Promoting an event? 5 things you need to know before you start
After a couple of years’ debilitating and costly hiatus due to the pandemic, events are making a comeback. People are keen to get out, socialise, and have some fun, which creates terrific opportunities for event producers. Likewise, brands are looking for new and interesting ways to engage and re-engage with their customers and audiences.
Events are a fantastic way to show off a new product or service, make a splash with a news announcement, or bring together stakeholders (think potential investors, clients, partners, even employees) for a memorable good time. And while they can’t run smoothly without a truckload of planning and first-class operations management on the day/s, don’t lose sight of the huge potential for leveraging public relations to put bums on seats, get eyeballs on your brand, and lift people’s spirits.
There is no one size fits all approach, but if you are promoting an event, here are my top 5 things you need to know before you start.
- Planning makes perfect
Strategy and planning well ahead of time is key. Consider pre-, during, and post-event campaign elements to ensure you get the most out of any media exposure. Too many short-sighted brands mistake PR as an ‘add on’, sending out media releases too close to the event date expecting to gain the media’s interest.
Identify your media targets and some key things that make your event newsworthy. Do you have celebrity ambassadors involved? Something new and innovative to display? A guest panel lineup that will pique people’s interest?
Put a media kit together including key assets such as a media release, information sheets for products/services, and great quality imagery. Give yourself plenty of time to pitch and follow up, especially if you want the media to come along.
- Do something different!
If you really want to get seen, offer an experience that is unique, bold, and entertaining. I recently worked on the PR for Aqua Rugby, Australia’s first 3-day floating rugby festival, and it reminded me of the essence of what makes a great spectacle for PR.
Imagine getting a barefoot TV host onto a floating rugby pitch, prepared to have a run about with professionals and dive into freezing cold water to score a try (thanks Doody at Studio10 for being such a great sport)! Interactions like this are newsworthy and visually appealing.
- Capture content (that you can use and re-use)
Have great content producers on hand to capture the best moments. You want video content and high res photos at a minimum, or even a drone operator if it’s appropriate. Develop a brief that includes all the key moments you want captured, along with timings, and keep a close eye to ensure you get the content you need.
Then make sure you get your ‘hero’ content out to the media immediately following (if not during) the event. The news cycle moves so fast, the relevance of your event will taper off as soon as it’s finished.
- Be available for media
Make sure you have great spokespeople, and make sure they’re available! Decide in advance who’ll do interviews, what their key messages are, and that they’re confident delivering them.
We recently managed PR for another client event at The Lume in Melbourne and having the CEO Tristan Sternson on standby for interviews at (and straight after) the event meant we could not only capture great in-person interviews but also maximise media coverage.
- Get social
Have a social media and LinkedIn strategy in place and again, start early. Develop your hashtags and create visual assets, and share them far and wide with your team and/or stakeholders. Depending on your event you may also want to consider targeted influencers as part of your PR.
No matter which type of event you’re planning or participating in, or how big it is, the objective of an event is to create excitement around your brand in order to build awareness, trust, and loyalty. So plan ahead, prepare to overcome challenges along the way, make some noise, and have fun. The only thing you can’t control is the weather!