SUGGESTIONS FOR MORE EFFECTIVE PRESS FUNCTIONS

PLANNING THE EVENT

1. Invitations to--or at the least, notification of--press functions should be made well in advance of the planned event. Providing ample lead time will help increase attendance as this give editors time to arrange their schedules accordingly. With advance planning, it's possible to take advantage of "super-saver" travel packages, particularly important nowadays, as cost control has become a vital concern.

2. Invitations/notifications should include specific details about the planned event. At a minimum, the following should be included:

+ Date, place, time and length of the event.

+ The purpose/objectives of the event.

+ Information planned for presentation.

+ Whether there will be photo opportunities.

+ Whether air transportation to/from the event will be provided/arranged.

+ Whether ground transportation from/to the airport will be provided/arranged.

+ Whether hotel accommodations--if necessary--will be provided/arranged.

3. Invitations should always include some method for RSVPing, along with an RSVP deadline date. Always include a contact name and phone number.

THE PRESENTATION

Two basic ingredients are necessary for any press event to be successful. They are: preparation and proper climate.

1. Have attendees sign in prior to the event. This provides a written record of who actually attended.

2. Distribute name tags to attendees upon registration.

3. All company personnel should have name tags which include their title and position.

4. Distribute press kits. If press kits are to be made available after the event, make this known at the time of registration. At the same time, make it known what the press kits include--presenters' remarks, press releases, color artwork, sales literature, etc.

5. Make artwork--other than what is included in the press kits--available. This allows publications the opportunity to run different photos with their articles.

6. Include as part of the press kit a list of company officials attending the event, particularly those making presentations. This ensures correct
spellings of names and proper identification.

7. Also include a backgrounder on the company. This provides material helpful in making articles more complete.

8. Make certain the function room is large enough to accommodate the audience expected, and that it has proper acoustics, light and climate control. Are there comfortable chairs? Is the room away from distracting noises? Etc.

9. If audiovisual aids are to be used, keep in mind that the fundamentals make the difference. Can the room be darkened adequately? Can the visuals be seen and/or heard by all? Will the heads of your audience cast shadows on the screen? Can late arrivals take seats without walking in front of the screen or speaker?

10. The material presented should be of interest to the audience as a whole. If it gets too specialized in one area or another, you run the risk of losing the attention of a majority. Specifics and particulars can be brought out during a question-and-answer period. Or, if material is especially applicable to certain publications, have those editors meet with officials after the main meeting.

11. It is advisable to appoint someone to serve as the moderator for the press event. As such, he or she can direct the meeting so that it runs smoothly, make sure the schedule is adhered to and see to it that each speaker is properly introduced.

12. When planning an event, consider the purpose of it, and how best to convey the information to the attendees so that it will be retained. It is always advisable to put yourself in the place of the editors attending your event and think about what each of them should be getting out of the function.

QUESTION-&-ANSWER SESSION

1. A great fear among all press function organizers is that when it comes time to entertain questions and someone asks: "Are there any questions?", there will be no immediate response. This can be avoided in a number of ways, the easiest being, to plant an opening question or two. After the planted questions are asked, the audience should start asking its own questions.

2. The most difficult problem you will have when questions are asked is getting them repeated so all in the audience can hear. The natural reflex reaction is to answer the question immediately. Questions need to be repeated.

3. The event moderator should also serve as the leader for the question-and-answer period. As such, he can make sure questions are repeated and direct the questions to an identified answerer.