With conferences back in action, many companies are investing significant time and resources to participate in events again. As such, it’s important to do everything you can to maximize your organization’s presence.
Conferences are a great opportunity to network, meet with potential customers, and build thought leadership through speaking engagements. While most attendees are industry colleagues, journalists often attend these events to learn about growing trends and developments. In-person meetings with reporters are somewhat rare, but a great opportunity to build rapport and establish a relationship.
As you prepare to attend industry events, consider the following to make the most of the media’s presence:
Work closely with the conference organizers and sign up for updates. The attendee list for conferences can change up until mere days before an event. Contact conference organizers several months in advance to get a sense of the current press list and follow up closer to the event to ensure you have an up-to-date list. Additionally, the closer you get to an event, the busier the organizers will be. Be sure to sign up for mailing lists to receive important updates.
Check in directly with friendlies. Reporters may not be able to commit to attending until just before an event. Alternatively, sometimes their plans to attend fall through, but they may send a colleague in their place. If you have relationships with reporters, check in with them directly to make sure you don’t miss an opportunity to connect.
Offer specific topics of conversation. Reporters will likely be inundated with in-person meeting requests, so it’s important to highlight the value of a meeting with an executive. Just like any other pitch, consider the following questions: Why would the reporter want to talk to your client? What insight can they provide? Offer specific points of conversation and take the opportunity to ask the reporter what they’re most interested in learning about.
Arrange the logistics in advance. Conference attendees will be busy during the event itself, so it is critical to arrange all details in advance of the conference. Work with journalists and executives to establish a clear meeting point and exchange phone numbers so they can easily connect.
If you’re making an announcement at the event, offer it under embargo. Reporters are swamped during conferences. During the event itself, they are trying to attend as many panels and keynotes as possible as well as meet with industry leaders. To try to ease their workload, provide them with advance access to the news and interview before the conference. This will allow them to draft their article before the conference and increase the likelihood of coverage, especially since you’ll likely be competing with other announcements.
Conferences offer an excellent place to build relationships with influential media and share important news. It’s critical to plan ahead to make the most of their presence at the event. Keep these recommendations in mind the next time you or your client attend and industry conference.