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 dealmakers forum follow up should start within 48 hours. Text anyone who named a live process, a buy box or a financing need first, send every intro you promised second, and land a second touch before the chapter’s next dealmaker event so you walk in already known.

It is 8 PM and the panel is over. Forty people, maybe fewer. A sponsor said they want a second add on in industrial services. A lender said they have room for one more deal before year end. A banker said a founder is thinking about spring. You will probably see all three again in four months. That is the trap. Repeat faces feel safe, so nobody follows up.

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

What is an ACG dealmakers forum?

It is a small, recurring chapter event for people who actually do deals. The Association for Corporate Growth says it operates in 61 local markets with more than 100,000 middle market professionals. Many chapters run their own dealmaker program, and each one names and runs it differently.

Two examples from official chapter pages:

Chapter program	Who it is for	Format	Next dates listed
ACG NY DealMaker Series	Fund managers, investment bankers, lenders, corporate strategic acquirers. ACG NY member only	Quarterly, intimate peer gathering	Feb 25, 2027 and May 26, 2027
ACG DFW Dallas Dealmakers December Program	M&A professionals, members and non members	Mock deal auction by table, happy hour	Dec 2, 2026, Park City Club, Dallas

The ACG NY fall edition ran October 27, 2026 at the New York Athletic Club with a panel on AI in portfolio companies. ACG NY says registration “may be revoked” for anyone outside the eligible roles. For your own chapter, check its events page on acg.org.

Three things make this room different from a big conference like CapCon or DealMAX.

1. It repeats. You will see these people again next quarter. Your follow up is not one text, it is what you do between meetings.
2. It is curated. At ACG NY, everyone in the room is a principal or an advisor on deals. Fewer conversations, and each one is worth more.
3. There are no scheduled meetings. Unlike ACG CapCon and its DealSource tables, the talk happens over drinks and around a panel. Nothing lands on your calendar, so nothing reminds you later.

Before the forum: who to research

Pull the chapter’s attendee or sponsor list if it is shared, and pick five people with a reason for each.

• If you are PE: the bankers who sell in your sectors. Ask what goes out in the next two quarters.
• If you are a banker: the sponsors with a platform that fits a client you are about to take to market.
• If you are a lender: the sponsors and bankers on deals you want to finance before the term sheet race starts.
• If you are a corporate acquirer: the bankers who run processes in your adjacent markets.

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

In the room: capture in 10 seconds

Capture three things after each conversation: the name, what they need, and what you promised. “[Name], lender, room for one more deal before year end, $10M to $30M, I said I would send the industrial services deal.” That is the whole note.

At a dinner club or an athletic club, you cannot take notes at the table. Step into the hallway and do it there. The full method is in how to remember everyone you meet at a conference.

ACG dealmakers forum follow up: who first in the 48 hours?

Sort by what can move a deal before the next forum.

1. Anyone who named a live process or a timeline. “Spring” means the banker is building a buyer list now.
2. Anyone you promised an intro. A promised intro that slips costs more than one you never offered.
3. Lenders and sponsors with a stated buy box. Send something that fits, or tell them you are watching for it.
4. Panelists and chapter leaders. Thank them with one specific takeaway. They decide who gets invited to speak next time.

Example texts, each under 40 words:

[Name], good talking at the DealMaker Series Tuesday. You mentioned a founder thinking about spring. We would want an early look. Who on your team should I stay close to?

[Name], as promised, connecting you with [Name] at [Firm]. He lends on exactly the industrial services size you described. I will let you two take it from here.

[Name], your point on the panel about AI in reporting stuck with me. We are trying it in one portfolio company now. Coffee before the February edition?

For the general triage, see who to follow up with first after a conference.

What should you do before the next one?

Send a second touch about 30 days out, then one more two weeks before the next chapter dealmaker event.

Use this checklist:

1. Did their firm announce a close, a fund or a new hire? Note it in your text.
2. Did a deal cross your desk that fits their buy box? Send it.
3. Did you promise an intro you have not made? Make it today.
4. Are they likely to attend the next edition? Text two weeks before: “See you on the 25th? I want to hear how the spring process is going.”

That last text is the whole trick of a repeating room. You walk in with a conversation already open, and they walk in looking for you.

The math is illustrative. Say you go to four chapter events a year and meet ten useful people at each. If you follow up with three, you are a familiar face to 12 people. If you follow up with all ten, you are the person 40 dealmakers in your city think of first. The full before, during and after method is 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. In the hallway, say a name and a sentence out loud, snap a business card, or take a selfie together, and it is filed under the event.

It opens on your 10 minutes for today. Each person has one line on why today, like you met at the ACG event three days ago and never followed up, or a pipeline deal has been quiet 7 days, plus a drafted text of 40 words or less. Nothing sends without your tap, and it learns from your edits. Before the next forum, ask Liala “who do I know that is a lender in New York” 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 your chapter comes up first.

See how it works