Virtual AGM Planning Checklist: How to run an AGM and improve shareholder engagement

Your annual general meeting is one of the most important moments in your corporate calendar, bringing together governance, shareholder engagement, voting and compliance into a single event. As virtual and hybrid formats become more common, expectations have increased, with shareholders expecting clear communication, fair access and meaningful engagement, regardless of how they attend.

At Computershare, we have supported more than 1,000 virtual meetings globally in 2025. This experience shows that a successful AGM isn't just defined by format, but on how well you design and deliver the full meeting experience. Organising a remote or virtual AGM can be complex, and requires careful planning, strong governance and expert delivery.

This AGM checklist outlines the key actions to help you deliver a smooth, transparent and engaging AGM, whether in person, virtual or hybrid.

Through our recent AGM Pulse Check and AGM European Season Review, we can see that hybrid meetings continue to grow. However, in-person and virtual meetings remain important, depending on your shareholders and the regulatory environment. Your focus should always be on enabling effective investor engagement.

How to create your virtual AGM checklist

When conducting AGM planning, you need to remember that it is complex and requires a structured approach. We can support you through this process by focusing on:

Complying with regulatory requirements
Selecting the right AGM format and technology
Understanding who your investors are and shareholder sentiment
Communicating with shareholders
Preparing and rehearsal
Aligning with stakeholders and investors
Partnering with an experienced AGM provider

By meeting each of these elements, you can administer a well-ran meeting, reduce risk and support stronger shareholder engagement.

Our recommended AGM checklist

We'd recommend following the below seven areas if you want to know how to run an AGM. These cover regulation, virtual meeting technology, communication, planning and rehearsal, alignment and choosing the right AGM provider.

1. What regulations will impact your AGM?

The first stop in our AGM checklist is to consider which regulations impact you. In the UK, the GC100 have released eight set principles that you can follow to ensure that you align with current rules and regulations. Most of the points are clear and simple, such as maintaining up to date information on your website, being transparent with your communication and including proper access details, login instructions and voting guidance in the notice of meeting.

Learn how to comply with UK virtual meeting guidelines

2. How to use virtual meeting technology to support shareholder engagement

Technology should support engagement rather than limit it. The shift to more virtual formats should create more opportunities for shareholder participation. Using live video for the board and Chair helps build transparency and connection with remote attendees. When shareholders can see the people leading the meeting, it reinforces trust and improves the overall experience.

You can further support real-time participation through:

Written Q&A
Live chat
Moderated questions submission
Giving remote shareholders structured routes into the meeting
Considering the use of subtitles to improve accessibility

These features are possible when supported by strong governance, clear processes and experienced moderation.

3. Understanding who your shareholders are

Before your AGM starts, understanding who your investors can help prevent any surprises at the AGM. By doing this, you can fully understand who holds voting power, what they think, and most importantly, what voting sentiment is among your shareholder base. By doing this, you will have confidence that your shareholders will approve any resolutions that are put forward in the AGM. Investor Intelligence is the process of identifying and understanding:

Why investors have invested in a company
What their investment objective is
What is their investment horizon
What may prompt rotation out of the stock
What may trigger a rejection of leadership

Learn more about Investor Intelligence

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4. What to communicate with your shareholders before AGM planning

Clear communication helps shareholders understand how to access and take part in the meeting. You should provide straightforward instructions in the Notice of Meeting, proxy forms and any supporting materials. These instructions should explain how to join and how to engage during the meeting, along with any technical requirements such as browser compatibility.

It is also important to set clear expectations about how the meeting will run. Shareholders should know what to expect when they log in and how they can participate confidently. Make sure you clearly explain:

How questions will be managed
How the Chair will moderate participation
Whether answers to submitted questions will be published

Above all, reassure shareholders that their rights remain consistent across in-person, virtual or hybrid formats. This clarity helps build confidence and encourages participation.

5. AGM planning preparation and rehearsal

Preparation is essential to delivering a smooth and professional AGM. You need to ensure that the board, company representatives and any third-party providers are familiar with the meeting format and technology.

Running a full rehearsal allows you to test every part of the meeting, including livestreaming, voting systems and Q&A channels. It also helps identify issues before they affect the live event. It’s also important to plan for contingencies. This includes having backup devices, alternative connectivity and clear protocols if key participants lose connection. Strong preparation reduces risk and ensures a consistent experience for shareholders.

6. Aligning with key stakeholders and shareholders

Our final AGM checklist point is around alignment. Effective AGMs start well before the meeting itself. Early engagement with key stakeholders helps you identify concerns and address them in advance. You should engage with institutional investors, proxy advisors and internal stakeholders to explain your chosen format and approach. This gives you the opportunity to clarify how we’ll maintain transparency, participation and compliance.

If you are planning a virtual or hybrid AGM, it is especially important to explain how the format supports shareholder engagement. Clear communication at this stage helps prevent challenges and build trust ahead of the meeting. Investor Relations tools such as the CRM offered by Computershare Investor Relations Solutions provides the ability to track every single investor interaction, send bulk emails and plan formal events such as Investor Roadshows and your AGM. This means everyone in your business has more visibility over investor engagement, you can strategically plan engagement ahead of your AGM and that you can align messaging with the right investors.

Learn more about Computershare Investor Relations

7. How to run an AGM with Computershare

Computershare provides end-to-end AGM support across in-person, virtual and hybrid formats. Our focus is on helping you deliver effective shareholder engagement, not just focusing on the technology. We’ll support every stage of your AGM process, from understanding shareholders, format selection and regulatory guidance, to shareholder communications, voting, rehearsal and live meeting delivery. We also provide post-meeting reporting and follow-up to complete the process.

This approach combines innovative technology with deep experience in governance and shareholder services. This allows us to manage complexity, reduce risk and support every critical aspect of your AGM. An AGM involves multiple moving parts, and when complexity increases, you need a trusted partner.

Learn more

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