In the same vein, those in equity capital markets (ECM) drive a deal’s timing, gauge investor demand and are responsible for transaction execution, but they are not involved with the minutiae of travel booking and catering requirements. This detail is the province of our firm, Capital Market Communications.

We significantly reduce the downside risk of executing high-profile roadshows. We improve our client’s potential through proven speaker coaching and use our proven approach to maximize their brands.

When we are retained, we are retained because of our skill in working with three entities: the issuer, investment bankers (IB) and equity capital markets (ECM), The core team of every large equity IPO consists of senior people working in each of these capacities. ECM and IB work together as the lead-managers or "book-runners". The issuer is the company going public.

Investment bankers and ECM officials usually refer us to an issuer at least one to two months prior to the IPO roadshow, depending on the scope of work contemplated. If we are brought in to assist with the investor presentation we are involved earlier than we would be if we were just handling logistics and branding.

The issuer is invoiced for our services, not the lead manager or its syndicate partners, although in some cases the underwriters will covers some of the travel expenses. We participate in roadshow planning calls coördinated by ECM and IB. We deal directly with the issuer on such topics as branding, speaker coaching and elements of a creative nature. The banking and ECM teams are kept in the loop at all times.

Our involvement includes all parties involved with the core working group. Every transaction is slightly different so the emphasis on different functions (such as legal, finance, and marketing) vary. All key decisions that could possibly affect the nature or quality of the transaction are fed through the appropriate channels. For example, the design of the investor presentation or the location of the New York lunch is sense-checked with both investment banking and ECM to ensure there are to both party’s satisfaction. Our strength is our ability to avoid surprising the working group. This is particularly satisfactory when it comes to matters that impact budget.

We do not have contact with the syndicate desk. Our day-to-day dealings are with ECM, the analyst and the lead-manager’s roadshow desk.

We bring a peripheral team of two to three IPO specialists who become central to the execution of the IPO itself. We approach roadshow marketing campaigns with military precision. Our project management capability is unrivaled as a result of our work on some of the largest, award-winning IPOs ever launched in the US and Canada.

We understand very well both the process and sensitivity required when working on high-profile transactions. We also recognize the need to exploit opportunities to emphasize the strengths of management. We have learned how to best highlight the issuer’s strengths – its brand, its past success and experience – so it resonates deeply with investors.

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