CIRI Québec Chapter Update
The Québec Chapter’s autumn season was a great success, with strong attendance at all our events.
We started the 2014-2015 program with an event featuring two seasoned IROs who discussed the impact of a management change on investor relations. The conversation focused on managing the transition with the Street, as it undoubtedly creates uncertainty in the financial markets.
Our second event, an interactive panel entitled Do Public Companies Fully Exploit the Potential of the Retail Shareholder Market? provided useful insights into expanding a company’s retail shareholder base, as well as tailoring investor relations strategies for that market. As a conclusion, all agreed that addressing the retail shareholder base is worthwhile.
Capping the year, the event Communicating Effectively with Investors: Are Public Companies Doing It Right? was much appreciated. A conversation between a senior portfolio manager and a communication specialist gave us insight into the relevancy of the strategies and efforts used to convey organizational strategic objectives and strengths, and to convince investors to buy in.
This event was followed by a holiday cocktail reception during which we had the chance to unwind with friends and colleagues.
Planning for the 2015 program is well underway. The first event will be 2015 Economic Outlook, featuring Clément Gignac, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, Industrial Alliance, Insurance and Financial Services Inc. A former minister under Québec Premier Jean Charest, Mr. Gignac is a well-known economic figure in Quebec; therefore, this session is likely to attract a large and diverse audience.
The first half of the season was a real success thanks to the hard work and dedication of all Chapter Executive members, who truly believe in making CIRI Québec a worthwhile organization.
CIRI Ontario Chapter Update
CIRI Ontario had a successful fall season. We held a number of events: a networking mixer at Houston Avenue Bar & Grill; a Mentorship Breakfast with Naomi Nemeth, Vice President, Investor Relations, at Banro Corporation; and a High Frequency Trading luncheon, with Matt Trudeau, Head of Product at IEX Trading, Deana Djurdjevic, Senior Vice President, Equities at TMX Group, and Doug Clark, Managing Director of Research at ITG Canada Corp.
In November we celebrated the festive season with our annual Holiday Gala. This year’s Soirée was held at The Spoke Club, a historic venue nestled on King Street West. Chapter members and friends enjoyed delicious cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the venue’s intimate third floor gallery.
We are excited about the events on the roster. We kick off 2015 with An Economist’s View of the Year Ahead – a luncheon with Derek Burleton, Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist, TD Bank Group; and a mentorship breakfast with Dennis Westfall, Vice President, Investor Relations, Intact Financial Corporation.
We wish you all a safe and happy holiday. See you in 2015!
CIRI BC Chapter Update
Q4 Web Systems Founder and CEO Darrell Heaps spoke to the BC Chapter recently on trends in corporate reporting and investor engagement in the social media space. Focusing on Twitter, Heaps shared best practice examples and missed opportunities, while highlighting statistics showing that 52% of investors now use and study Twitter, with one in seven making an investment decision based on this information.
Twitter has become the platform to reach buy-side and institutional investors, since it acts as a key newswire, Heaps said. As companies become top influencers on Twitter, they have the ability to drive their news cycle, as opposed to it driving them, he added. Heaps commented that if there is something important driving the market, it spreads on Twitter first.
According to Heaps, a current and growing trend is to live tweet during a company’s earnings call and there are several guidelines to follow in moving in this direction. A common misconception is that live tweeting means a constant flow of messages during the earnings call. A better practise is to craft, in advance and with the input of management, communications and the legal team, 10 to 15 tweets with direct quotes from the conference call script. Focus on the key messages and don’t be afraid to use images to illustrate points. Just as with any disclosure, tweet or link the company’s safe harbour statement and announce the start and conclusion of a live event, Heaps said.