November 2, 2016
8 Things I Learned at My “Proxy Disclosure Conference”
Here’s 8 things I learned at my “Proxy Disclosure Conference” last week in Houston (video archives now available):
1. My experiment with post-panel commentaries was well-received. These were 10-minute sessions with two different experts than the ones that were on the original panel – and the duo of post-panel commentators highlighted what was most important. And filled in some holes.
2. For the longer panels, I gave silly musical intros for each panelist. For Brian Breheny, I said that he could “dispense life wisdom in 5 words or less.” Then I asked him to dispense some. His wisdom was spot on: “Oh, I wasn’t ready for that.” Perfect! Isn’t that truly what life is all about!!!
3. During the “SEC All-Stars” panel, I loved listening to the five former senior Corp Fin Staffers analyze what the next composition of SEC Commissioners might look like. It could be a real shake-up and not resemble any past Commission ever – which could truly impact how the SEC does business!
4. I broke up the long morning with a relaxing 5-minute guided meditation for everyone. It should be a “must” for all conferences. It raises the positive energy in the room, brings stress levels down & improves focus.
5. Most of my panelists have worked over 10 years together at this conference. Their chemistry can’t be beat – enabling them to deliver practical guidance within the shorter & shorter timeframes that I provide them. Tough to fit in 17 panels in a 9-hour day (with 75 minutes devoted to lunch). But many of my afternoon panels are quite short – forcing the speakers get right to the point.
6. Similarly, these panelists have mastered the art of providing their written talking points in straight-forward bullet points – resulting in 180 pages worth of valuable course materials. I believe that bullet points are easier to learn compared to long, drawn-out narrative. It’s also easier to take notes on.
7. Each year, Dave & Marty make their annual 10-minute gag session funnier than the last. Last year, it was the “CEO pay ratio” puppet show. This year, we got more cowbell!
8. Nearly all of the in-person attendees are in-house folks – while nearly all of the folks who watch by video are from law firms. Conference trivia!
See ya next year in Washington DC, where the conference will be held in mid-October! It’s gonna be a big one with pay ratio coming online…
Revenue Recognition: Start Planning Now
This blog – and these memos posted in our “Revenue Recognition” Practice Area – make it clear that your accounting teams should be already planning for compliance with the new standard that must be implemented 15 months from now…
Transcript: “Virtual-Only Annual Meetings – Nuts & Bolts”
We have posted the transcript for our recent webcast: “Virtual-Only Annual Meetings: Nuts & Bolts.” The agenda included:
– Overview of Virtual-Only Meetings (& How Many Companies Do Them)
– Options When Holding a Virtual-Only Meeting
– Voting Safeguards for Virtual-Only Meetings
– Concerns Over Holding Virtual-Only Meetings
– Contingency Planning for Snafus
– Location of Inspector of Elections During Virtual-Only Meetings
– Who Should Sign Off on Changing Format to Virtual-Only
– Timeline & Preparations for Virtual Meetings
– Preparing for the Q&A
– Board & Auditor Roles During Meeting
– Shareholder Proposals Against Virtual Meetings
– Lessons Learned
– Broc Romanek