It’s a crucial moment in your capital markets events calendar. Do you go back to the way it was before the pandemic? Or do you embrace the virtual model enforced by the pandemic’s social distancing rules?
Well, what if it wasn’t this black-and-white, either/or decision? It’s a question posed (and answered) by the investor relations team at Q4 Inc. The Q4 platform supports game-changing hybrid capital markets events, so you don’t have to make this difficult choice.
By operating out of this grey area, you stand to gain these three advantages.
1. Analytics
While in-person capital markets events may scratch that extroverted itch, you stand to lose a lot of ground by dropping your digital conference space.
Think of all the engagement metrics you have collected in previous virtual events — from interactive polls and downloaded resources to attendee tracking and viewership. Now imagine targeting and outreach without this vital IR intelligence at your disposal.
Of course, tracking and forecasting investor behavior without these engagement metrics is possible, but it makes your job harder.
A hybrid model retains all the engagement metrics you’ve become used to over the past few years of digital events. More data helps you hone your predictions, increasing the chances of accurately identifying investors ready for outreach.
2. Accessibility
The return of a fully in-person schedule doesn’t have unanimous support across the markets. In fact, most investors are pretty evenly split between face-to-face and virtual meetings.
According to The Brunswick Group’s most recent Digital Investor Survey, only 42 percent of respondents say they prefer in-person conferences; 41 percent favor virtual meetings, while the remaining 17 percent had no preference at all.
A hybrid event schedule can please both sides of this contentious issue, alienating none of your investors. That includes people who may not have the ability to meet you in person. Whether they’re international investors, busy analysts, or people with disabilities, a wide variety of attendees will appreciate virtual access.
By offering hybrid capital markets virtual events, you increase your outreach to people who normally have to RSVP no due to their needs or schedule. More importantly, you increase the IR intelligence you collect.
3. ESG Brownie Points
Business travel is terrible for the environment. The Guardian broke this news in 2019, more than a full year before the pandemic. According to their calculations, a single flight generates more CO2 than some people produce in an entire year. Now multiply this by every in-person attendee who sits in your audience, and the same for your corporate access and C-Suite members who bring these roadshows to the world.
Beyond travel, you always have to think about the energy it takes to play host. Altogether, your capital markets events could cause your carbon footprint to swell.
If your corporation is serious about its ESG initiatives, you should focus on your capital markets events. A hybrid platform will slash travel in half and reflect well on your commitment to sustainability.
Hybrid Capital Markets Events: The New-Normal of Investor Conferences?
The hybrid model delivers too many perks for you to ignore. Between greater IR intelligence, broader accessibility, and ESG optics, it delivers the best of digital options without having to abandon face-to-face meetings.
Lynn Martelli is an editor at Readability. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University and has worked as an editor for over 10 years. Lynn has edited a wide variety of books, including fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, and more. In her free time, Lynn enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.
