Omaha Here I Come!
The Annual Shareholder Meeting for Berkshire Hathaway is this Saturday on May 3rd in Omaha, Nebraska. I finally got my meeting credentials from the company. I had been waiting to book my tickets until I got them. It seems I could’ve gotten them in Omaha itself, but I didn’t want to take that risk. It would be pretty stupid if I showed up and they didn’t grant me admission!
Anyway, I’ve been following the online airline prices for flights to Omaha. Two weeks ago, the flights cost around $350 round-trip to Omaha from San Diego. Last Friday and Saturday the cheapest tickets on Orbitz were going for $505. Today, however, the price dropped down to $240! That’s half-price from just two days ago. Now of course, the next challenge is getting accomodation.
Apparently, hotels in the entire city of Omaha are sold out. The nearest hotel room is about 50 miles away in Lincoln, Nebraska! Luckily I found a couch at a friend of a friend’s place that’s only 3 miles away from the Qwest Center (which is where the shareholder meeting is going to take place).
I’m really excited to be going. I’m pretty keen on hearing what Buffett has to say about the bid for Wrigley’s. I also expect to meet a lot of other investors and make some new friends.
If any of you are going to be there, drop me a line and maybe we can meet up.
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April 29th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Awesome – you’re the only PF blogger that I know of who is going to the Woodstock of Capitalism!
I’m kind of surprised more bloggers aren’t going, actually… As for me, I’m going to go by Greyhound – even though it’s a 36-hour trip each way (!), I’ll get to see Utah and Colorado, and it’s dirt-cheap, too. 
Besides, I’m a college student, so I can get away with that. ;P I found a place to stay through craiglist – only $120 for the entire weekend. Who knows, maybe we’ll see each other sometime this weekend…
April 29th, 2008 at 12:42 am
If I’m the only PF blogger going there, thats pretty sad!!!!
Lets definitely try and meet up in Omaha. I once traveled to the Bay Area by Greyhound – kind of boring if you’re alone, but then I don’t know many people who’re interested in going there either!
April 29th, 2008 at 1:50 am
If you’re into tapas, try “Espana”. It should be online. Really nice place and great sangria.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:34 am
Well, technically BRK.A does not pay dividends.. And it’s also a little expenseive for me. I will have to be a millionaire in order to have a proper asset allocation with BRK.a in my portfolio. I don’t think you can go to the meeting with the B shares, can you? So..maybe next time
April 29th, 2008 at 7:28 am
@Dividend Growth Investor:
In fact, I’m pretty sure that you can go even if you own just a portion of a B share through sharebuilder.com. In the worst case scenario, Berkshire-Hathaway sells 20,000 tickets on ebay every year for just $5 for a pair of tickets. 
B-shareholders are just as welcome at the meeting as the A-shareholders.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:32 am
That is correct.
I own a B-share or a baby Berkshire as they’re sometimes called, and I received a set of meeting credentials.
I have an extra pass in case anyone is interested.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I’m jealous? Is this write-offable as a business expense? I’d be willing to bet it is if you write a post or two about it.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Kyle,
I believe it is a tax-deductible trip.
Attending shareholder meetings is a deductible investment expense. Although you might have to itemize in order to benefit from this deduction.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Im so jealous, I hope to be there next year!
April 29th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
I am heading out to the Berkshire meeting, too. I can’t wait. I’ve had my plane and hotel booked since last fall. Dad and I even have a reservation for Gorat’s on Friday night!
I’m looking forward to hearing his comments on the recession and the housing crisis. I listened to him on CNBC on Monday morning and he commented that he believed the recession had the potential to be longer and deeper than a lot of people are predicting. Very interesting. Can’t wait to hear more from him.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Nirav,
Good luck. I’ll be looking forward to your impressions of the meeting! Hopefully you can get some video footage.
Best,
James
April 29th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
I think video recording the meetings is prohibited.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:39 am
You’ll have to provide a full report when you return!
April 30th, 2008 at 6:36 am
GL,
Thanks for the heads up. I am currently exploring sharebuilder as an alternative source of income with their bonus codes. Apaprently, even if you already have an account with them, you could open another one, and still qualify for a bonus, which is awesome.