Forty-one percent of European IROs say more virtual investor meetings are needed before an investor takes a position in the stock.
That’s according to the latest research from IR Magazine, published in the Corporate Access I research report in the summer 2022 issue of the magazine.
This figure is the highest of the three regions studied and higher than the global average, where just 34 percent say more meetings are needed when corporate access is virtual. Six percent say it takes fewer virtual meetings.
Although 53 percent of European IROs see no difference in the number of virtual or in-person investor meetings needed before a shareholder buys into the stock, that is well below the 72 percent that say the same in North America. Asian IROs are closer to European peers in their views, with 55 percent seeing no difference here.
A more casual approach
IR Magazine researchers asked IROs why they held these views. Those who say it takes more virtual meetings for an investor to take a position often mention that although virtual meetings are easier to arrange, this can result in a more casual approach from investors. In-person meetings can be more in-depth, allowing trust between company and investor to be established more quickly.
Interestingly, those who think the number of meetings is unaffected by the format also cite the efficiency of virtual meetings – but further note that other factors are more important than the meeting format, such as the quality of reporting.
