One of the biggest challenges in today’s event industry is getting people to attend. Whilst you might well have an amazing event that stands out and serves a demand, more and more people have limited time and money to attend events, so your next hurdle is to make people aware of it. We do this through the power of PR and marketing.

Here are some tips on how to get great PR for your next event:

Pre-event

• Look at your assets – what ‘wow factor’ has your event got that media need to know about in order to reach your target audience?

Have you got speakers, expert showcases, roadshow stalls? Talk about what people will learn about if they come to your event. Don’t be afraid to go out with thought leadership pieces, as these are much stronger and more engaging content ideas than just ‘tickets on sale now’.

• Start contacting media early

It is important to make sure press are informed about your event in plenty of time. Firstly, so you can react to any forward features that may be relevant and also to accommodate magazine ley times. Depending on the title, some outlets are working on issues six months in advance!

Media attendance

• The attendance of press at your event serves a great importance. Normally it delivers one of your objectives, but it can also help awareness in the long term and encourage attendance if your event runs longer than a day or is an annual event.

• Think about what media can achieve from coming to your event that they can’t get from a press release. Can they interview speakers personally, hear something for the first time?

• Ask yourself what the media outlet will require for their coverage? If it is TV they will require something to film, so tell them what opportunities there are, be clear on the visual aspects to film and the opportunities available to interview spokespeople. Also, ensure the event is in media diaries well ahead of time.

Post event

• Evaluate your success! Monitor the coverage you achieve – this will be vital to your next event when you want to demonstrate the value of PR, get new sponsors on board and benchmark your success for future events.

• Distribute a post-event media release – highlight the successes and testimonials from attendees or sponsors and if appropriate start prompting your audience about the next event.

Integrated PR is great PR!

Remember, PR is a great tool to promote your event, however it is even more powerful if you integrate your news and announcements across your marketing and advertising.

Talk to Zadro about creating a PR strategy for your event today – call us on (02) 9212 7867 or email advice@zadroagency.com.au.