ACG Sets New Benchmark with Largest, Most Efficient DealMAX to Date

CHICAGO – April 29, 2026 – The Association for Corporate Growth^® (ACG), the premier association for the middle-market M&A community, hosted its annual DealMAX^® conference in Las Vegas this week, delivering its largest and most efficient event to date.

Held April 27–29 at the ARIA Resort & Casino, DealMAX 2026 brought together over 3,500 attendees—an all-time high. Among them were nearly 900 private equity professionals, over 900 investment bankers, and almost 900 M&A partners. This year, the number of lending and capital markets professionals in attendance exceeded 1,000, the result of a deliberate effort to broaden DealMAX’s reach across the full M&A ecosystem.

Attendees requested more than 140,000 one-on-one meetings through ACG Access, ACG’s proprietary scheduling platform. The software's new “Meet Now” feature showed real-time availability on attendees' calendars, enabling targeted outreach and more efficient scheduling.

Many of the meetings took place in the redesigned DealMAX Lounge, where integrated spaces and a more intuitive layout improved the on-site experience. The conference featured more deal tables than ever to accommodate attendance growth and the increased demand for meeting space. 

“DealMAX is growing, but more importantly, it has evolved into a more efficient place to connect, do business, and learn about the state of the market,” said Brent Baxter, CEO of ACG. “Our goal at ACG is to provide members of the M&A community with the connections and resources they need to be successful, and I’m proud that DealMAX continues to deliver on that promise.”

Over the three-day conference, attendees heard from 61 speakers during 18 content sessions, which included a data-driven M&A market update keynote, industry-focused panels spotlighting the consumer and sports sectors, expert-led presentations about artificial intelligence’s impact on the deal world, and many others. Cutting-edge technology was on display, too, as roving snack robots cruised the show floor offering refreshments.

Sponsors remained central to the event’s success, with 88 market-leading firms providing financial support for the conference.

DealMAX 2026 also marked a leadership transition for ACG, with Suzie Doran, partner at SingerLewak, beginning her term as chair of the ACG headquarters board.

“I’m looking forward to working with the board and the ACG leadership team as we continue to grow the organization and support our members through high-quality events, relevant market insights, and meaningful member resources,” Doran said.

During on-stage remarks at DealMAX, ACG leaders highlighted new collaborations with Oracle NetSuite and Wall Street Prep to offer exclusive discounted access to ACG members. Meanwhile in the DealMAX Lounge, representatives from GF Data, an ACG company, previewed the next generation of its platform, including new AI-enabled capabilities developed in partnership with Farsight.

ACG will return to the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for DealMAX next year, scheduled for May 3–5, 2027.

About ACG 
ACG is the premier global community for middle-market M&A professionals. ACG's mission is to empower dealmakers with the connections, insights, and resources that accelerate business growth. Founded in 1954, ACG’s global network operates in more than 60 markets worldwide and comprises more than 100,000 middle-market professionals who invest in, own, and advise growing companies. ACG’s DealMAX conference is the association’s flagship event, bringing together the best and brightest dealmaking professionals in the industry. Learn more and become a member at acg.org.

ACG Media Contact 
Katie Maloney 
Association for Corporate Growth 
843-801-4408 
kmaloney@acg.org