New to IR? Seasoned, but want to learn more about roadshows outside of the U.S.? If so, plan to attend this session, where you'll learn the basics and more about getting your management team out in front of the Street both in and outside of the U.S. Join us to delve into the different models you can use, how to work with the sell-side for sell-side sponsored roadshows, how to leverage a corporate access firm, and how to set up independent roadshows. Discover ways to measure your roadshow's success - and manage the different agendas of all parties involved. Learn the pros and cons of each approach and how to maximize the time of your C-suite.

This interactive workshop will teach finance and non-finance professionals alike the inner-workings of valuation models, starting with the process for deciding on the best valuation approach for a company and then walking through the determination of key assumptions and other inputs needed for estimating a target price that most accurately reflects the intrinsic value of a company. Is there a difference in how the sell-side and buy-side approach valuation models?

Wall Street veterans Josh Pearl & Josh Rosenbaum are co-authors of the textbook: "Investment Banking - Valuation, Leveraged Buyouts, and Mergers & Acquisitions". Leveraging from this content and their respective experience on the buy-side and sell-side, Josh and Josh will co-lead the workshop by first going through the basics of valuation models and then taking a deeper dive into the nuances of valuation, which both buy-side and sell-side analysts consider in their day-to-day roles. Investor relations professionals should leave this workshop with a greater appreciation of their own company's valuation and how it can be perceived differently on Wall Street.

The roles of corporate secretary, and/or general counsel, and investor relations continue to integrate and become a shared responsibility during the proxy process. This workshop discusses best practices for the proxy process, including the reasons for a proxy and how to navigate through the process. Discussions will include: how to deal with proxy advisors' adverse recommendations, unsolicited shareholder proposals, considerations for the selection of a proxy solicitor, and unsolicited activist proposals that may lead to a proxy fight.

Barriers to cross-border capital flows have fallen continuously over the past 50 years between almost every country. Per year, tens of trillions of dollars are now flowing between issuers and investors, regardless of domicile and it appears that issuers are pursuing more and more investment outside their domestic markets. This bears the following question: How close does your IR team need to be to European and/or Asian investors and do you need an IRO based on these continents?

The money management industry is changing as funds switch from regional to global management and more issuers enter the market, thus increasing competition for investment. It's key to know where to allocate one of our most precious resources - time. Successful IROs should better understand, target and prepare for interacting with non-US investors to appropriately respond to the changing dynamics of the financial markets, ensuring that time is well spent with this increasingly important component of the global capital mix.

The Annual Conference Committee Co-Chairs set up Conference with insight on how IR can build value in their organizations, updates on the agenda, and highlights on the "must-attend" networking events. Immediately following the Co-Chairs, NIRI leadership will recognize the first class of NIRI Fellows members.

NIRI Chairman and President & CEO will provide an update on the state of the association and the profession. Hear more on the progress of OneNIRI and the regulatory landscape post-election cycle.

Why Now?

Global competition for capital increases while global economic prospects remain uncertain.

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A discussion of the leading issues for global equity markets, including capital formation and what the future may bring. Hear insight on the state of the global economy, views on regions, perspective on the evolving global consumer, and thoughts on the impact of regulations on business prospects.

Gain insight on the global economy and how it impacts your company story. Discover different perspectives on the outlook for global capital and how your organization needs to position itself to access that capital.

Working and communicating with the sell side research community is an integral part of an IR professional's career. This session will put their profession in greater perspective, looking at the history of the sell-side analyst's role in the investment process and explaining how that role continues to evolve in a more regulatory and technology-driven environment. In addition to well-known changes that took place during the early 2000's, this session will also focus on the years following the recent financial crisis, and how additional regulations such as the Dodd-Frank Act have also impacted the sell-side research community.

A panel that comprises of varied banking and industry backgrounds, including two veteran sell-side analysts from Wall Street and an experienced analyst from the buy-side, will each share their respective views on these topics. The investor relations professional will walk away with a stronger understanding of the sell-side research community today and how the changing landscape may impact their company's interaction with the sell-side.

Topic breakouts defined by attendees and facilitated by your peers. Come for open dialog. Bring your questions. Engage.

View topic breakout FAQ.

Topics:

Room locations will be sent via email and posted to the Conference microsite (niristream.org).

This panel will explore a variety of SEC investigation case studies, ranging from whistle-blowing, to financial statement misstatements/errors, and government regulatory inquiries. Our panelists will offer the investor relations professional, in collaboration with the company's legal and communications teams, ideas and solutions to establish best practices for all corporate stakeholders during an SEC investigation. In addition to providing the tools to safeguard the company as it complies with regulatory requirements during an SEC investigation, the panel will discuss how to bridge these actions into the communications protocol for the company, should the investigation be deemed a crisis. The workshop, "Battling Crises: IR War Stories from Survivors" will dig more deeply into the communications tools essential for external crisis management.

While there are a plethora of approaches for managing the quarterly earnings process, typically IROs don't master the finer points of the quarterly earnings process until they've overseen the process for a number of years.

To ensure a board appeal, the panel will feature a sell-side analyst and an IRO from a small-cap, mid-cap and large-cap company.

On the surface, trading has never been simpler: put in your order, press a button, and seconds later you receive a confirm. However, the proliferation of ETFs, derivatives and high frequency trading has complicated the market. In this three-part, TED-inspired session model, market leaders will explain in "plain language" how these assets and trading practices impact your stock and the overall market's performance.

• Exchange-traded Fund: How ETF trading influences overall market and an individual stock's performance; how ETF's are created and how your company is selected for inclusion in a fund; and the future of mutual funds in an ETF/passive investing world and the impact on IR
• Options and Derivatives: How the options and derivatives markets are regulated; basic options strategies that every IRO should know and the impact to market performance; and how investors, particularly hedge funds or activists, use options to anonymously increase their position in a target company's stock
• High Frequency Trading: Has the decline in trading volume diminished the impact of high frequency trading; has the rise of high-speed firms been a net benefit or loss for investors and issuers; and what is the next market/trading strategy that IRO's should have on their radar screen

Roles and responsibilities of an IRO are both broad and deep, with skills transferable across several organizational functions and capacities. Some view IR as a long-term platform to move to the C-Suite or elsewhere, such as consulting. Others view it as fulfilling career on its own. This discussion includes successful "archetypes" of IROs who have leveraged the role differently throughout their career. Come hear how seasoned executives got into IR, their decision processes to stay or move on, and how they approached the choice and opportunity for a transition.

Cross border deals are compelling, as they broaden a company's access point and bring new users to its products, while helping to "internationalize its culture."

Forty percent of U.S. CEOs say they plan to complete a cross-border deal this year, compared to 25% last year. Recent years were about cost cutting and restructuring, but now the focus is shifting back to growth. Whether your company is potentially a buyer or a seller, the signals are clear: mergers and acquisitions will return and the prudent IRO should be prepared for the unexpected.

Hear from peers as they outline successful cross-border M&A deals, tips, pitfalls as well as need-to-know regulatory and compliance issues, M&A communication to the financial community and - if applicable - how to integrate the two investor relations teams.

Where does the annual meeting fit in the IRO agenda? A peer discussion of the new challenges facing both experienced and new IRO's in their heightened role in the annual meeting process. Learn how best to manage this process year-round and couple the proxy engagement process with ongoing investor communications.

Today's global and rapidly evolving economy presents unique challenges to IROs who must understand the investment drivers in each region along with cultural differences so they can optimize their investor outreach programs. IROs must identify relevant benchmarks for measuring the effectiveness of their program. They must align their program with the attributes most valued by the institutional investment community. Drawing on extensive experience, we will share globally identified best practices to better retain and attract investors, along with tools and benchmarks to measure team performance.

Using core principles and stories derived from many years of experience, a panel of IROs will explore the challenge of communications with the Board, including ways to best address a Board's need to understand key valuation issues and the company's relationship with Wall Street. While the practice of corporate IR is generally outward-focused, the skills of Board communications are essential in building a career as well. This presentation will provide lucid insight on how the IRO can respond to the most crucial, and sometimes most demanding, of constituencies - the company's Board.

The current environment for small cap companies is challenging as Wall Street focuses on investors and public companies representing the highest potential for profits. Small cap companies are increasingly struggling for investor attention in a very congested investment arena, often with smaller budgets for investor relations efforts than mid and large cap peers. Learn how to drive sell side interest, target and attract investors to your company, and maximize your IR program's efforts on a shoestring budget.

The sizeable global pipeline of private companies waiting to go public, low bond yields, solid market performance, and a stable macroeconomic environment suggest global capital raising activity will remain strong in 2013. In addition, divestitures are becoming an important tool for implementing corporate strategic goals and making a statement in the marketplace.

Today, companies have more alternatives than ever, so this panel will explore the era of innovation in debt and equity capital formation.

Management teams in corporate America are busier than ever and engaging them to help craft (and deliver) company messages to important stakeholders is a difficult task for many IROs. Through this session, IROs will learn more about how to bring management on board during the message development process and keep them engaged in telling the company story to key stakeholders.

Netflix, AutoNation and Zillow are just a few examples of companies breaking market-moving news on social channels, signaling a drastic shift. Marketwired's recent research shows 60% of investors and analysts under 40 years old regularly consult social media to inform investment decisions. Given this shift, it's time for publicly traded companies to integrate traditional and digital investor communications. During this presentation, Marketwired CEO Jim Delaney will discuss research findings and share IR best practices and opportunities for forward-thinking brands.

A panel of portfolio managers will share their views on capital flows and global economic prospects while offering insight on what they like to see from IR and management.

The very popular industry breakouts held every year at Conference offer moderated, yet unstructured time with your industry peers. New in 2013: industry breakouts are now on Tuesday morning.

Industries:

This interactive forum will focus on actionable strategies and tactics to differentiate your company in the marketplace and maximize your ROIR (Return on Investor Relations). Hear from a panel of peers, get answers to your questions and exchange ideas, participate in real-time electronic polling and access Corbin Perception's industry-leading research on buy side perspective and best practices.

Topics will include, but are not limited to, targeting, non-deal roadshows, leveraging the sell side, investor days, social media and other investor engagement channels.

A discussion and Q&A session that covers the "must haves" and "should haves" in IR sites. Topics include simultaneous press release posting, financial information, social media integration, dark site preparation, and more.

Introduction by Michael Becker, Senior Vice President, Financial Product Strategy, Business Wire.

This interactive panel will address and provide insights on how companies should prepare and execute communications strategies around a myriad of events - including reputational crisis, M&A and financial issues. Using real-world examples, panelists will share insights on how they combine best practice approaches with company specific circumstances to effectively reach, influence and engage critical stakeholder groups during sensitive events in order to protect and enhance enterprise value. Attendees will also takeaway actionable guidelines for preparing and navigating critical events outside the status quo.

A rare opportunity to get the inside scoop on how business journalists work through IR to access management. Tom Hudson, recent former co-Anchor of the Nightly Business Report (now a CNBC program), will share his experiences engaging with IR, communications, and of course senior management, both on-air and off.

When it comes to media access to management, the head of IR is often the "interview before the interview" - providing the company background, financials, and generally teeing up the story before the CEO even enters the picture. This IRO-journalist relationship can be a critical part of how management and the company as a whole are portrayed in the press.

Tom will share some first-hand anecdotes that demonstrate best practices in interacting with the business media - not to mention a few examples of "worst practices", which can sometimes be even more interesting! Tom will also offer an honest perspective about journalists' goals and tactics in getting access to and interviewing senior management. He will show how engaging with the media (even during a crisis) is better than not and how IR, executives and the media can cooperate even though they may have different goals and stakeholders.

Based on data from over 6,000 buy-side interviews that Rivel conducted last year, this fun and highly interactive session will answer questions that IR executives have about the buy side and their requirements. Rivel will present data that is trusted by boards, management teams and IROs from some of the largest companies in the world. One new feature we are introducing is live polling to see how the IRO viewpoint compares to the buy-side viewpoint.

Don't rely on anecdotal information to create your IR strategy!

Not all IR roles are created or perceived equally. Without enterprise buy-in of IR, effectiveness and value are difficult to drive and measure. The discussion will focus on strategies to improve positioning of IR within the enterprise and how to elevate management engagement in IR. Learn how to "elevate the position," which will make for greater business, shareholder and personal career impact.

"Hello, shareholder activist calling!" What do you do as an IRO? Come to this session to get the lowdown on shareholder activists, who they are, what's on their agendas and how to deal with them. Learn what openings activists look for, the types of campaigns they mount, current trends in shareholder activism and what you and your board of directors should do to prepare and respond to an activist. The best offense is a great defense; be prepared and don't let activist shareholders take over your corporate agenda!

Short selling remains an important tool for alpha generation in many portfolios. How does the investment process differ for short selling versus going long a stock? What role do options play? Understand the world of shorting outside of activist investors.

Retail investors continue to be an important part of the equity market and can provide a company with a base of stable, long-term shareholders. IROs need to understand the value of having retail investors as part of the investor base as well as the most effective ways and cost-efficient tools to identify and reach retail investors. With the emergence of new technologies and social media, including YouTube and Facebook, IROs have many ways to reach investors in addition to retail investor conferences such as The Money Show.

Leverage management time with a large or small group meeting. This panel will cover the nuts and bolts of a meeting as well as why your company should plan to have one at all. Who you should invite, when the best time to have a meeting is, and where is the best place to have a meeting are all important decisions this seasoned panel will address.

Many public companies have had quarters or years in which their financial results are far outside the range of analysts' consensus estimates - either above or below - for revenues, earnings, same-store sales, volumes, or any of a number of metrics the Street follows for your company or industry.

This can happen whether or not companies provide regular guidance, and can occur regardless of industry, geography, or market cap. These so-called "earnings surprises" can lead to wide swings in a company's stock price, trading volume, and volatility - and can greatly increase the short-term workload of an IR team. This interactive session is designed to let IROs and counselors of all experience levels to hear first from seasoned veterans who have experience dealing with "earnings surprises" and from each other on best practices for these sorts of situations.

Most companies have a variety of investors with different objectives interested in their stock. Hear how a panel of buy-side investors makes their investment decisions - from the initial investment to the exit - and your role as an investor relations professional in helping them meet their needs. In addition to the overall investment process, we will cover topics such as earnings misses, investing in peers, channel checks, redemptions, mandates and how they impact holdings in your company. Walk away with an understanding of how to tailor your IR approach to different investment styles

A three-part TED-inspired session on finding value in a career path.

Part I: Looking Around Corners - Adapting to Unanticipated (Career) Challenges

No one is immune to sharp turns along the path to success. Hone how your psyche handles what no crystal ball will tell you. Come hear a very focused presentation on how to address unanticipated developments in your company and/or career, with a particular focus on the "out of the blue" layoff. Hear how you can successfully defend your reputation as a leader with management and other constituents - both internally and externally to your current firm.

Learning Objectives:

--Understand how to cope with unanticipated employment changes, both emotionally and psychologically

--Learn how to identify issues and challenges before they occur and steps to mitigate them

--Work towards calmly managing the event, and learn how to "look forward" towards a positive outcome

--Emerge from an unexpected event with a strengthened professional and personal brand

Part II: Building Your Brand for IR Career Success

How others perceive you as a professional is critical for your career and reputation internally and externally. Discuss how to leverage traditional as well as technological approaches to building your personal career brand. Learn both traditional approaches as well as how to best leverage technology.

Learning Objectives:

--Developing and enhancing your personal brand

--Effective communication styles for career success

--Positioning yourself internally and leveraging your outside network

Part III: Leveraging your experiences to drive value in new roles

Do you want to make an even higher impact for your company as well as shareholders? Learn how to embrace changes across the span of your career to become a trusted advisor to your management team and Board of Directors. Hear how to take your past career experiences and leverage them in new roles to drive value - for your firm and yourself.

Learning Objectives:

--Embracing career change and making strategic moves to fit your current objectives

--Leveraging prior experiences to elevate your career brand, providing for a seat at the table with the C Suite and Board

Non-deal roadshows are one of the basic elements of any IR program, but deciding when and how to do them can make all the difference in ensuring that the IRO maximizes the time of the C-suite. Deciding when is the best time to go on the road and making sure your company has a strong message to communicate is just as critical as identifying the right targets. Deciding whether to go on the road with a sell-side analyst who follows your company, a corporate access firm, an IR agency, or doing it yourself, is only the first of many decisions. Learn the pros and cons of each approach and some of the best practices for setting up non-deal roadshows.

Do securities regulations feel like a spider-web of rules you have to maneuver around? This seminar will simplify the regulatory framework in the US, Canada and worldwide, both in terms of mandatory and voluntary disclosure. The aim is helping the investor relations professional build the knowledge and skill set needed to adhere to securities regulations and ultimately build value for their company. Materiality, fair disclosure, securities regulations, and best practices will be discussed from a global perspective.

Examples of SEC investigations addressing breaches to Reg FD in the US and breaches to securities regulators worldwide will be used as a platform to understand applications beyond press releases, including corporate websites, investor meetings, earnings calls, and social media. An overview of securities regulations and best practices in jurisdictions outside the US will also be explored, as applied to US issuers and non-US issuers marketing in non-US jurisdictions.

• Define materiality and fair disclosure
• Regulations following unintentional and intentional selective disclosure of material nonpublic information. SEC's "Seven Hot Buttons" of Materiality - earnings information, M&A, new ventures
• Provide examples of SEC investigations addressing breaches to Reg FD. Reg FD applications beyond press releases - corporate websites, earnings calls, social media
• Overview of securities regulations and best practices in jurisdictions outside the US as applied to US issuers and non-US issuers marketing in non-US jurisdictions (including Canada and UK)

As IROs, we work diligently to craft our company's messaging so that it accurately reflects the overarching business strategy and mission, as well as resonates with our key audiences. However, as macroeconomic or external situations arise, those messages are tested. In this session, we will employ a format similar to those delivered at TED events. Participants will hear succinct, 15-minute presentations on the various tests a company's message can face, followed by a five-minute Q&A session, before moving on to the next presenter.

Objectives

Part I: Management Perspective - Virgil Scudder

The perception of a company heavily influences the way investors respond to it, and some companies are undervalued in the market simply because management doesn't tell the story well enough. By helping management to better articulate the company's "story," you can help drive value while mitigating the downward pressure from external forces.

Part II: IR Level - David Calusdian

A key role of the IRO is to facilitate a dialog between management and the Street. Sometimes, this requires giving a difficult message to one of these groups, or the other. When this is done well, you can further leverage an important intangible asset for value creation - credibility.

Part III: Media - Brad Allen

The new journalism model - and the entrepreneurs behind it - is changing the way companies and stocks get covered, particularly given the decline in both traditional media and the sell side. The segment will describe the changing face of business and financial journalism and what IROs need to understand about these new and emerging media players.

Does Investor Targeting really work? Is there any true value in running analysis spreadsheets about potential investors? Whether new to IR or a seasoned veteran, this session will certainly appeal to you. In this session, we will see how companies target new and existing investors and what types of tools they use to run the quantitative side of targeting. We will discuss investor targeting programs which are designed to help you attract and retain investment capital. The panel of leading experts in investor targeting will dispel the myths around targeting as well as discuss opportunities for IR professionals to target the "right" institutions in today's busy and challenging marketplace.

Stricter regulations, technology advances and market structure complexity have changed the dynamics between the buy side and sell side trading desks. For example, technology enables investors to automate some aspects of trade execution, which allows them to focus on complex trades that may have market impact. These and other transactions require the buy and sell side to work collectively to stay "under the radar screen" when buying or selling your stock.

This session will feature individuals from the buy and sell side trading desks who will discuss their respective roles and offer candid views regarding how investors have modified their trading strategies to maneuver in today's markets.

Why Now?

Activist activity, painful crises, and ongoing controversies keep IR on their toes. The time to act is now with preparation, not when an event happens.

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Michael Sheehan
view full bio and video

Michael Sheehan, renowned coach to Presidents and senior executives, will cover the key elements of building messages. In a 2-hour session filled with video clips and audience interaction, Michael will share techniques for everyday messaging, handling controversy, and dealing with a full-blown crisis.

Interact with Michael in a live Q&A session!

While marketing and PR departments typically "own" social media, the challenge for IR departments is two-fold: 1) ensure that all activity is compliant with public company regulations and 2) ensure the messaging is consistent with the overall IR strategy.

In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn from an IRO whose IR program incorporates social media, a securities lawyer who will provide a legal perspective on policy development, and a representative from Wall Street who uses social media to gather information about companies his organization follows.

When you hear about a CEO involved in a scandal, an SEC company investigation, a hedge fund demanding a board seat, do you think, "I'm glad I'm not handling IR for that company"? Well, our panelists have been in charge of IR for that company, and lived to tell their story. They'll share their insights on managing key messages, preparing executives, and creating meaningful investor dialogue from the IR battlefield.

Then we'll face crisis scenarios together in groups far from the battlefield and assess the strengths and weaknesses of our proposed plans. You'll learn what steps to take when a crisis impacts your company and how to craft the message for your shareholders and investors.