Global Trading Ideas Lead the Spring Value Investing Congress

In less than one month, investors will gather in Las Vegas for the Eighth Annual Spring Value Investing Congress. Whitney Tilson, David Nierenberg and Guy Gottfried are among the many hedge fund managers that are scheduled to speak at this year's event. John L. Schwartz, who co-founded Schwartz Tilson Information with Whitney Tilson, told Benzinga that he is particularly excited by how global the event has become. "One could make the argument that the developing world is growing much faster than the developed world," he said. "So we have people speaking about investing in all kinds of interesting places, not just places like Canada, Korea and India but really some pretty esoteric places like Iraq and Mongolia. I think that will also be a very useful and exciting thing for people to hear about." Schwartz serves as the chairman and CEO of Schwartz Tilson Information, which produces the spring and fall Value Investing Congress events. In preparing for the spring edition, he said that he chose Vegas because it has become an "increasingly desirable venue." "I believe it is either the first or second most popular meeting destination in America," he said. "It's not just because of showgirls, casinos and gambling. Vegas has turned into a fascinating place with the best restaurants in America and quite sensational entertainment." If the location is not enticing enough, Schwartz said that there are several other reasons to attend. "The first, I think, is the opportunity to learn," he said. "Different ways of thinking about value investing and finding value opportunities from some of the smartest value investors. The second, getting specific ideas from those people and hearing why they like XYZ company -- what's good about it, why it's got much greater intrinsic value than the community is finding." Some people attend just for the networking opportunities. "I think for a lot of people networking may ultimately be the most valuable part," said Schwartz. Scheduled to take place on May 6 and 7, 2013, the Eighth Annual Spring Value Investing Congress is one of the most anticipated events of the year. Benzinga readers can save $700 off the entry price if they register and enter code S13BZ12 by Friday, April 19. Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis@benzingapro.com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ