what nobody thinks to tell you about agm season (and how to survive it).

AGM season is one of the prickliest points on a corporate calendar. It’s the moment organisations face the market, their shareholders and the media and talk about how they’ve delivered on their promises, or why they haven’t.

A lot of moving parts, perspectives, pressure and tiny but important details go into making an AGM a success. Many assistants are given a framework to follow that sets out the ‘How’ not the ‘Why’, leaving a lot of guesswork, reading between the lines and unnecessary stress.

Here are few tips to help you get through the AGM season with a little less stress and some insight into why things run the way they do.

The devil is in the detail

Tired eyeballs that have been in the detail too long make mistakes. Be the safety net and triple check every last detail of all materials - particularly any that will or may be made public.

Materials, speeches, talking points and presentations need to be bullet proof.

Consider all angles

Look around corners and put yourself in the shoes of your key internal stakeholders on the day.

Does the run sheet have all the critical detail? Has everyone with a role to play seen it? Are your executives and leaders well briefed, whether they have a role on the day or not? And how about your support community?

Step out of the detail and consider how you can create a no-surprises event.

Anticipate the unexpected

Some gnarly stuff can go on at AGMs. Do you need security? Will you have high profile stakeholders attending - who will greet them and get them settled? Do they need car parking or discreet access?

Have all possible questions considered.

Are your Chair, NEDs and CEO well briefed for surprise questions with appropriate public commentary and accurate data points?

Space for scripts.

Have scripts ready WELL in advance of the date. Chairs are notorious for changing their minds with their speeches up to the eleventh hour. Plan for this.

They know they’ll be quoted in the press and their words will live on forever, possibly to haunt them. They get itchy at this time of year because their personal reputations are at stake.

Give them plenty of buffer to consider their address. A narrow window will NOT be well received. Manage their expectations on time frames and ensure they don’t have to chase for the info they need.

Remember, Chairs and NEDs typically sit on multiple boards and have multiple AGMs to prepare for. Your meeting is not their only rodeo.

Read the play

Be alive to the unsaid. AGMs can get heated when shareholders/stakeholders feel their investment isn’t paying off or an organisation isn’t being managed as effectively as they’d like to see.

Votes to be re-elected as NEDs can create a simmering tension while the campaigning happens behind the scenes with majority shareholders.

CEOs can be on edge facing the market too. It’s intense to face into public scrutiny and to have to explain why expectations haven’t been met.

Create as much space as possible for thoughtful preparation. As always, but particularly while the pressure is on, use common sense, empathy and EQ with the broader teams involved as well.

Be modest

If an events team is getting overly excited about a spectacular and impressive AGM, remember to balance arrangements with optics.

Shareholders don’t want to go to an AGM and be served caviar canapes and champagne. It creates a perception that money is being wasted in the organisation, that their investment isn’t being sensibly managed.

A humble, modest and simple approach to catering and venue choice is best. Spending on production (staging , AV etc) is acceptable, depending on the size of attendance.

I hope these quick tips help give a view into the unsaid and help you prepare an AGM that has a little more ease for eveyrone.

If you need more practical support like this you can find it inside the Elite EA Academy or the work I do with full teams. I also consult with organisations to embed the best practices, disciplines and ways of working that allow focus to remain where it will have the highest impact.