Robot surgery: Inside Medtronic’s award-winning investor event

The company took home the trophy for best investor event at the IR Magazine Awards – US 2020

You can jump to 5.50 to go straight to how Medtronic pulled it off.

By their very nature, one award-winning investor event should have little in common with another. What they should be is unique and memorable – and few could be as memorable as the one held by Medtronic, winner of the best investor event gong at the virtual IR Magazine Awards – US 2020.

The firm had been working on a new robot surgery system in a bid to enter a market that Ryan Weispfenning, vice president and head of IR, tells IR Magazine was essentially a monopoly before Medtronic got involved.

Until it was unveiled, he says there had been a lot of stealth and secrecy around the robot, which only added to the anticipation on the Street. As a result, ‘this was probably the most-anticipated event in the medical technology space in 2019,’ he explains.

With all that pressure, what did Weispfenning and his team do? They had the robot perform live surgery on a cadaver.

The complicated nature of the event meant there were only a handful of places in the world it could happen, he explains, so the firm took investors to Hartford, Connecticut, with some viewing the surgery in person (pre-Covid-19, of course) while others logged in to a live stream to see the robot in action.

Click here to watch all the winners’ videos from the virtual IR Magazine Awards – US 2020.

Share this on:


Upcoming events

  • Workshop – Capital allocation: Bridging strategy, communication and investor confidence
    Wednesday, September 17, 2025

    Workshop – Capital allocation: Bridging strategy, communication and investor confidence

    Key principles of effective communication on capital allocation Develop and communicate your capital allocation strategy in today’s environment Capital allocation is at the core of value creation and a key component of your equity story. An effective and well-communicated capital allocation strategy provides investors with conviction around your ability to…

    Zurich, Switzerland
  • Forum – AI & Technology
    Wednesday, November 12, 2025

    Forum – AI & Technology

    About the event As more investors and corporate communication teams embrace AI, machine learning and emerging technologies to inform their decision-making, investor relations professionals are facing a pivotal moment: adapt and lead, or risk falling behind. At this fast-moving stage of adoption, IR teams are asking important questions regarding implementation,…

    New York, US
  • Forum & Awards – South East Asia
    Tuesday, December 02, 2025

    Forum & Awards – South East Asia

    Seizing opportunity in shifting markets For the past three decades, IR Impact has honored excellence in investor relations around the world and in 2025, we continue to recognize and help further IR best practice. We will be joined by senior IR professionals from across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand for…

    Singapore

Explore

Andy White, Freelance WordPress Developer London