Participants from all corners of the leveraged finance world converged on Miami this week, looking to make connections in a red-hot market where it’s becoming increasingly difficult for buysiders to secure allocations in new deals and ad hoc groups.

“Unlike before COVID where it felt like public markets focused investors constituted the bulk of the participants, you now get the bonus of top-flight advisors, attorneys, and private credit investors attending the conference,” said Grant Nachman, CIO of Shorecliff Asset Management. “It’s become a must attend for credit buysiders.”

JPMorgan’s 30th annual leverage finance conference officially attracted around 3,000 attendees, the same as in years prior, but numerous participants told Debtwire that the crowds appeared higher this year across the official event and multiple offshoots over three days.