Visiting Warren Buffett: Alec Hogg’s diary of 2014 Berkshire AGM adventure

This idea comes from Gugulethu Mfuphi, my co-host on CNBC Africa's Power Lunch. While saying our goodbyes on Tuesday, Gugu asked whether there would be a repeat of my Davos Diaries during the 2014 Berkshire Hathaway adventure. With a Value Investor's Conference to attend today and tomorrow, and a full day's AGM on Saturday, while the spirit is willing, a lengthy spell in front of the computer would be guaranteed to have the flesh cave in. But I do have an iPhone 5. It's got a great memo recording facility. There's also the Biznews.com channel on Soundcloud. And provided I don't stumble too much, not being able to edit the recording isn't too big a drawback. So here it is: My first diary posting from Buffettville, my annual visit to join 40 000 others (that's what the local paper says) to hear Berkshire chairman Warren Buffett . The city is better known as Omaha, the city a tad north of the absolute centre of the USA. You can either access this diary posting by clicking on the pic of the Omaha mural below (it's what greets you in the airport), or download via Soundcloud for later consumption. – AH

ALEC HOGG:  A few years ago, I was given a book that had this – we interrupt this broadcast – a fantastic book, which gave all the major events in history and how the broadcasts of whatever was being run at the time was broken into.  For instance, JFK was shot or WW2 has been announced etcetera.  Well, I break into this Biznews broadcast now to give you some update from Omaha.  I'm going to be doing this for the rest of the week or at least as long as I'm over here.  I know it's a public holiday at home and hopefully, everything comes through to you pretty clearly on your side, that you're having a good relaxing day.  It feels like it over here, just preparing for the Value Investors' seminar this afternoon, but between now and then I'll be chilling here in my hotel room.

Wow, what a difference.  A good friend of mine, Bernard Swanepoel (I convinced him to come out here four years ago) with his wife Tracey.  Now, Tracey is not what you would call the kind of girl who likes to rough it.  Tracey's very much a five-star lady – good for her – as is my own Jeanette.  Anyway, I brought them to the Fairfield Inn where the South African contingent stays every year – this is Kokkie Kooyman's doing – and it was appalling.  We got here late, ordered a salad, and I remember the salad that came (and they don't have any room service at the Fairfield Inn – it's a bit like a Formula One) was literally just lettuce and nothing else.  I do however; have some surprisingly good news on that front for them and anyone else who's thinking of coming to Omaha. 

Firstly, the Fairfield Inn has done a massive revamp.  I am so impressed.  The room I'm staying in doesn't smell.  It's actually beautiful.  It's a little bit like a Hilton room.  I wish I could show it to you.  It's spacious, clean, nice pillows (that's always a big thing about a hotel), the price of course, gone through the roof but I guess that was always going to happen anyway.  This morning I went downstairs.  Because of jetlag, I was the first one downstairs for breakfast, and there was bacon and eggs at 5:45am.  Last year, the best you could get were a couple of old stales muffins, so a massive improvement there.

Last night I went for a walk around the district – it's very cold in Omaha at six degrees Celsius, so it's like being in the middle of winter in Johannesburg – and I found a restaurant.  Right next door to the Fairfield is a Holiday Inn and the Holiday Inn has a sports bar.  The sports bar unfortunately, doesn't have the greatest food.  I've gone there twice because I just didn't feel like exploring too much, and was terribly disappointed both times.  Last night, I spoke to Siri on my iPhone5, she directed me to a couple of places in the vicinity, ended up at a place called Goodfellows, and had the most amazing chicken salad and a slice of pizza out of the top drawer, so the food in Omaha is good.  You just have to find where.  No more will I describe this place as the American version of Klerksdorp – without any disrespect to Klerksdorp – I'm sure there are a good few people there as well. 

Getting here is quite the journey.  It has taken 30 hours: Johannesburg to JFK New York, then my flight took me from New York to Minnesota, St Paul – the twin cities.  I didn't see much of that.  I just stayed in the airport building.  From Minnesota St. Paul – again – another hour or so stopover, it was onto Omaha, which is a pretty short flight (just about over an hour).  All around, it was a very pleasant, relaxed, good airline – Delta Airline.  I can recommend them.  I've flown with them a few times now within America.  I don't think they get much better.  Well, I arrived here at the hotel last night – pretty tired – because you catch something like eight hours, or you pick up eight more hours, so by the time I got to bed last night it was about 3:00am in South African terms but nothing that a little bit of melatonin and a good night's sleep doesn't fix.  The hotel itself…well, I'm looking forward to seeing Kokkie and the team here. 

However, one of the most exciting things was that the Wi-Fi is not only free, but good and that gave me the opportunity to listen in to the first edition of Cliff Central.  Gareth Cliff and Rina, you guys have a winner.  You have a winner.  From the beginning, I thought it was going to be good because of Gareth's talent (and there's no doubt about that) but also because of his huge social media following.  What I didn't realise, being the very first listener here in Omaha (and I can say that without any fear of contradiction, not because the radio show won't make it to Omaha.  (It's that good that it probably will), – but because there's no doubt that other people in Omaha aren't waking up at 4:00am to find a South African online radio station, which just started.  Anyway, being your very first listener, I was able to hear this kind of clarity.  [Insert clip of Cliff Central Unradio.]  There's Gareth going on in the background and Harry Sideropoulus was stroke of genius guys, to get him in there.  If you haven't listened to Gareth and his team – and they really are a top team…  I see that Damon Kalvari…  I don't know what happened to Damon Kalvari.  I'm not a Radio 5 listener myself.  Damon, who used to work with us back at 702, obviously left 702 with Rina and Gareth at the same time ten years ago.  Well, he's a great part of that team and it's just all around fantastic radio, compelling stuff, and we're so excited to be involved (in a very small way, of course), but when I get back I look forward to seeing them and I'm looking forward to the involvement on Cliff Central. 

Anyway, that's my update from Omaha for today.  I'll be giving you a little bit more tomorrow to break into our regular programming, which I spent so much time putting together while I was in South Africa.  Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little bit of a diary posting, if you like, and look forward to being with you again on Biznews radio tomorrow.  Cheers for now.