Can someone who attended the AGM in person this year answer this?
In past AGM weekends Buffett would make several appearances at Borsheim, NFM, Dairy Queen, the various Berkshire company booths at the convention center etc.
Did Buffett show up at any of those venues this year? Were those events held at all?
I would think not, as it would be too great a risk with COVID Omicron still in the air.
Thanks.
No, due to COVID, WEB only went in the CHI Exhibit Hall on the golf cart prior to it opening to owners on Friday I believe, but he was not seen elsewhere among the crowd. Interesting that I randomly saw Munger being pushed wheelchair after exiting a vehicle and then headed into the Hilton lobby. Borsheims was jam packed this afternoon. They served free adult beverages and offered 20% discount.
I made the pilgrimage to Omaha and had a fantastic time all weekend. I met dozens of like minded owners from all over the world and attended several mini meetings that were quite informative (Gabelli Conference, Markel dinner and brunch, Tilson dinner) as were a few podcast folks’ meetings and greets. Cool to see Dimon in the Hilton lounge, chat with folks like Gabelli, Russo, Cunningham, Bloomstran and chat one on one and feel so well aligned with everyone. These experiences alone would have been enough to justify the trip, but to see WEB and CTM in person and witness the standing ovation honestly brought tears to my eyes. Yes, WEB certainly speaks more slowly, likes to reflect and reminisce but I like that side of WEB as well as most of us already know his perspective on various issues. His mind and allocation skills seem very sharp and that’s really what matters most. Was surprised and thrilled to see 50B spent in Q1 and loved the Activision/MSFT arb discussion- just like his Buffett Partnership days. I do wonder if CTM will be able and feel up to coming to Omaha in future years. Was also cool to see the people and personality of Omaha.
Before the online meeting stared CNBC showed Buffett at the Clayton Homes display of a low carbon construction house.
“Borsheims was jam packed this afternoon. They served free adult beverages and offered 20% discount.”
I have to think that the “free” alcohol more than paid for itself.
“His mind and allocation skills seem very sharp and that’s really what matters most.”
I’m not sure how many sports fans we have here, but I have seen many new coaching hires win the press conference and then fail miserably. The same thing can happen with CEOs and really many other fields. Someone dazzles at the interview, but can’t deliver on anything.
I didn’t watch the AGM and so don’t know what I’d think if I listened or watched. But, the notes and quotes I saw were fine with me. I also like some of the moves the company has made lately. The buybacks, Allegheny, OXY. All seem very nice to me. I’d have preferred something outside of insurance, but was still pleasantly surprised when I heard about the Allegheny buyout (though I also was optimistic about the Precision Cast Parts buyout, so take it for what it’s worth).
No doubt! My 2 free bourbons cost me 2K but hey, the more you spend the more you save, per WEB! I would love to see the figures but it had to be 7 figures of sales.