last year and which sectors they cover. Ask what launches in the next two quarters.
• For everyone: the corporate executives and advisors in the sessions. They are not on the DealSource schedule, which is why they are easy to miss.

Write one line next to each name about why. That line becomes your first text.

At the table: a 10 second note template

Back to back pre scheduled meetings erase each other. Between tables, write this, and nothing more:

Name, firm: [Name], [Firm] What they need: add ons, California healthcare services, $3M to $10M EBITDA What is live: nothing yet, new fund closing What I promised: send our two current processes by Friday Next touch: 48 hours

Snap the badge or card. Tag it CapCon. That template is your follow up in four lines.

ACG CapCon follow up: who first in the 48 hours?

Rank by what can move a deal in the next two quarters. The general triage is in who to follow up with first after a conference. For CapCon, run it this way.

1. DealSource meetings with something live. A process launching, a fund deploying, a stated add on search.
2. Intros you promised. In a room of 300, the two people you were going to connect will see each other again. Make it before they do.
3. DealSource meetings with no live deal yet. Send the buy box or the coverage list you discussed.
4. Session and reception conversations. Corporate executives and advisors. A short note with a reason.

Example texts, each under 40 words:

[Name], good to sit down at DealSource Wednesday. You mentioned the manufacturer that may go out this summer. We would want an early look. Can I send our California buy box today?

[Name], as promised from CapCon, connecting you with [Name] at [Firm]. They cover healthcare services sell side in Southern California. I will let you two take it from here.

[Name], enjoyed your point on the panel about family owned sellers. If one of your clients is thinking about an exit, I would like to be a call you make.

More examples are in follow up texts after a conference.

What should you do in the 30 days after CapCon?

Send a second touch with a new reason by mid April. A banker who mentioned a summer launch may be building the buyer list by then, and you want to be on it. How bankers build that list is in how to stay front of mind with investment bankers.

A simple 30 day timeline:

Day	Touch
1 to 2	First text to every DealSource meeting with something live
3 to 7	Intros made, buy boxes and coverage lists sent
14	Session and reception contacts get a note with a reason
30	Second touch to the top DealSource meetings: their news, a fitting deal, or a launch check in

The full before, during and after method lives in the conference follow up system.

The system that does this for you

I built FRONT OF MIND because I watched people meet the right person, have a real conversation, then disappear for months. Between DealSource tables, say a name and a sentence out loud, snap the badge, or take a selfie together, and it is filed under CapCon.

The next morning it opens on your 10 minutes for today. Each person has one line on why today, like you met at CapCon two days ago and never followed up, or their company was in the news, plus a drafted text of 40 words or less. Nothing sends without your tap, and it learns from your edits. In June, ask Liala “who do I know that is a banker in Southern California” and get the right people with why. Your contacts are encrypted. No one on our team looks at them, and you can export or delete anytime.

Start free with your first 25 contacts and see who from San Diego comes up first.

See how it works