Travel Summary and Analysis

The "road show," an activity to engender awe and enthusiasm in prospective investors, begins once the prospectuses are ready. Travel with a road show, however, is nothing like the one-day, stress-filled jaunts to check on clients - no bag check, hailing cabs, and often taking a red-eye back to New York. Road shows can last two weeks and involve several countries as well as numerous domestic cities. Preparation for a road show involves videos or slide presentations, memorized scripts, and several rehearsals prior to hitting the road. The associate's preparation tasks involve booking all flights, hotels, ground transportation and dinners, scheduling meetings with potential investors, and carrying all presentation materials and equipment. Every flight, hotel room, limousine and meal must have a backup, just in case, for no appointment could be tardy or skipped.

Rolfe spent a lot of time in...