Stress-Relief: Implement These Best Practices for Event PR and Marketing
Introduction
Earlier this year, we explored how to leverage PR and capture media attention at events, reflecting on our success at the Potato Expo with our client, the National Potato Council. That discussion covered the fundamental aspects of securing PR for your event.
READ MORE: Showcase: Your Complete Guide to Maximizing PR at Events | Evocati PR
We understand that conferences and conventions can be stressful, with countless last-minute demands and challenges. While we can't manage all these needs, we can provide best practices to streamline your PR and marketing efforts, allowing you to focus on event operations.
Make Your Event Location a Core Element of Your Brand
Potato Expo 2024 Branding Featuring Austin, TX (Source: NPC)
PR involves a wide range of skills and tools, but none as vital as storytelling—and effective storytelling is achieved through branding. The location of your event is a critical branding opportunity.
Our efforts for Potato Expo 2024 exemplified this. Every piece of Expo material conveyed a story. From attendee name tags to the event logo, everything highlighted the spud's return to Austin, TX, the Live Music Capital of the World.
The guitar-themed logo underscored the venue's musical heritage, while professional name tags emphasized the gathering of industry professionals for the nation’s premier event to network and advance their operations.
The Expo was more than just a platform to learn about the latest trends and unite suppliers and growers; it was a celebration of America's favorite vegetable. Prioritize leveraging your event location into your branding strategy before you even consider marketing tactics.
Plan Media Engagements in Advance
NPC staff interviewed by FOX 7 Austin at Potato Expo 2024. (Source: Evocati PR)
The adage "be proactive, not reactive" may be cliché, but it’s ingrained in the minds of event planners for a reason—it works.
By January 10th, we had already secured FOX 7 Austin to cover the Expo floor the following morning, showcasing the record-breaking event LIVE. If you have a compelling story, get ahead of the news cycle. Journalists appreciate a great story, as evidenced by the three segments we booked in Austin, but they don’t have time for last-minute pitches.
READ MORE: Mastering the Art of the Perfect Local Media Pitch: Tips from the PR Experts | Evocati PR
Don’t approach journalists just hours before you need them. Be proactive in your outreach to ensure they are not forced to be reactive.
Embrace Social Media
We often say, if it's not on Twitter, it didn't happen. Social media, whether you love it or hate it, is non-negotiable. No one can opt-out. If you followed Potato Expo on Twitter during the week of January 8, you were inundated with updates. Social media is not just for the young; everyone from dads, grandmothers, and crazy aunts on Facebook to cool uncles and angsty nephews on Instagram is engaged.
Our President and Founder, Barrett Y. Bogue, tirelessly traversed the 100,000-square-foot Expo Hall, capturing every moment. After hours of editing, hundreds of photos and videos, and thousands of steps, our social channels were brimming with content and updates.
Assign someone the role of Social Media Manager at your event to capture live reactions, short-form videos, and engaging content, ensuring the world knows the incredible things you’re doing!
You Got This
As you can expect, this blog post could have encompassed 1,000 tips, but we narrowed it down to the three we rely upon the most and you can implement at your next event.
Now, you're Squared Away.