A Definitive Guide to Berkshire Hathaway’s 2014 Annual Shareholders Meeting

Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meetings

Value Investing Conference and Genius of Warren Buffett Course

Shareholder Events on 02-May-2014, Friday

Cocktail Reception at Borsheim's Fine Jewelry for Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders

Tent at the Berkshire Hathaway Cocktail Reception

  • Cocktail Reception at Borsheim's Fine Jewelry for Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM: Cocktail Reception at Borsheim’s Fine Jewelry. Borsheim’s is Berkshire’s flagship jewelry retailer and the second biggest jewelry store in the world. This cocktail reception is exceptionally crowded. And Borsheim’s also sets a tent in the parking lot to accommodate the swarms of people enjoying the dinner buffet, open bar, and live musical entertainment, all complimentary. Vegetarians can get their fill of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and crackers. Location: Borsheim’s, 120 Regency Parkway, Omaha NE 68114 [map], (800) 642-4438.

Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders' Meeting at CenturyLink Center, Omaha

Shareholder Events on 03-May-2014, Saturday

  • 7:00 AM: Doors Open at CenturyLink Center for the annual meeting. Shareholders, young and old, assemble hours before the opening of the doors to the CenturyLink center and, as soon as the doors are unlocked, run as quickly as they can to get the best seats in the house.
  • 7:00 AM: Complementary breakfast: free pastries and bottled drinks in the stands at CenturyLink Center.

Fruit of the Loom store at Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting Shopping

Challenge Warren Buffett in Newspaper Tossing Challenge at the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders' Meeting

NetJets display of Signature Flight Support at Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders' Meeting

  • 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM: NetJets Display. “Signature Flight Support” on the east side of the Omaha airport. Collect passes to the NetJets display at the NetJets stall in the shopping area. Shuttle busses leave the northwest corner of the CenturyLink Center. On display are a fleet of NetJets aircraft “sure to set your pulse racing. Warren urges, “Come by bus; leave by private jet. Live a little.”
  • 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM: Buy-your-own lunch at CenturyLink’s stands.
  • 3:30 PM to 3:45 PM: Recess / regrouping
  • 3:45 PM to 4:00 PM: “Official business” part of the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting.

Berkshire Cookout at Nebraska Furniture Mart

Big Time Cookout at Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) for Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders

Shareholder Events on 04-May-2014, Sunday

Warren Buffett tries to soften up U.S. Olympian Ariel Hsing in Ping Pong at the Borsheim's Shopping Day

Throughout the Week: Shareholder Discounts and Shopping

  • At Borsheim’s Fine Jewelry, shareholder prices will be available from Monday 28-Apr-2014 through Saturday 10-May-2014. Borsheim’s is usually open 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Mondays and Thursday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM on Saturdays. Borsheim’s is located at 120 Regency Parkway, Omaha NE 68114 [map]. Most of the items in Borsheim’s are discounted no less than 30% for Berkshire shareholders.
  • At Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM,) shareholder prices will be available from Monday, April 28th through Saturday, May 10th. Nebraska Furniture Mart is located at 700 S 72nd St, Omaha NE 68114 [map]. NFM is open 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday through Saturday and 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sundays. Shareholder discounts are also available at Nebraska Furniture Mart’s stores in Kansas City and Des Moines (no furniture; just appliances, electronics, and flooring.)

Getting Meeting Credentials

Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders' Meeting Credentials Meeting credentials are required to enter the CenturyLink Center for the Berkshire Hathaway meeting or the adjoining area to hit the stores of the many Berkshire subsidiaries. Meeting credentials are also required to get special shareholder pricing at Borsheims, Nebraska Furniture Mart, and other stores that might offer shareholder discounts.

Berkshire Hathaway meeting credentials are no more than a plastic identification card and an associated lanyard. The identification card is not personalized and does not contain the shareholder’s or attendee’s name.

Here’s how to get your meeting credentials:

  • If you are a shareholder, your brokerage will send you the annual shareholders’ packet along with a postcard to request a maximum of four passes for the Berkshire annual meeting. Fill this postcard and drop it in the mail. Berkshire will send you passes and lanyards.
  • If you are a shareholder, but do not have time to request the passes, did not receive the passes, or did not receive the shareholder packet from your broker, take proof of your ownership of Berkshire Hathaway stock. Take a statement of your holdings from your broker to the annual meeting at the CenturyLink Center on the Friday afternoon or Saturday morning of the annual meeting to get your meeting credentials.
  • Many years ago, Berkshire Hathaway shareholders started auctioning the annual meeting passes on eBay for a premium. To hinder this premium, Berkshire Hathaway started directly selling two passes for $5 on eBay, with free shipping. “We decided to sell them ourselves on EBay at a nominal price to keep people from getting stung. We hope nobody pays more than what we charge which is basically to cover mailing charges,” a Berkshire Hathaway representative had informed Omaha World-Herald. Buyers could provide a mailing address when you checkout or just collect their passes from the CenturyLink Center on the Friday afternoon or Saturday morning of the Berkshire meeting.
  • If you are straining at the leash to go to the annual meeting and don’t have passes, just show up early on Saturday morning at the CenturyLink Center. I have seen shareholders in the line obliging to requests for passes from devoted fans of Berkshire; this practice needs to be discouraged.

Recommended Reading: “The Oracle & Omaha, How Warren Buffet and His Hometown Shaped Each Other”

‘The Oracle & Omaha, How Warren Buffet and His Hometown Shaped Each Other’ by Steve Jordon, Omaha World Herald

'The Oracle & Omaha, How Warren Buffet and His Hometown Shaped Each Other' by Steve Jordon, Omaha World Herald (ISBN 0615793940)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *