Room: Desert Suite 2

Learn the essentials of capital markets, corporate finance and accounting. This course will give you the jargon and concepts you need to participate in financial discussions and enable you to engage with investors, analysts, the business media and the C-suite.

Separate registration required. Click here to register. 

Room: Desert Suite 2

Understand what shareholder value really means both to shareholders and for companies.  This course will tackle key corporate finance issues such as cost of capital and company valuation and we will demonstrate, with examples from companies who do it well, how to tell a great investment story.

Separate registration required. Click here to register.

Room: Wildflower B

Back by popular demand from NIRI Annual Conferences 2017 and 2018, please join this dynamic and interactive two-hour “case study” bootcamp. This session will focus on refining your narrative and developing and executing an integrated communications program that is leveraged across the IR and PR functions. Discussions will include developing a core corporate narrative, refining your investment thesis and strategic planning to ensure appropriate alignment across communications roles and channels – from traditional investor materials and media placements to digital/social platforms – to maximize the company story across to reach key stakeholders. Top investor relations officers and corporate communications directors from PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) and Etsy, Inc. (Nasdaq: ETSY) will provide key practical insights on how they execute an integrated strategy on a day-today basis.

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Meet other first-time conference attendees and learn what you need to know to optimize your Conference experience.

Room: Grand Saguaro

Welcome to #NIRI19! Learn what's on the agenda, what's new this year, and how to optimize your Conference experience.

Room: Grand Saguaro

Director of the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets Brett Redfearn has a long history in the U.S. equity markets, having worked with investors, exchanges and broker-dealers. In this conference kickoff session, he will share his thoughts on how trading patterns are shifting in response to evolving technology, regulation and business trends, and what it means for the investor relations profession and public company issuers.

Room: Grand Saguaro

Hedge fund legend Leon “Lee” Cooperman gave up aspirations toward dentistry for a fascination with the stock market and became a Goldman Sachs partner, spending 25 years there, and then another 25 years as founder of hedge fund Omega Advisors, where he amassed a financial fortune and an astute perspective on markets. Joe Saluzzi, partner at Themis Trading, is a regular on Bloomberg TV and CNBC and co-author of “Broken Markets,” a seminal book on the clash between short-term trading and investment behavior. Lee and Joe will join SEC head of Trading and Markets Brett Redfearn for a lively and insightful debate on today’s stock market, and how the IR profession should adapt.

Room: Grand Saguaro

Malcolm Frank is Cognizant’s Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Marketing Officer. In this role, he is responsible for defining and overseeing all aspects of the company’s corporate strategy and go-to-market positioning. His deep understanding of the digital economy—at scale across silos, organizations and marketplaces—and ability to see around technology’s tight corners are key factors in Cognizant’s consistent industry-leading growth and ability to address clients’ ever-changing business needs.

Malcolm’s influence is wide ranging and evident across media. He has co-authored two best-selling books, “What to Do When Machines Do Everything” (2017) and “Code Halos” (2014), both of which received multiple international book awards. He has also authored numerous white papers focusing on the Future of Work and created the term “SMAC Stack,” now an industry standard. A highly sought-after speaker, Malcolm has presented at various conclaves, including the World Economic Forum and the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals. He is frequently quoted, is the subject of a Harvard Business School case study and was named “one of the most influential people in finance” by Risk Management magazine.

Beyond his practical vision on artificial intelligence (AI) and experience as a founder of three business ventures—and having served as the CEO of two of them—Malcolm works closely with Cognizant clients to gain business advantage from large-scale digital transformation programs. He serves on the Board of Directors of FactSet Research Systems Inc. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF). Malcolm holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Yale University.

Room: Grand Saguaro

In 2015, six of the top eight hedge funds in the United States earned approximately $8B based largely or exclusively on AI algorithms. It’s estimated that pure-play AI and machine-learning firms managed over $10 billion in assets as of 2017 and that number is projected to grow rapidly in the next five years. How has this trend impacted trading in your stock? Are these systems set to perform all investing decisions or will investors still need human intervention? Don't miss an engaging conversation on how AI has already impacted trading and how it might impact your interactions with investors and Wall Street analysts.

Room: Grand Saguaro

The Think Tank on the Future of Investor Relations was conceived of as a bold new opportunity in conjunction with the celebration of NIRI’s 50^th anniversary to look forward to the future of the investor relations (IR) profession and identify potential pathways for success. Guided by this lofty ideal, the NIRI Board of Directors convened the Think Tank in mid-2018, assembling 12 thought leaders who embarked on this exploration. While the group did not try to achieve the impossible – predicting the future – it did set out to consider a range of possible futures and the implications for IR practitioners. Join Think Tank Chair Lynn Antipas Tyson and Vice-Chair Smooch Reynolds for a discussion of the group’s work and what may be ahead for the IR profession.

Room: Grand Canyon

UBS Evidence Lab was created in response to institutional investors' request to see an evidence-based approach to answer investment questions. Evidence Lab starts with questions from UBS Research analysts, active investors and other market sources. Working across 45 specialized areas, this team of sell-side experts applies a combination of proprietary processes, tools, and techniques to harvest, cleanse, and connect billions of data items monthly for insight-ready datasets that inform UBS Research Analysts' investment recommendations. Find out how to harness UBS Evidence Lab's insight-ready datasets to make better decisions for your company.

Sponsored by UBS Evidence Lab

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*Please note: Senior Roundtable membership and advance registration required to attend

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The investor day is typically the most important event on an IRO’s calendar – with  87% of buy-side investors saying an investor day can have a significant impact on their investment decisions. Yet some investor days continue to have a minimal impact on investor perceptions while others are truly transformative in changing minds. In essence, an investor day provides companies with a platform to either reinforce their corporate strategy with Wallstreet or completely transform it. What are the elements that distinguish an effective investor today from one that doesn’t move the needle? Why do the buy-side and sell-side attendees walk out of some investor days totally satisfied, yet other events leave them disappointed? The session will address the concept of an “investor-centric” investor day. It will highlight the importance of making the investor audience central to the content, messaging, speaker selection and structure of the investor day.

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Building an IR program from scratch can be a very rewarding and career developing experience. Effectively laying out a roadmap to develop the function and create a sustainable process/function will instill confidence with and in the C-Suite. Why spend a lot of money on consultants when you can learn from your peers? And, how do you do this with lean teams?  What should you do in your first 90 days as an IRO? Who are the people internally and externally that you need to build relationships and collaborate with? What are the questions that you should be asking your internal and external partners? How can you utilize your IR website and other communications channels to augment and amplify your IR efforts? What processes should be established to manage the development of key strategic messaging, quarterly reporting, other investor engagement activities?

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Whether buying or selling, M&A is a critical time for companies when success can turn on how well the transaction is pitched to Wall Street.  Understanding the players and the playing field is critical, as is effectively taking control and managing the IR effort.  From strategy to execution, this session offers a unique view of the deal process from IROs who’ve lived it, and the analysts, bankers and investors who’ve influenced the outcomes.  This session will demystify the process and provide actionable insights on how to better control each step and successfully communicate your story with key stakeholders throughout the transaction.  Experienced practitioners will explain how to position yourself for success including managing interactions with arbs, dealing with rumors and preparing for the inevitable unexpected complications.

Room: tbd

Leveraging the investor relations skill set to gain a seat at your company's proxy and corporate governance tables, and increase your positive visibility to the C - Suite and Board. Proxy statements have traditionally been viewed as SEC-compliance documents and "owned" primarily by company legal officers. Increasingly, a range of institutional and other investors are expecting companies to explain their corporate governance practices, mix of board skills and expertise, and executive compensation programs in terms of how they tie in with and support the company's business strategy. Accordingly, many company proxy drafting and investor engagement teams are expanding beyond legal to include finance/investor relations, corporate communications, HR/executive compensation/benefits, and even CSR/sustainability teams. This cross-functional panel will explain the need for such a collaborative approach and suggest ways IR professionals increasingly benefit the process -- and elevate their visibility at their companies.

Room: Grand Canyon

The IRO is no stranger to shareholder calls about lost stock certificates. When not managed properly, those certificates can cause extra work for investors and agents, but more often, we now see them fall into escheatment. This creates dissatisfaction for the shareholder, impacts operational reporting and may bring reputation or audit risk to the company. EQ’s Melissa McCarthy, Vice President, Product Management, addresses preventative measures for issuers and solutions for shareholders to avoid the negative effects of unclaimed property.

Sponsored by EQ

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Technology is changing how communications strategies are being developed and executed across industries and market caps. Using real, market-tested examples, this workshop will explore how to enhance your investor relations program through new technologies, social media and digital tools and leverage them across stakeholder groups, including with media and employees. IR practitioners will share how they have demonstrated bold leadership in communications with innovative digital tools and by successfully integrating IR and PR strategies and tactics. A former shareholder will share how digital tools can play a role in corporate governance and investment decision-making process. Data driven, the workshop will also include findings from recent work that quantified the impact technology can have on a company’s proxy and investment thesis.

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The reality of the short sale is that to facilitate market making, short interest provides an essential balance to our capital markets. However, short selling can also mean that companies are undervalued due to excessive amounts of short interest in their stock. Through a mixture of case study presentations and a Q&A session, you will gain a fresh perspective on this opaque and complex topic from experts with firsthand experience in short mitigation. We will dive into case studies with proven success in combatting short interest. Then we’ll discuss strategies for how you can develop an action plan to mitigate it, thereby creating value for your company.

Room: tbd

Join our panel of experts as we tackle the latest hot topics in the world of financial reporting and financial regulation with the goal of helping IR professionals share your company’s financial story most effectively. The discussion will cover topics ranging from best practices in non-GAAP disclosure and increasing SEC scrutiny; moving from short-term reporting to long-term roadmaps; level of involvement and impact by IRO in financial reporting; and views on Form 10-Q reform, frequency of financial reporting, and earnings guidance best practices.  Attendees have the opportunity to join the conversation, ask questions and share their own practical experience.

Room: tbd

The buy-side/sell-side model is evolving in response to a number of recent factors: regulatory changes, the rise of indexing, shrinking commissions and access to new technologies. In this session we will examine how one of these drivers, the proliferation of alternative data resources, impacts the buy-side investment process and future role of the sell-side analyst. What kind of "big data" does the buy-side use, how do they harness, cleanse and apply it? As part of the discussion we will examine two case studies of real instances where specific big data techniques were used to validate or disprove an investment thesis. Panelists will also weigh in on what IROs, as gatekeepers for their companies, can do to proactively navigate this trend.

Room: various

Network with your industry peers to discuss hot topics and trends affecting your industry. Choose the group discussion that most closely aligns with your industry or interest.

Room: Grand Saguaro

Are you ready to play the Feud?  NIRI’s adaptation of the classic game show is back! Two teams of IR professionals compete to guess the top answers to investor relations questions, including questions related to the general practice of investor relations and the day-to-day experience of IR professionals, along with some that will have a fun and whimsical perspective of the profession.

Room: tbd

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Enjoy networking with the next generation of leaders in investor relations.

*For professionals who have been working in IR for less than 5 years

Room: Grand Saguaro

Jim Donald, former CEO of Starbucks, Pathmark and Extended Stay America, and current CEO of Albertsons Companies, will share his thoughts on creating a positive corporate culture and why it matters to employees, customers and investors. This keynote will be followed by a panel discussion with representatives of the sell side and buy side sharing their perspective on the importance of corporate culture to a company’s financial success.

Room: Grand Saguaro

RBC Wealth Management Technical Strategist Bob Dickey will share his analysis of stock market trends and how they are created from the sentiment and attitudes of investors and the public. He’ll discuss what’s happening in the stock market today and what we can expect in the future.
 

Room: Grand Canyon

Investor Relations has always been a unique blend of “art” and “science”.  As a result, measuring success in IR can be challenging.  In this Express Talk, Mike and Brian will show you how to incorporate KPIs into the successful planning and execution of your IR program.  Topics will include:

• KPIs to help evaluate your IR program
• How to plan, execute and measure the success of investor meetings, roadshows and conferences
• Establishing metrics to measure the effectiveness of your messaging, investor interactions and targeting efforts
• Benchmarking your program versus peers
• Engaging your C-Suite in every step of the process

Sponsored by IHS Markit

Room: tbd

What does this all mean, why now, why me, and what do you want me to do about it? An interactive workshop to make sense of the madness. A practical, insightful look at the driving forces behind ESG evolution, and the challenges facing both issuers and investors alike. Level-set our understanding of the ESG ecosystem and understand the players, acronyms, impact points, and relevancy to your business, strategy, corporate culture and communications. What is the role of IR in the ESG process and what should the IRO be aware of from the investor perspective?  Best practices for communication and disclosure to investors and guidance on effective messaging.

Sponsored by Rivel Research Group

Room: tbd

Business Wire and its expert panelists will share best practice strategies and tactics related to the creation and dissemination of earnings releases. We will take a deep look at today’s earnings and financial reporting landscape and outline ways those involved in the earnings release process can more effectively communicate their company’s messaging, while adhering to best practices. Included in this candid conversation will be an overview of the post-dissemination environment and how the construction of a press release is a critical component for downstream consumption.

Sponsored by Business Wire

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Sponsored by Nasdaq

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Sponsored by Corbin Advisors

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Michelle Edkins, Global Head of Investment Stewardship at BlackRock, said recently that “disclosure is a form of engagement.” In the somewhat still new world of engagement with shareholders, both sides often dismiss the value of disclosure and focus a lot on 1-to-1 meetings which of course can be very useful, but are incredibly time-consuming and not scalable across the vast majority of stakeholders that issuers have. Another piece of the puzzle is that in many companies the internal dynamics still have room for improvement, such that brand marketing, internal communications, IR, media relations and the corporate secretary team are not generally as strategically integrated with each other as they could be. The final piece of the puzzle is that companies need to target their messaging to different stakeholders. There is a lot of disclosure out there but ensuring the right target audience takes note of a particular aspect of a company’s communications means embedding that intent into the content and distribution. This session will draw on the experiences of various stakeholders as they share best practices and trends around stewardship activity, communicating effectively, and creating long-term value.

Room: tbd

ESG is no longer a nice to have, but a need to have as U.S. investors are now integrating material ESG factors into their traditional investment processes. Given this dynamic, institutional investors are looking for more information in a more digestible format that they can make meaningful decisions from. This panel will focus on the practical application of integrating ESG into your IR program, as well as the critical factors to address to make sure you are leveraging the increasing fund flows of this evolving investment philosophy.

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If you have not been working in the IR profession for 10 years or more, you have never experienced a market that doesn’t just keep going up. Come hear from seasoned IROs and investors who have been through not just the good, but also the bad and the ugly of market fluctuations. What types of unique challenges and opportunities come with market recessions, and what can you do now to prepare for the inevitable end to the longest bull run in history? This session will bring together a panel of seasoned IROs as well as buyside investors who have been through one or more significant market downturns to discuss how their thought processes, outreach, messaging, and practices change when “the sky is falling” on Wall Street.

Room: tbd

Is shareholder activism a positive force, helping drive needed board refreshment and improved results at challenged companies, or does activism foster short-termism and value destruction? At this lively, interactive debate, two leading experts will face off, responding to questions from a neutral moderator, as well as the audience. At the end of the session, it will be up to the audience to cast their vote to determine the winner of the debate. This entertaining and engaging format will give attendees a unique opportunity to hear directly from an activist, defending his business model and rebutting the position of a partner at one of the country’s preeminent activism defense law firms.

Room: Grand Canyon

• IR Strategy: Engagement, Rational Price, Earnings, Active Investment as a Share of Market Cap/Volume
• Helping Treasury run a more effect buyback strategy
• Earnings: Minimizing Arbitrage, Maximizing Pre/Post Results Measurement
• Deal-Arbitrage and Activism Science: Supporting Execs with Data
• Patterns of Passive Investment: Predictive Value
• Market Structure in Board Reporting

Sponsored by ModernIR

Room: tbd

This session will focus on latest market trends for foreign issuers who are interested in or currently executing an investor outreach program in the United States.This panel session will feature a senior executive with vast experience in the field of investor relations and depositary receipts along with a seasoned IRO from a multinational company with listed ADRs. They will discuss:

• Current trends in US investor appetite for non-US companies
• Setting a schedule and measuring outcomes of US non-deal roadshows, conferences, trade shows and other events
• Exploring second tier money centers beyond New York, Boston and San Francisco
• Strategies to increase visibility in the US market
• Best practices for foreign companies seeking to establish an ADR program
• Pros and cons of stationing an IR officer in the US

Room: tbd

Come to this session to understand the financial materiality of ESG performance to include in the IR narrative and how to effectively educate/update investors about your company. Hear corporate examples that demonstrate how leaders calculate and communicate the business value of their ESG performance/sustainability programs using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The session will not only highlight key ESG themes that are currently the focus of trillions of USD under management, but provide participants with insight as to how to report on these issues in a credible way that allows investors to understand the company specific business case of ESG impacts.

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Rarely do IR professionals have an unvarnished opportunity to ask frank questions of hedge funds about how they invest, how they manage risk, how they think and work to achieve risk-adjusted return (the three favorite words for hedge funds).  Now you have that chance!  Join us for a candid and spirited discussion – with the hedge funds on the stage.

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Members of NIRI's Advocacy Steering Committee and chapter advocacy ambassadors will share an update on key regulatory issues facing public companies and discuss NIRI’s efforts to bring issuers' capital market concerns to lawmakers and regulators. The panel will discuss NIRI’s work with other business organizations to prod regulators to exercise greater oversight of proxy advisory firms, adopt a short-sale disclosure rule, modernize the U.S. proxy system, and require greater transparency around hedge fund activism.

Room: tbd

Recognize and take advantage of your expanded role as a provider of valuable business insights, capital market intelligence and competitive information. Investor Relations’ increasing role as “Intelligence Officer” is key to a company’s strategic planning and business decision-making processes. With the many data sources available, IR becomes the information filter, translator and summarizer for the C-Suite. This unique ability to apply company context to market and competitor data, is the difference between information and intelligence. In this session, attendees will hear from a panel of leading IROs in various industries and receive specific examples of competitive intelligence sources, best practices for sharing valuable information and insights into how you can position IR as an essential resource for your company’s decision makers. 

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This session will cover “going on the road” and will be addressed to a wide range of audience from professionals new to the field to seasoned investor professionals seeking advice on how to improve their investor engagement as well as increase their return on time investment (and that of their C-Suite). Panelists representing various industries and market capitalizations will share their insights on how to best plan and execute an investor relations program that puts you and your executives in front of your top investor targets in the most efficient way possible. In addition, attendees will learn how to integrate investor targeting intel while planning for their investor events, what materials to use for successful conference/roadshow communication, how to manage the IR function remotely and finally, how to measure performance from their IR activity.

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Public companies must be prepared to deal with crises of all kinds, and in today’s fast-moving media landscape, an effective communications strategy out of the gate is imperative to success. Every crisis is unique, but guidelines for communications stay constant. In this interactive workshop, put your crisis plan to the test by working through four real-world crises to see how to navigate a high-stakes crisis on the fly when it matters most. Role play with three expert practitioners who “have seen it all” to manage hypothetical events and receive feedback in real time.

Room: tbd

Embracing the power of IR has never been more critical for the IR community than now. There are many variables impacting the way IR communicates with not only the Street but also other stakeholders – MiFID II, consolidation on both the buy and sell sides, social media, among others. Join your colleagues and peers in small group discussions on what they are doing to mitigate some of these variables and what they view as the future of marketing outreach and stakeholder communications.NIRI brings together a wealth of experience and knowledge from IR professionals, IR providers, and other critical disciplines. There is no better opportunity to gain insight and perspective from your peers who face many of the same challenges and scenarios as you do on a daily basis. This interactive and fun session will offer participants the chance to share their experiences, their predictions/trends for the future, and take away new approaches related to marketing outreach and stakeholder communications.

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Is your messaging effective and well-understood? Do you find yourself frustrated when it just doesn’t seem like your messages are being heard? Is there misalignment between what management wants to focus on and what investors or analysts are interested in? Come to a panel discussion and learn about practical ways to solicit feedback and evaluate your messaging, even on a limited budget. Navigate the world of IR consulting firms, perception studies, company sponsored surveys, and more. Also, hear directly from a sell-side analyst to get their perspective on what resonates and what doesn’t when it comes to company messaging. Get tips about hot topics, what to focus on, and when to make adjustments to ensure better alignment and understanding.

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What is required to excel as an impactful IRO? Analytical skills are critical. Communication skills are critical. Relationship building is critical. Leveraging these skills while navigating the complexities at the nexus of the C-suite, the boardroom, and Wall Street, to effectively impact corporate strategy is an ART. This storytelling based session will explore 10 tricky, yet common situations that can be encountered in one’s role as an IRO, and offer practical tools and tips for how to artfully manage the situations to positively impact corporate strategy, management credibility, and ultimately the Company’s valuation.

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Over the past decade, trillions of dollars have been uprooted from active stock-picking portfolios by a vast investing wave:  Exchange Traded Funds.  What do they do?  How do they work? What motivates the sponsors of ETFs and the market-makers trading ETF shares?  Attend this vital educational session so you can more effectively lead your board and executive team to understand how ETFs drive equity values. 

Room: Grand Saguaro

Join Bloomberg Intelligence Chief Equity Strategist Gina Martin Adams for a deep dive into the equity market. Gina will offer an analysis of historical stock price reactions to macroeconomic and microeconomic factors to discuss what is likely to drive equity markets in the quarters ahead. Among other things, the presentation will include a discussion of stock price behavior during various phases of the economic and market cycle, drivers of relative rotation among sectors and factors, and an analysis of stock price response to corporate actions and earnings announcements.

Room: Grand Saguaro

Forbes magazine names "stress" our workplace silent killer.  You don't have to look far to see the research is clear: we are working ourselves to death. Science has shown that mindfulness-based stress reduction is reducing health care costs and improving productivity and happiness.  In this energizing closing session, discover the tools available to you to intentionally create more good days than bad. Make a choice to be in the moment and look at life positively - to reframe the challenging days and renew.