Opportunity doesn't "knock" at trade shows and conferences for PR pros, it bangs you over the head and yells "Come and get it!"
Top media and highly sought-after thought leaders are all there as a ready audience for your messages. For many PR and marketing people, a major industry trade show can be the centerpiece of an entire year's plan.
Your motto should be "seize the day!" The trick is to get your plan up and running well before the actual event. Think about your PR activities for a meeting as if you were NASA planning a space shuttle launch.
"T" (take-off time) minus 11 months
Barely a month has passed since your return from this year's big trade show or conference. Planning for next year may be the last thing you feel like thinking about.
Take the time to review the performance and outcome of your PR team at the last meeting.
Ask these questions: What were your triumphs and pitfalls? What happened that was unexpected and needs some advance planning for the next meeting? Think about what you want to repeat or avoid at next year's meeting.
"T" minus 9 months
Identify top-tier speakers and presenters before they become committed to other engagements.
Think about advance bookings for convention center rooms, hotel rooms, and venues for events such as media briefings.
Don't forget to reserve a hospitality suite - everyone likes to put their feet up and their laptop down for a brief respite.
Choose venues with three things in mind: location, location, location. Convenience is a surprisingly major factor when reporters, clients and other meeting attendees are deciding how to spend their time.
"T" Minus 6 months
Get to the meat of your program. Start to gather information about what will make noise for your client or company at the meeting. Track down the research that relates to your client's product. Specifically, what is in the works for abstract submissions? What are your competitors planning?
Look for ways to differentiate your event, not just in content, but also in approach. Your main speaker doesn't have to be a member of the specialty organization that is sponsoring the trade show. But the speaker does need to be a compelling person.
A multidisciplinary approach can work particularly well: a combination of your target audience's peers and mentors as well as one or two "guest stars" (consumers or pop culture celebrities can be appropriate).
If you don't anticipate any "hard news" about your client's product, think about creating an informative gathering or "mini-salon," where you bring journalists and key thought leaders together for presentations and interviews.
"T" minus 5 months
Get in touch with key researchers to learn about their findings for presentations. Factor in the institutional wild card: you may need to work with the public affairs department of a regulatory agency to coordinate the researcher's involvement in your event.
This can be an important benefit: the institution's imprimatur on a hot button issue can enhance its perceived news value.
"T" minus 4 months
After you have an approved plan, it is time to play "travel agent." Arrange for guest speakers, honoraria, lodgings and venues. It sounds simple, but the legwork that needs to be done here requires a big team effort.
Now is the time to get to know the meeting's "host city" as if you were a native. (Post-session cocktails can be nirvana to weary journalists.)
And find out about the unexpected venue, the hottest new club, the "insider" local attraction that will make your guests' experience truly distinctive.
"T" minus 3 months
Call on your best writers and editors to craft your news. Draft your press kits, including media alerts; brainstorm about press materials and give-aways. Identify a hit list of "must-contacts" at the meeting.
Gather information about these key reporters, and find out what they have covered in the past and what are they covering now.
"T" minus 2 Months
Map out a coordinated game plan, including strategy, goals, and activities for the meeting. Know your news; check on late-breaking information.
If you are planning a larger post-meeting cocktail hour at a convention hotel, you may consider a room drop "reminder" invitation, if this is possible at your meeting.
"T" minus 1 month
At this point, your "space shuttle" crew must work together like a well-oiled machine. Finalize plans and make sure that your team's efforts are in sync.
For example, if your agency will be working for more than one client at the meeting, you and your colleagues must be on the same page - you don't want five of your people calling a reporter with five different messages.
Zero Hour (It's Here, It's Now, It's Happening)
As Mission Control, stay wired to all communication channels to keep in touch with as many of your targeted reporters as possible.
Check your e-mail, voice mail, hotel messages and message center. Follow up on leads and maximize your opportunities.
This is your face time with reporters, make the most of what may be the only "up close and personal" time you have with them.
Last but not least, apply the "snore or wow" litmus test every step of the way. If every aspect of your program - from the message to the speaker to the venue to the entertainment - says "wow," the tremendous effort and tired feet will be well worth it.
Nancy Turett is president of the consumer and healthcare unit at Edelman Healthcare Worldwide and contributing editor for PR NEWS's sister publication, Healthcare PR & Marketing News.
She can be reached at 212/704-8195; email: [email protected].