Congratulations to you! You have succeeded in making your next event the talk of the town and the press is coming to the event to cover it. You must be exited for it. But remember that trying too hard to make an impression with press is going to show and will not be appreciated.
You have to maintain a fine line to make them feel included. The overzealous attitude is something that does not work well, in this case. First and foremost, you have to identify the real and appropriate industry influencers, court them and follow up with them, in order to ensure that they are coming.
Just after they have sent you a positive ensure RSVP and before you see them in your event, ensure that they have all the information like the place where to park, mobile numbers of the key people and the hours of the event. These days, the press travels quite light but still they have to carry cameras. For this reason, it is always advisable to offer them preferred parking or drop-offs which makes their movement easier and flexible.
Customisation is most vital for offering great attendee experience. This is where you should begin with the press, too. Here are some tips to treat the press in your event.
- Offer a Welcoming Experience at the Check-in –Welcoming the press attendees will be a bit different from that of the regular ones. The press passes are mandatory but there are other things that you want to give them. Firstly, welcome them with a smile and greet them warmly. Then thank them for coming over. You can hand them with a press kit and a welcome bag. This is vital. You can include a chocolate bar, a bottled water and some other materials of minor comforts. These will assist them while performing their job which will be appreciated. An agenda highlighting their points of interest should also be presented at this time. Make them feel that they can mingle through the entire event but you have taken just the liberty to highlight the basics for them.
- Make Sure that They Know Where to Go – You have already provided them with the agenda at the time of check-in. Probably you have highlighted different things for the tech reporter and that of the lifestyle reporter. You can also offer the contact information of the person of interest for the journalists and also introduce them if the need be. Arrange for a media contact person who will be able to answer all their queries. This way the press attendees can get their work done without any hassle. Press passes are there to make everything accessible to them. But encourage free mingling and do not pressurise for passes for entering any and every place.
- Check with Them Frequently – At the event, check with them from time-to-time just to make sure that everything is ok. Try to know if they would like you to introduce them to someone. Ask if they need anything else for the press space that is not there presently. Remember that you do not need to pamper them but you can always help them to do their job better. They will appreciate that the most.
The above are some of the things that you should follow to make the press attendees feel welcome at your event. These are certain steps that any proficient and experienced event management agency follows when they handle the press at any event.
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