Investor Conferences

This week we focus on Investor Conferences – which ones to go to, who to send, and how they may evolve in the post pandemic world. We are also attaching with this note our list of 2021 conferences and their dates that are relevant to Mexican companies. As we become aware of additional ones, we will add to this list, and send to those interested.

Clearly, the answer to many of these issues will depend a great deal on the nature of your company. America Movil, Femsa, WalMart and other large caps can happily pick and choose what conferences to go to, who to send, and who to see, as investor demand to meet them is high. Most mid and small caps do not have this luxury, and for the most part should try to go to the conferences they are invited to, and see who is available, albeit checking the list of confirmed investors to see if there is sufficient demand.

We recommend attending 6-8 conferences per year – choose carefully. 

They must be in line with your IR strategy

Keep a log of the conferences you attend to get the appropriate balance between industry specific, growth-orientated, region specific etc. Also consider the location or type (virtual/hybrid/in-person), sponsor and the other attendees expected to attend.

Attend international conferences to attract international investors. This is now easy with virtual conferences.

Go to most local Mexican conferences, unless there is a good reason to the contrary, sending the IRO when the CFO is busy. 

Be tactful and keep analysts happy. Reward analysts that cover your company by going to their events. Attending a new analyst’s conference may help to persuade them to cover your company, but don’t forget about the conferences organized by your existing analysts.

As appetite for investing in Mexico macro is subdued now, prioritize sector and global conferences, as long as there will be reasonable investor demand to see you. ESG conferences for ESG-orientated companies should also be a focus. Specialized small cap global conferences can be worth it too.

Who should attend?

As a general guideline, if your market cap is below $1 billion dollars then your CEO and CFO should attend and it’s not necessary for other C-suite or division heads to attend. To the extent possible, IR should always go as well, to keep notes on what is being asked and said, and learn from C-Suite on new developments and arguments. On some occasions (for in-person events), larger companies could send just the CFO or IRO or the head of a significant division, as long as the CEO is present at other events. However, for virtual events the CEO and CFO should attend.  

Preparation

Develop a strategy to maximize what you get out of each event and be prepared so that you can make the most of the opportunity. Do your research on who you will be meeting with so you can anticipate their questions and deliver meaningful, targeted responses. Miranda IR can help you with your preparation for the conference.

Publicize that you will be attending the conference via social media and on your website, preferably with an “add to calendar” button to ensure investors have the time blocked out in their calendars.

Decide who you want to meet with – this is likely to be a mix of some current investors as well as a targeted list of potential investors. Develop a personal relationship with the Corporate Access person at the Investment Bank organizing the event so you can comment on the investor list and put mild pressure on them to improve the schedule. Miranda IR can help you to create a list of targets. In addition to in-person event meetings, virtual conferences often have virtual breakout/meeting rooms.

Try to group similar types of investors together for efficient meetings and try to avoid having e.g. a long-only investor paired with a hedge fund investor, or a potential investor paired with an existing investor as they will be looking for different information from you. Remember that the conference coordinators do not know your company’s aims, strategies or which investors you are targeting so make sure you communicate this to them in advance where necessary. This will help you to get the most out of the conference. Miranda IR can help you to work with the conference coordinator to make sure that the schedule works for you.

Follow up

Make sure that you follow up with any information requested by investors during the conference.

Investor conferences offer a great opportunity to tell your story and build relationships so make sure you are well prepared to maximize the results and develop interest in your stock.

Events post Pandemic?

We expect most events to be hybrid post pandemic (ie, post September), with some time allocated for in person events, and some time for virtual meetings for investors or companies that could not make it. This will make life easier for large caps as they won’t have to go in person to all the events, but will mean that willingness to travel for mid and small caps will not be such an advantage.

NOTE: Please see the PDF for a list of the key upcoming conferences in 2021.