* BofA, Morgan Stanley ( MS ) and JPMorgan ( JPM ) host exclusive events
for wealthy clients, financial advisors
* Thousands of clients invited to launch parties and
livestreams
* Expected $75 billion IPO is the talk of Wall Street
By Tatiana Bautzer and Nupur Anand
NEW YORK, June 4 (Reuters) - Wall Street's investment
banking giants are feting investors at splashy investor events
that kicked off on Thursday, giving hopeful SpaceX
buyers something most banks can't: access to the rocketmaker's
top executives ahead of its blockbuster IPO next week.
Elon Musk's futuristic IPO, which bases its lofty valuation
on sci-fi concepts like colonizing Mars and data centers in
space, has captured the imagination - and wallets - of Wall
Street and investors clamoring for a piece of the action. Bank
of America ( BAC ), JPMorgan ( JPM ) and Morgan Stanley ( MS ) are all hosting events
over the next few days.
With plans to raise a record $75 billion, it would be the
largest of all time. At an expected $1.75 trillion market
capitalization, the company will immediately become one of the
most valuable listed names worldwide.
Bank of America ( BAC ), which is leading the retail distribution effort
in the U.S., decked out the lobby at its midtown Manhattan
headquarters with SpaceX rockets and other images for an event
Thursday for wealth management clients, a person familiar with
the matter said.
The event will be headed by Co-President Jim DeMare, who
will interview SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer
Gwynne Shotwell and CFO Bret Johnsen about the company's public
trading debut,
according to a person with knowledge of the matter. It was
not clear if Musk would participate in any way. The bank also
plans to light the building's spire Thursday night to resemble a
rocket ship taking off.
MAKING THE ROUNDS
Shotwell and Johnsen are also making the rounds at
JPMorgan's ( JPM ) recently opened, bronze-toned headquarters just a
15-minute walk away, where CEO Jamie Dimon is headlining a
similar event, also on Thursday. More than 2,500 clients are
expected to attend in what will be the first such event for the
bank at this scale.
JPMorgan ( JPM ) also played a video of a SpaceX rocket launch on
Thursday on repeat across wide screens at its headquarters along
with the words "Go for Launch" projected several feet high
across the lobby.
Bank of America's ( BAC ) private bank and Merrill Lynch have
invited more than 5,000 clients to market launch parties being
hosted by the bank and streamed to offices across the U.S. as
part of the Merrill presence.
On Monday, Morgan Stanley ( MS ) is hosting an event for its wealth
management clients featuring SpaceX executives along with Kate
Claassen, the lead banker in the IPO, and wealth management head
Jed Finn.
It was not clear if Goldman Sachs was organizing an event
similar to its well-heeled rivals for its wealth management
clients. The bank is also showcasing SpaceX model rockets in two
lobbies in its downtown Manhattan headquarters to mark the stock
debut.
Typically, Goldman Sachs does offer large deals to its
private wealth clients, according to people familiar with the
matter.