The AGM has always been considered the most important shareholder event of the year. However, many businesses are now running IR meetings to engage with their investors all year round. But how do you run a successful IR event, and where do you start?
How to make them more inclusive
To make IR meetings inclusive, the priority needs to be implementing technology that creates accessibility and equality. That means making sure remote shareholders have parity with any in-room participants.
Businesses should first host their meetings in a hybrid format. This allows more people to join and more voices to ask questions and vote on issues.
To make sure virtual participants have the same experience as in-room participants, businesses must embrace digital solutions that allow debate to thrive virtually. Q&As are the cornerstone of any successful investor meeting, and innovative solutions like virtual microphones and built-in messaging tools enable virtual participants to ask questions within the natural flow of a meeting.
Questions can either be pre-recorded or presented live during the meeting. Built in messaging functionality also allows board members and appointed moderators to send direct replies to shareholders throughout the meeting, improving live communication and engagement.
A successful Q&A session relies on a good facilitator, who listens and encourages healthy debate on all issues and listens to everyone in the room, not just the loudest. Businesses will benefit from hearing different views, and Q&A sessions should allow for this to happen.
Whilst inclusivity is a priority, so is simplicity. There is no point in hosting a hybrid or virtual meeting to broaden representation if it only speaks to the digitally literate. The process should be simple to attend, the Q&A session must be easily accessed, and all stakeholders need to feel comfortable with the technology.
For more advice on how to run your next IR meeting, have a look at our dedicated IR page here: https://blog.lumiglobal.com/resources/introducing-lumi-guide-ir
