Introduction

In this post I wanted to open a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of attending company seminars. I want to add at this stage that I am not a professional writer so forgive me

if my English writing/typing skills are far less than average.  I do hope what I am trying to say is clear enough. This is my own opinion and of course I certainly expect disagreement.

You may have seen company presentations hosted by the likes of Mello, Sharesoc, Shareprophets, and other organisations. This month Master Investor Show and UK Investor Show are competing to become the top investor show of the year.

Reasons for attending seminars

But when considering going to these events have you planned out what you want to gain from attending them? Have you often thought about attending, or have you attended them in the past? At the end did you benefit from listening to the speakers and did it alter your opinion of the company being hosted?

My reasons for attending seminars had very little to do with the actual companies/exhibitors being hosted. You may find this surprising but I have virtually no interest in speaking to any of the exhibitors. I certainly didn’t push my way to the front of the queue so that I could speak to the board of directors during seminars. With regards to Investor Shows most exhibitors are pretty bad. Just look at their Stockopedia reports for a start!

However the main benefit received from the Investor Shows and Seminars was to meet investors that I would chat to on twitter. Exchanging our ideas over a glass of wine, finding out about each other personal lives and just as important having a laugh was more valuable to me than interacting with the exhibitors to whom I already decided that I wouldn’t be buying shares in their company anyway.

The risks of meeting management on stocks already owned.

If you own stocks in a particular company I bet your feeling pretty good and confident about your decision. What if you made a bad investment decision and don’t realise it yet, or worse you don’t want to admit it. Maybe you are looking for confirmation from others that your investment case is sound. What a better way to receive that confirmation than attend a seminar of the company your invested in!

Meet the…

Unlock the rest of this article with a 14 day trial

Already have an account?
Login here