Attending the Nasdaq Opening Bell Ceremony

Last year, my company had its IPO on Nasdaq and rang the opening bell. Because it was an IPO, the morning was a little more involved than just a bell ceremony.

We walked from our hotel through Times Square around 8am, and after a short delay checked into security at the Nasdaq MarketSite. The walls are decorated with photos of famous companies at their Nasdaq opening bell ceremonies, like Microsoft and Starbucks.

After dodging a Minion character (from Despicable Me) on the second floor who was there to do a television spot, we sat down for a breakfast. This was followed by a short ceremony where our CEO and my co-founder were presented with, and signed, our “listing certificates.” The Nasdaq official in charge of IPOs made a brief statement, and the event organizer ran us through the schedule for the rest of the day.

We proceeded over to the sound stage. Nasdaq doesn’t have a trading floor; it just has a studio for events like this. The back half of the studio is filled with people working on computers. (I believe they are Nasdaq employees, but either way this seems like an awful work environment.) Our chief marketing officer did a brief interview with a journalist in the studio, but we didn’t have to be quiet for that part.

There were a few more remarks from Nasdaq and our CEO, on camera this time for anybody watching the livestream. There was time for a few photos with the group that would be on stage for the bell ceremony, and then it was time for the main event. (Others attending, but not part of the bell ceremony itself, were allowed to watch from behind the cameras.)

We were asked to start clapping and cheering about a minute before the official 9:30 opening bell, and had to keep it up for about three minutes altogether. The event organizer pointed out on monitors when the different TV channels picked up the live feed.

A 10-second countdown on a touch-screen built into the podium changed to a button, which Ken dutifully pressed. He then signed his name on the screen. There was a confetti cannon (which the event organizer had warned us about) and we kept cheering until the live feeds cut out.

After a few more photos at the podium, we proceeded back outside to Times Square, where we had both official and unofficial photos taken in front of the building, with the opening ceremony and some of the photos replayed on the large video screen outside. Tourists joined in to take photos of us too. Some of the other Times Square screens had Tintri advertising as well.

We trooped back inside and had champagne (or other beverages) and people took small-group or individual photos behind the podium. Nasdaq gave us some personalized badges to use with an interactive video wall that let you email yourself some of the official event photos.

Our stock didn’t start trading at the 9:30 market open. The market waits until enough orders have been accumulated to set a first trade price. Some of the screens in the studio showed the provisional first trade price and volume, and our executive staff was gathered in the back of the room to witness the first trade on a market specialist’s computer. After that the displays switched to a real-time price, and percentage change from the IPO price. Nearly everybody in our group started checking on their phones, as if to make sure that it was real. This happened around 10:45.

Everybody got a print of their individual photo which had been taken outside, and most people were done. A few executives went off to do interviews elsewhere in the building.

The overall feeling was sort of like attending a wedding. A few speeches; a lot of official and unofficial photography; clapping and cheering; and celebratory drinks.