The SEC hosts an annual forum that focuses on the capital formation concerns of small business. Called the "SEC Government-Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation," this gathering has assembled annually since 1982, as mandated by the Small Business Investment Incentive Act of 1980. A major purpose of the Forum is to provide a platform for small business to highlight perceived unnecessary impediments to the capital-raising process. Previous Forums have developed numerous recommendations seeking legislative and regulatory changes in the areas of securities and financial services regulation, taxation and state and federal assistance. Participants in the Forum typically have included small business executives, venture capitalists, government officials, trade association representatives, lawyers, accountants, academics and small business advocates. In recent years, the format of the Forum typically has emphasized small interactive breakout groups developing recommendations for governmental action.
2009 Forum — The SEC plans to host its 2009 Government-Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation on Thursday, November 19, 2009, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at its headquarters at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. For the first time, those who are pre-registered will be able to participate in the Forum fully without traveling to Washington.
The 2009 Forum will include both roundtable sessions and afternoon breakout groups, as shown in the agenda available through the link below. The roundtable sessions will be webcast live on the SEC's home web page at http://www.sec.gov/index.htm beginning at 9:00 a.m. Registration is not required to view the webcast. Forum registrants may attend the roundtable sessions in person at SEC headquarters. The afternoon breakout groups will not be webcast. Forum registrants will be able to participate in them either by attending in person at SEC headquarters or by calling in to a telephone conference call. To register for the Forum, please access the online registration form through the link below and submit it by November 16, 2009. A day or so before the Forum, we will e-mail a call-in telephone number and access code to registrants who have indicated they plan to participate in an afternoon breakout group by telephone conference call. You also may use the online registration form to let us know you are interested in having your name on the mailing list for future Forums.
Online Registration (Forthcoming)
Forum Agenda (Forthcoming)
We encourage everyone to suggest topics and recommendations for facilitating small business capital formation to be considered at the Forum by sending them to the SEC Office of Small Business Policy at SmallBusiness@sec.gov or to 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-3628. Questions may be directed to the SEC's Office of Small Business Policy at (202) 551-3460 or SmallBusiness@sec.gov.
Previous Forums — Final Reports of the SEC Government-Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation since June 1993.
http://www.sec.gov/info/smallbus/sbforum.shtml