The first thing to explain is that our awards by research are different from our awards by nomination: for our awards by research, companies do not submit nominations. The winners are identified by in-depth research and any publicly traded company is eligible to be considered. This survey is the only one of its kind to go directly to the investment community, via a combination of an electronic survey and one-to-one telephone interviews, canvassing the opinions of the people who matter to you most.
The research survey for the 2020 awards is now closed. The research process includes us inviting your buy and sell-side analysts and portfolio managers to take part in the survey and the timeline is outlined below:
November – December: Online survey
IR Magazine has been building investment community databases over the past 30 years. As part of the updating process, listed companies are contacted every year for details of the professionals who currently cover their stock. A preliminary electronic survey of buy-side and sell-side analysts and portfolio managers is then conducted.
December – February: Telephone survey
The responses from the electronic survey then go to Mary Maude Research for initial analysis. The research firm determines what will constitute a representative sample, weighted for Europe’s industry sectors and geographical regions. It then conducts in-depth interviews with 500 portfolio managers and analysts across Europe. As the research progresses, the sample is adjusted to ensure appropriate weightings are maintained.
March – April: Results analysis
Once the survey stage of the research is completed, the final analysis is undertaken. The companies with the highest scores make the short lists for the awards categories, and the points are further analyzed to identify the best exponents of IR by sector and by country.
The independence of our research is crucial to the integrity of the whole awards program, so IR Magazine sees the results only once the research is complete. This ensures a transparent, independent set of results that IROs can trust as a valuable benchmarking tool.
June: Short lists
IR Magazine receives the research results and contacts short-listed companies to give them the good news. The short list is then published to the entire IR community the month before the event.
October: Winners announced
And finally… the winners are announced. Usually hosted as a black tie gala in London, this year the awards turned virtual and winners will be revealed during the virtual awards ceremony.
October: Report published
After the event the Investor Perception Study – Europe 2020 report will be made available to professional subscribers to IR Magazine. This report will profile the top ranked companies and reveal information on how they conduct their IR activities and why investors voted for them.
For further information on this year’s investor survey, please contact Janet Dignan at +44 20 8004 6322 or [email protected].
The IR Magazine Awards – Europe honors excellence in the investor relations profession. For 2020 we will be bringing the awards ceremony to you virtually. Stay tuned for further announcements about how to attend this year’s event.
