A good roadshow, most seasoned investor relations officers agree, is one with no alarms and no surprises.
‘I have had drivers not show up and, many years ago, a salesman decided to do the driving himself, but he didn’t know where he was going,’ recalls Matthew Stroud, vice president of investor relations at Darden Restaurants. ‘It reflects on me if the driver’s not there or isn’t paying as much attention to driving as he should. It was a little uncomfortable when he was navigating traffic and referring to maps, and I had the chief executive in the back seat of the car.’
It’s no wonder logistics matter so much to IR professionals given that 91 percent of companies are doing roadshows, with companies averaging eight trips a year, according to the IR Magazine Global Roadshow Report 2012. When asked about the benefits of broker-sponsored roadshows, respondents ranked logistics highest for added value, with nuts-and-bolts help scheduling meetings mattering most.
