A new species is prowling America’s most obscure industry conferences: the data hunter.

Erik Haines, head of data and analytics at New York-based Guidepoint Global, trawls the globe for meaningful data to sell to hedge fund clients. One of his best strategies is to attend the most seemingly mundane gatherings, such as the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management conference in San Diego last year, and the National Industrial Transportation League event in New Orleans.