The Secured Finance Network’s 76th Annual Convention, “This Way Forward,” will take place from Nov. 17 to 19 and will cover financial, economic and political disruptions that banks and finance companies face in the midst of a pandemic and the aftermath of the U.S. election.

The international convention will feature 34 sessions and keynote speeches from newsmakers, including Gen. James Mattis, in a live online format.

As networking is an important facet of every convention, this year the event’s technology platform will use artificial intelligence to help attendees virtually meet based on mutual interests.

Richard Gumbrecht, CEO of SFNet, said the 2020 convention offers something for everyone in the industry, which includes banks and other finance companies that provide asset-based lending, factoring, supply chain finance, equipment finance and leasing, leveraged lending, cash flow lending and/or securitization products. The secured finance industry generates $4.1 trillion annually (20% of U.S. GDP).

More than 1,800 registrants from the U.S. and other countries have already registered for the convention. Sessions will include:

Keynote presentations by Mattis, former U.S. secretary of defense and retired Marine general; Ayesha Rascoe, NPR White House reporter; Danielle DiMartino Booth, CEO and chief strategist of Quill Intelligence; and David A. Brandon, chairman of Domino’s Pizza with Paul Cronin of Santandar Bank.

Workouts & Bankruptcies – What Is the New Normal? With leaders from BDO USA, Blank Rome, Clear Thinking Group, Conway McKenzie and Morgan Lewis

View from the Top – Large Banks: What Is the Future of ABL? With speakers from Truist, Wells Fargo Capital Finance, Bank of America Business Capital and CIT. (The conference will include other “View from the Top” sessions for independent ABL and factoring professionals.)

Appraisals & Liquidations Across Asset Classes – What Has Changed? With leaders from Heritage Global Valuations, Gordon Brothers, The Alta Group and Fortis Business Advisors.

The Evolving World of Retail. With speakers from Wells Fargo Capital Finance, Bank of America Business Capital, Gordon Brothers and Hilco Global.

Anatomy of a Deal. With leaders from BMO Harris Bank, FTI Consulting, B. Riley and Houlihan Lokey discussing details of a recent Briggs & Stratton transaction.

Diversity – A Strategic Imperative. With speakers from Wells Fargo Capital Finance, Accord Financial, Nika White Consulting, North Mill Capital, Otterbourg and Thinking Ahead Executive Search.

Market Pulse Report Update with the latest economic and industry data and forward-looking analysis by Keybridge Research.