Having just participated in my first investment conference this summer, they are great opportunities to hear ideas from top investment professionals.

However, the cost of attending these conferences is usually prohibitive (at least for those of us who are still full-time students), even before the travel arrangements and other costs.

The new European Investment Summit 2012, scheduled for October 9 and 10, promises to change all of that.

Put together by the folks behind The Manual of Ideas, the European Investment Summit is a fully online conference, meaning no plane flights or costly entry fees.

The conference has managed to attract an amazing group of speakers and will focus on investment ideas in Europe – an area of focus lately given the economic turmoil in that region.

As a teaser for the conference, the organizers are offering an interview with legendary investor Howard Marks, with the 27-page transcript available as a bonus immediately after registration.

A few quotes from the Marks’ interview (emphasis mine):

“What the investor has to do is weigh out on the one hand price and on the other hand reality. Everybody thinks very dire thoughts about Europe and the Euro, and I would be the last person in the world to argue against that position. Then the next question is, European assets are lower in price because of the macro conditions, but are the macro conditions being viewed too pessimistically?”

“Tenet number three of our investment philosophy says we are active in less efficient markets only. We probably wouldn’t do a hedge fund forlarge-cap New York Stock Exchange firms because the tendencies are that those would be more efficient than others. But emerging markets, yes. Japan, yes.”

“[U.S. Treasuries] are a safe investment in the sense that the outcome is known and not really subject to variation. I think they are not a good investment because the known outcome is an unattractive one. Today you can buy the ten-year [Treasury] and with no risk, lock up the certainty of 1.9% return for ten years. Is that really a good thing to lock up?”

The early-bid registration price of $297 (50% off) expires this Friday – registration also includes two weeks of access to the conference materials after the conclusion of the event.

Check out the registration page or click on the banner below to learn more.

European Investing Summit

Disclosure: I receive a referral fee if you register for the conference through Value Uncovered. The cost is the same either way.