As we enter the busiest time of year for annual general meetings, companies are scrambling to change their format to facilitate remote access. Under the government’s new Stay at Home measures, shareholders are banned from attending company meetings in person. While some companies, such as Domino’s (DPZ), have postponed their AGMs, others are setting up webinars and phone lines so shareholders can dial in from home.
AGM attendance has dwindled over the years and is now typically very low, but new measures allowing remote attendance should at least make many AGMs more accessible. ITV (ITV), for example, is holding its AGM on 24 April and setting up a live stream of the meeting via its website. However, participants will not be able to vote or submit questions via the live stream and are invited to email questions to the company in advance.
Other companies are still working out how they will conduct their shareholder meetings. BP (BP), for example, is scheduled to hold its AGM at the Excel centre on 27 May, the same venue as the new temporary Nightingale hospital in London. While shareholders can expect an updated plan for the proceedings in the coming weeks, the meeting is scheduled to be webcast for those who cannot be there in person.