When real estate trust Douglas Emmett decided to go to public, it wanted to ensure that it was well-prepared for the financial communications the process would entail, so it brought on Financial Relations Board (FRB) a few months earlier.

Claire Koeneman, FRB co-president, says the move represents a trend in IR: Companies are bringing financial communications firms in early in the IPO process to help with messaging and best practices.

Strategy

Because Douglas Emmett would be in a quiet period during the IPO ...