The UK Investor Relations Society is gearing up for its 2003 conference and web site awards in London on April 10. The event at the Royal Lancaster Hotel is titled ‘Raising the game – better practice for a wider audience’.
The annual IRS conference dates back to 1995, but this year the organizers are planning something new and improved. ‘We’ve changed the structure of the event quite dramatically,’ says Rebecca Smith, events manager for the IRS. ‘After last year’s conference we did some research to find out which aspects worked and where improvements could be made. The results told us that the single most important aspect of a conference for delegates is the content.’
One change is to replace the usual keynote speaker with two high-level plenary sessions. The first features a panel of FTSE 100 CEOs chaired by the outgoing chairman of the London Stock Exchange and president of the IRS, Don Cruickshank. The topic: moving IR into the boardroom. The second major session looks ahead to the watershed year of 2005. A panel of policy-makers including UKLA chief Ken Rushton, the Corporation of London’s Dame Judith Mayhew, the CBI’s Rod Armitage and MEP Chris Huhne will discuss how an integrated European capital market will affect the UK.
Another twist for this year is to split the rest of the event into three streams of breakout sessions. The first deals with advanced issues like corporate social responsibility, the changing demands of institutional investors and cross-border IR. The second covers the basics of the UK regulatory framework, the media’s role, crisis management and career development. The third focuses on developing an IR tool kit, running an IR program on a limited budget, targeting investors and measuring and justifying an IR program. It also offers practical tips on getting your message across.
Robin Key, who recently moved from UBS Warburg to become a partner at Financial Dynamics, will be chairing a breakout session called ‘Why does the media matter?’ ‘Our panel discussion will look at the convergence of IR and the media,’ he says. ‘Historically, financial PR was more important, but with increasing regulation, IR is taking a more central role. We’ll be discussing how the flow of information has changed, and how a company can use the media to its best advantage.’ He adds that these smaller forums should get into greater detail than a larger group could.
Raghnall Craighead will chair a panel on crisis management. Having held IR posts at British Gas, Woolwich and Barclays, he is now chairman of the IRS’s new examination board. ‘Crisis management is a topic that’s always relevant,’ he says. ‘But the current less than euphoric market circumstances mean there are more real crises out there than usual. The impact of a well-handled crisis compared to a badly-handled one is probably the biggest single impact an IRO can have upon a company’s value.’
Craighead is also looking forward to picking up knowledge from other IROs at the event. ‘In IR, most knowledge is limited to your own circumstances,’ he says. ‘And a lot of the experiences you have are highly confidential, so there are few opportunities to learn from others. These conferences don’t tell how to do it, but they open doors to ideas and people that one can learn from.’
With this in mind, networking will feature strongly at the conference. Smith says that at past events delegates had just an hour to browse the exhibition stands. This year there will be 45 minutes for lunch and 45 minutes for a dessert reception and ‘IR services showcase’.
One more innovation for 2003 is a drinks reception at the end of the conference. ‘We encourage pan-European networking, something that is increasingly important in light of 2005,’ Smith adds. It seems that for the IR community at least, a united and harmonious Europe may be possible.
Click here for more information on upcoming Investor Relations magazine events in 2003
