Recently, we’ve been preparing announcements for several of our clients attending upcoming industry trade shows. In fact, we’ve developed and executed strategies to support attendance at conferences across different industries all around the country, including ProMat 2017 in Chicago, ShopTalk in Las Vegas and Enterprise Connect in Orlando. As we’ve been knee-deep in planning, we thought it would be helpful to share a few tips to help fellow PR pros stay organized in preparation for distributing news at industry trade shows and events. Below are four tactics to consider in order to achieve desired results at trade conferences.
Press release timing
Determining when a press release should cross the wire can be a highly debated topic. While some prefer to announce news before the event and others the day-of, distributing the press release boils down to your objectives. Determining your objectives for sharing the news is the best way to answer questions around wire distribution timing. For example, if securing original editorial coverage is your objective, you’ll need to determine when you’d like to see the coverage hit. If the release is scheduled to cross the wire the same day as you’d like to see coverage, it is very unlikely that a reporter will be able to turn around an original piece in one workday.
A solution to this strategy is conducting embargoed outreach prior to the press release crossing the wire. By having reporters agree to an embargo and providing them with the opportunity to view the press release a week or two before its release date, they are able to conduct interviews, write and post the article in conjunction with your ideal press release publish date
It is also important to check if a conference have established guideless around when companies in attendance can make their announcements. Confirming your strategy aligns with the conference’s rules will mitigate any surprises or crisis situations at the event.
Content and approvals
Another important factor to consider when press release planning is the content in your release, a factor that will also play a role in determining when the release will cross the wire. For example, if you are announcing a new partnership or a new product that relies on another companies’ technology/service, securing approval from all parties involved becomes a top priority. Check-in with the company and their PR team to determine their objectives, desired news cycle and approval procedures. If distributing a joint press release is something they are interested in, nailing down these three factors is crucial.
Alternately, if the company would prefer to keep the releases separate, understanding their objectives and outreach strategy becomes even more imperative. Consider for example if two separate PR firms are pitching the same journalists about the same announcement, slightly highlighting one company over the other. It is very likely that the reporter will be unhappy with the duplication of outreach efforts and the lack of communication and coordination among the PR team. Now consider if one firm pitches the journalist a week before the other firm – is it likely this reporter will write two articles? The answer is no and communicating with partners involved helps set expectations and eliminate conflict of interests.
Onsite briefings
If scheduling in-person meetings at a show is of interest, you’ll want to confirm that your company has media trained executive(s) in attendance. In addition to determining the executive, you’ll also want to have an understanding of the key points that he or she will be able to speak about relating to the company, announcement, industry and show. This information will help your team develop a compelling pitch that entices journalists and provides them with a clear understanding of what they and their readers will get from this meeting.
Organization is chief when it comes to scheduling conference briefings after you’ve secured the attending press list from the event coordinators, vet the list to determine which outlets align will your clients’ objectives and will result in a valuable meeting. (Note that depending on the event, availability of the attending press list may be limited to only exhibitors or speakers. Read up on the event’s media page to determine its procedures.)
Outreach timing
Determining the timing of media outreach to schedule onsite briefings relies on the size of the show, number of companies that typically announce news at the show, and the number of contacts on the attending press list. If the size of the attending list is not in alignment with the number of companies that are attending, you’ll want to be even more organized on strategy to ensure that outreach will be meaningful and drive the intended results for your client. Conducting outreach three to four weeks out of the show start date is a smart best practice to ensure that journalists have not filled up their event schedules.
As you begin to accrue onsite meetings, keep a detailed and up-to-date calendar with visibility to your client to ensure you do not overbook executives or schedule meetings too close in timing and far apart in location. As the event draws near, be sure to check in with the journalists and your client to confirm the meeting time, location and topics of discussion. If your announcement’s timing or content has changed, be sure to communicate with the reporter to ensure they receive equal or additional value from the meeting as promised from the initial pitch.
During and post-show support
While at the event, it’s important to make yourself available and provide your client with all the resources necessary to be successful. If you’ve covered the four factors mentioned above, you’ve properly prepared your client. With that said, attending shows, regardless of the participant’s level of involvement, can be hectic and requires added time and energy. It’s up to you to ensure they feel their experience is valuable. For example, after your client has participated in a briefing, reach out to the journalist as appropriate. Executing this tactic, along with tracking coverage and providing outreach recaps are sure to successfully wrap-up PR support for any industry event.
Interested in attending an event but not sure where to start? Please reach out to us or check out other blog posts around trade show planning:
Vetting Speaking Opportunities at Industry Events
Quick Tips on How to Prepare for Any Public Speaking Event