Organisers of a hedge fund event expected to attract around 400 delegates to Bermuda are planning to make a donation to charity.

The Global Fund Forum will take place at the Fairmont Southampton from June 22-24 and Lisa Vioni, chief executive of organising firm Hedge Connection, said it was important to her that there should be some charitable component — although what form it would take has yet to be decided.

“We will have a lot of people who have a lot of money coming to Bermuda and we would like to leverage the opportunity to do some good,” Ms Vioni said in an interview.

She added that she had spoken with some charity sources on the Island, exploring options.

This will be the first time Bermuda has hosted the event, which brings together hedge fund managers and “allocators”, the parties who provide the funds with capital to invest.

The format for the event is centred on an intensive schedule of pre-scheduled, one-on-one meetings, in individual suites at the south shore hotel.

The forum will also feature speakers and panels, three workshops and “The Pitch” — giving five funds the opportunity to compete for an allocation on the second night of the forum. “It’s our version of Shark Tank,” Ms Vioni said, referring to the popular CNBC show.

Ms Vioni is no stranger to Bermuda, having visited the Island “at least 15 times”, but a quirk of fate helped to cement her decision to bring the Global Fund Forum here.

While on vacation with her family in Vancouver, Canada, last August, Ms Vioni saw an ad for a video competition run by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. Her husband Rob Arthurs made and entered his own home video, which turned out to be a winner. The prize was a three-day stay at a Fairmont property somewhere in the world — Ms Vioni’s family ended up being sent to the Fairmont Southampton.

“One of the things I love about Bermuda is that it’s just two hours from New York and it’s one of the most beautiful places on Earth,” she said. “The people are friendly, the service is wonderful and it’s a wonderful experience to go there.”

From a business viewpoint, she said: “I chose the Island because it has historically been a hedge fund industry hub. A lot of business has been lost to the Cayman Islands over the past ten years, but a lot of people are now involved in a big push to bring back some of that business.”

Ms Vioni hopes to make the forum an annual event on the Island.

More information on the event is available at the website www.globalfundforum.com.