Infralogic Investors Forum Australia 2024

Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney and Online

Agenda

08:30 - 09:15
AEDT

Registration

09.30 - 10.15
AEDT

Global outlook: Where in the world to invest in 2024

The infrastructure industry globally is going through a challenging period, with rising interest rates and inflation, underperformance in certain sectors, prolonged and limited fundraising, and regulatory pressures. However, infrastructure players who have identified scalable growth pipelines that capture the need to modernise and update existing infrastructure across the globe will thrive. Where are the opportunities amidst this uncertainty and how are GPs from the infrastructure investing hotspots globally planning for the future? In this session, a group of expert investors from the US, Europe, and other key geographies will share their strategies as well as the assets they are targeting to deliver.

  • Which sectors and regions are thriving despite the economic uncertainty?
  • Has the asset class moved up the risk curve and embraced value creation to drive alpha? Is this a good thing?
  • How are investors getting creative with project financing?
  • What fundraising strategies have GPs employed and is flexibility key?
10.15 - 11.00
AEDT

Australia: Building conviction

Who, how, and when for the next fundraise? Where are the growth opportunities? Is the bid–ask spread aligned? Is debt available and at what cost? Australian industry players are grappling with these big questions and no doubt it has been a quiet market in the past year. However, there is cause for optimism: debt is still available, particularly in the mid-market where activity is strong, and deal activity is picking-up, with deals in the transport and energy sector expected alongside a number of private equity–style opportunities. In this session, a group of investors will share their strategy for survival, including whether they are planning to fundraise, searching for a home for dry powder, or on the hunt for an attractive exit.   

  • Which sectors are providing the best deal flow and do these assets fit neatly into the infrastructure bucket, or is that concept now redundant?
  • Which models are investors using when approaching investments into social infrastructure assets?
  • How are investors building platforms for economies of scale across greenfield opportunities?
  • How are GPs dealing with the pressure to deliver DPI to investors?
11.00 - 11.30
AEDT

Networking break

11.30 - 12.30
AEDT

Focus on renewables: Overcoming the investment barriers

Barely a day passes without renewables making the headlines and the need for large-scale investment. But the huge global push to decarbonise is causing a severe case of indigestion in the form of massive shortages of people and equipment leading to inflation. While governments are now underwriting grid construction and generation to remove some of the risk, regional politics is now a major roadblock playing into short term electoral cycles as people baulk at huge windfarms and electricity pylons marching across the landscape. To remove the barriers to private investment in decarbonising the economy, the federal government and investors have agreed on a range of measures, such as tasking the new Net Zero Economy Authority with identifying and coordinating opportunities to boost private investment and turbocharging the Capacity Investment Scheme. In this session, a panel of experts will go beyond the headlines to tackle a range of tough questions by examining the deals, structures, and framework needed to deliver consistent financial and green returns.

  • Which part of the renewables sector are investors bidding on to deliver consistent returns: greenfield/brownfield, wind, solar, storage, waste, hydrogen?
  • How is new generation and supporting infrastructure being funded and delivered?
  • How will private investors play a part in power storage construction? 
  • What needs to change to minimise the risks of investing in long-term renewable projects?
  • How can the private sector and government collaborate to deliver at scale to meet net zero targets?
13.00 - 14.00
AEDT

Networking Lunch

14.00 - 14.45
AEDT

Harnessing the potential: The AI investment opportunity

AI has the potential to transform the way we engage with technology, power the industries of the future, and make society’s vital services more efficient – so long as the infrastructure is in place to deliver performance at scale. As AI-related applications and revenue continues to grow, the hype and scepticism surrounding the phenomenon are converging to spur billions of dollars of investment in data centres, fibre, and a raft of other services where AI has the power to drive change. For investors, understanding the changing landscape, complexities of deals, and scale in terms of greenfield development, energy demands, and security is key to delivering success. 

  • What does AI mean for infrastructure investors?
  • How has demand changed data centre investments and what are the challenges?
  • What is the outlook for deals and valuations in the fibre space?
  • What are the risks that investors need to be aware of: macro and investment?
14.45 - 15.15
AEDT

Networking break

15.15 - 16.00
AEDT

Asia spotlight: Coming of age

Across Asia Pacific, the need for substantial infrastructure development has become increasingly urgent with factors such as urbanisation, population growth, and economic development driving the demand. There is also a growing appetite among investors and lenders and India, in particular, as well as Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, is benefiting with certain sectors and markets viewed as highly viable options for diversification and long-term growth. In this session, a panel of Asia investment experts will share their strategies, hotspots, and experiences in navigating the complexities of operating across Asia.

  • Which markets in the region present the biggest potential for growth amidst the changing economic, social, and investment landscapes?
  • How can investors navigate the requirements of governments throughout the region?
  • With India clearly an investment target, which sectors are attractive and what are the risks?
  • What strategies are GPs looking into: greenfield vs brownfield investments, open-ended vs closed-ended funds?
16.00 - 17.00
AEDT

LP viewpoint: Planning for the future

As turbulence enters the economy, LPs are having to think harder about manager selection processes, portfolio construction, and risk appetite in order to make the right choices for the market cycle ahead. The denominator effect, slowdown of DPI, Your Super benchmarking, and macro issues cascading down to geographic and sector concerns – all these mean that LPs must be strategic in who, how, and when to allocate. This approach ensures they are defensive yet flexible in finding the best growth opportunities. In this panel, a group of experienced investors will share how they are looking to the future at a time when knowing where and how to invest (via a pooled fund or direct) and identifying the sectors and geographies that can deliver growth are critical.

  • Which funds, strategies, and geographies are LPs committing capital to in 2023 and beyond?
  • Will we see more sales due to super fund consolidation?
  • How much of an impact does the denominator effect and slowdown in DPI have on fundraising and future manager selection? 
  • Are we seeing a consolidation of GP relationships?
  • How has Your Future, Your Super impacted investment decisions and is this likely to change?
  • What role will infrastructure secondaries have in investor portfolios in the future?
17.00 - 18.30
AEDT

Networking drinks