Walmart Shareholders’ Meeting is a logistical giant

This week marks one of the busiest in Northwest Arkansas as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. hosts its annual Shareholders Meeting.

Associates from all over the world will start descending on Bentonville and Fayetteville in the next day or so. There will be the traditional concerts, store visits, and of course the big, celebrity-filled meeting on Friday. Oh and of course, the Goodyear Blimp is usually visible in the skies over NWA.

The Shareholders’ meeting is a logistical giant as associates who are invited to attend must be selected, travel arrangements made, celebrities hired, venues to rent, and countless other details are polished. Logistics is all about getting something from point A to point B and with Shareholders’ we’re talking about potentially thousands of people, items and other details that meeting planners must manage.

This is what Walmart says about the meeting on its associate invitation website:

“Inviting our associates to the Shareholders’ Meeting is one of the most meaningful ways to acknowledge their contributions to our success.

Select associates from all over the world will be invited to attend the Shareholders’ Meeting during the week of June 1 – 5, 2015 alongside the Walton family, board members, our investors and celebrity guests. The Shareholders’ Meeting week captures the spirit of Walmart – “we’re all working together…” saving people money so they can live better.”

What does this mean for those of us not directly involved with the meeting? Those who have lived here for a while know it means more traffic, including many buses that transport the associates all over the region. We advise local residents to be mindful of the schedule and allow extra time.

Usually roads near the Wal-Mart General Home Office (Walton) and the Bentonville Square area in Bentonville can be the most congested but don’t be surprised to see buses pull up to individual stores. In Fayetteville, restaurants might be fuller at lunchtime and many roads including I-49 and areas around the University of Arkansas will be extra busy.

On a more pleasant note, Shareholders’ also means we get the opportunity to meet people from all over the world who are visiting our area. The opportunity to see Walmart through their eyes is both interesting and educational.

We invite you to join us in welcoming our guests.