It’s dark outside and we’re about to cross the Atlantic Ocean back to Sweden. Omaha, the Midwestern city with 500,000 people, delivered the goods. The four of us from Redeye/Investing by the Books breathed the same air as the 92-year-old investing legend Buffett and his better half Charlie Munger, 99 (!). In the arena, we were joined by 40,000 other pilgrims from all over the world. What makes it worth the trip to “Woodstock of capitalism”?
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Saturday 08:25 AM: In CHI Health Center, waiting for Buffett and Munger to enter the stage.
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Buffett and Munger are two names that I believe will live on for hundreds of years in the (investing) world. Like Newton and Einstein in physics. For now, Warren and Charlie are still alive and generous enough to share a precious day with us. They make a funny company movie and answer questions for about six hours. Much has been said over the years, and most of it is worth repeating. Their timeless wisdom of honesty, quality, and longtermism actually feels refreshing. But who are the ones heading out to Omaha on the first Saturday of May?
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I’d categorize the Berkshire week attendees into three broad groups:
<ol>
<li>Long-term shareholders with limited interest in the art of investing – visiting the shareholder meeting to pay tribute.</li>
<li>Buffett devotees praising him as a person – going to his house, his office, his favorite restaurant, and buying plenty of souvenirs from Berkshire companies.</li>
<li>Dedicated investors – primarily coming to meet like-minded people at the numerous side events that are going on from Wednesday to Sunday.</li>
</ol>
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Our team from Redeye/Investing by the Books is clearly part of group 3. And so is probably you. During our 3.5 days in Omaha, we visited ~ 15 events and meet-ups. These are organized by companies, investor networks, funds, and individuals. On average, we enjoyed some 15 hours per day of events and social activities. And the hit rate for meeting world-class investors was, as usual, really high. So the main question is, will this “Davos of investing” continue? 
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I’m biased, but I believe that the strong culture of learning and socializing among many of the world’s best investors in Omaha has a good chance of surviving Buffett and Munger. Why?
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Berkshire Hathaway needs to arrange its AGM every year. It will be in Omaha.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Most of the side events are hosted by people admiring Buffett and Munger. These should continue in their honor.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Like Davos, investors enjoy the festival feeling of a small city such as Omaha, where you constantly stumble upon similar-minded thinkers.</li>
</ul>
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One great investor, Todd Wenning from Ensemble Capital, summarized it well on his <a href="https://twitter.com/ToddWenning/status/1655138005634482179" target="_blank">Twitter</a>: 
<blockquote>“The first time you go to Omaha, you come to see Warren and Charlie. After that, it’s to see old friends and meet new ones.” </blockquote>
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Thank you all for this year and may our King Charles T. Munger reach 100 years on the 1st of January. His coronation should be held in Omaha at the next Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting on May 4th, 2024. Hope to see you there!
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More photos from our time in Omaha 2023
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Thursday: Meet-up with former guests and new friends.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.redeye.se/podcast/investing-by-the-books/838710/20-shree-viswanathan-on-a-search-in-secret-india">#20 Shree Viswanathan</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.redeye.se/podcast/investing-by-the-books/847643/investing-by-the-books-27-andrew-wagner-the-economics-of-online-gaming">#27 Andrew Wagner</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.redeye.se/podcast/investing-by-the-books/856719/investing-by-the-books-32-christian-billinger-on-investing-for-growth">#32 Christian Billinger</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.redeye.se/podcast/investing-by-the-books/858047/investing-by-the-books-33-adam-mead-the-complete-financial-history-of-berkshire-hathaway">#33 Adam Mead </a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.redeye.se/podcast/investing-by-the-books/868378/investing-by-the-books-37-carter-johnson-on-distant-force">#37 Carter Johnson</a></li>
</ul>
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This year&#8217;s Berkshire shareholder pass. Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/SvnCapital" target="_blank">Shree</a> for helping us again!
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Friday: MOI Global Best Ideas 2023
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Friday: Gabelli 14th Omaha Value Investor Conference with Mario Gabelli (CIO, Gabelli Funds) and John Rogers (CEO &amp; CIO, Ariel Investment, LLC) on stage.
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Saturday 06:20 AM: In line to enter the arena for Berkshire shareholder meeting.
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Saturday: Charlie Munger, 99 years, speaking.
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Saturday: Buying a signed book from <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertCialdini?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Dr. Robert Cialdini</a>. He liked our podcast name and was happy to take a photo with us.
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Saturday evening: Willow Oak&#8217;s event with several panels.
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Sunday: Front row at Markel Corporation&#8217;s annual brunch (no. 32). For two hours, Tom Gayner and his team answers questions from the 1,000+ people audience.
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Sunday: After Markel&#8217;s brunch, we met another of our previous guests &#8211; <a href="https://twitter.com/MattJoass" target="_blank">Matt Joass</a> from Maven Funds in Australia. You can hear Matt in <a href="https://www.redeye.se/podcast/investing-by-the-books/866730/investing-by-the-books-36-matt-joass-on-superforecasting">episode 36</a> about the book Superforecasting.
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Interested in our reflections from last year? Check out our <a href="https://www.redeye.se/podcast/investing-by-the-books/840343/21-pilgrimage-to-the-oracle">podcast episode from Omaha 2022</a>.