European firms and mega-caps lead return to in-person roadshows

European companies are leading the return to in-person roadshows as the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions on travel are lifted. They are closely followed by North American companies, though lingering restrictions in Asia have led to a slower return to the road by firms there.

The new IR Magazine Global Roadshow Report 2022 finds that as of Q3 2022, 65 percent of European companies had returned to the road. While North American companies are not far behind with 58 percent resuming in-person roadshows, just a quarter of Asian companies went on the road in this time.

At the height of the pandemic, from Q3 2020 to Q3 2021, just 7 percent of companies globally went on any in-person roadshows. Prior to the pandemic, 98 percent of European firms held in-person roadshows, compared with 95 percent of North American firms and 83 percent of Asian companies.

In the return to in-person roadshows, companies have largely stuck to travel within their region. Resumption of transatlantic travel tends to be one-way: while 38 percent of all European companies have visited New York in the year to Q3 2022, just 13 percent of North American companies have traveled to London.

The small number of Asian companies that have resumed in-person roadshows have been very active, averaging 5.5 each in this time and typically spending a total of just over eight days on the road. In contrast, the 58 percent of North American companies engaging in-person roadshows have been on just two such roadshows…