Investor Relations CEO Says IR Will Never Be the Same at Most Recent Virtual Investor Conference

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The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

Has the pandemic changed investor relations forever? At the most recent Virtual Investor Conference hosted by OTC Markets Group, the answer was a resounding yes.

“The pandemic forced the investor relations industry to essentially become virtual,” said Scott Powell, president and CEO of Skyline Corporate Communications. “Conducting virtual roadshows for IPOs and secondary offerings would’ve been unfathomable just a few years ago, but is completely acceptable today and has been enabled principally by technological advances.”

Powell’s comments were made at the Small Cap Growth Virtual Investor Conference, where he outlined who is benefitting the most from this change. Discussing topics crucial for investors such as how the pandemic has changed IR, how it has changed for the better, and how individual and retail investors may now be in a better position than ever before, gaining valuable information and access to management.

According to Powell small and micro-cap companies are probably receiving some of the biggest benefits from these changes in IR. “This new virtual world of investor relations gives these smaller public companies a much-needed resource and many new tools to have their voices more widely heard by a more diverse investor audience.”

Powell's remarks were highlighted by the 15 virtual investor presentations and live Q&A that followed. Here are a few takeaways:

• Meritage Hospitality Group, Inc. MHGU MHGUP)): Meritage, the largest Wendy's Co WEN franchisee in the world, guided it would hit $91.7 million EBITDA by 2025. That represents a 96% gain from last year's EBITDA. They also expect to operate 600 restaurants by the end of 2025, up from 346 at the end of 2020. Additionally Meritage is the world’s largest Wendy's Co WEN franchisee.
• Mace Security International, Inc. MACE: The non-lethal personal defense company presented statistics and forward-looking targets. Mace President & CEO Gary Medved said that Mace became debt free on June 30, had already introduced multiple new products in the last few quarters, is releasing more throughout the year and is approaching its goal of a 15% minimum EBITDA. The company is leaning into omni-channel sales. Digital sales increased 60% in the first half of 2021 compared to 2020, and the company is targeting direct-to-consumer growth of 200-500%. Mace is additionally a member of the 2021 OTCQX Best 50, a ranking of the top-performing OTCQX companies in the prior calendar year.
• Gaucho Group Holdings VINO: Gaucho, owns a number of luxury brands in South America. The company touted that its Algodon properties now accept bitcoin as payment.

For investors and traders interested in small-cap companies, the conference seemed to be a great way to become better informed and offered a unique way to access and interact with the presenters. Full recordings and slides for all presentations from the small-cap growth conference and all previous VICs can be found by registering here and accessing any conference.

You can register now for the next Virtual Investor Conference, the Green Energy and Precious Metals Investor Conference from Tuesday, July 27 to Thursday, July 29, 2021.

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.