Companies increasingly opting for online broadcasts due to coronavirus

EQS Group notes significant increase in demand for webcast formats

EQS Group has reported strong interest in online broadcasting for Capital Market Days, financial statement press conferences and analyst conferences during the first two months of 2020. The demand for webcasts continues to increase, especially in recent days, as more and more companies are foregoing face-to-face events due to the rapidly increasing number of new coronavirus infections.

Conferences and trade fairs are being cancelled, travel bans are in place and home office is now the norm for many employees - the spread of the coronavirus is now restricting daily work. This is why many companies are now relying on the internet for their communications.

"Those responsible do not want to take the risk of participants both at home and abroad becoming infected at their on-site events and are therefore now switching to webcasts", reports Daniel Bonk, Head of Client Services of EQS Group. "Last year, we conducted almost 600 webcasts for our clients, and in January and February this year alone we have organized more than 200 - more than ever before in this period and 20 percent more than last year."

And the trend is likely to continue - especially now during the financial reporting period when listed companies are set to publish their annual figures: "Customers are following the news about the coronavirus very closely and are thinking about whether they should cancel their in-person events and stream the content instead," says Bonk. Furthermore, he reports that the number of cancellations of on-site events organized by EQS customers has increased in recent days and as a result he and his team have needed to step in at short notice with online broadcasts.

Webcasts, where the participants follow the presentations online and connected by telephone, are not only an effective (emergency) measure if companies are unable to hold an in-person event, but also provide added value for companies because they can continue to communicate with their stakeholders from any location despite travel restrictions and can also reach analysts and journalists who would not have attended an on-site event anyway.

About EQS Group:

EQS Group is a leading international provider of regulatory technology (RegTech) in the fields of corporate compliance and investor relations. In working with EQS Group, thousands of companies worldwide inspire trust by fulfilling complex national and international disclosure obligations, minimizing risks and communicating transparently with stakeholders.

EQS Group's products are pooled in the cloud-based software EQS COCKPIT. They ensure the professional control of compliance workflows in the fields of whistleblower protection and case management, policy management, insider list management and disclosure obligations. In addition, listed companies benefit from a global newswire, investor targeting and contact management, IR websites, digital reports and webcasts for efficient and secure investor communications.

EQS Group was founded in 2000 in Munich, Germany. Today the group employs more than 350 professionals and has offices in the world's key financial markets.

Contact:

Marcus Sultzer

Member of the Board

[email protected]