Hosting an Effective Media Event

The day of your media event has arrived! It’s time to play cruise director, tour guide, and publicist. Don’t worry: in this post, we’re going to walk you through the event so that you’ll come out looking like you’ve got your own team of professionals who planned the event for you.

Here’s what you need to do to make the most of your media tour:

Arrange transportation. If your project is out of town, you’ll want to make arrangements for transportation to the project. A mini-charter can be a good choice because you’ll be able to control the departure and return of your group. If an editor or writer is coming from another location to meet the rest of the group at the project, offer to reimburse them for their travel. Coordinate one pick-up and drop-off location, with a specific time for everyone to meet. Have a list of everyone joining you for the tour, so you can check off their names as they arrive.

Feed the crowd. If you’re asking folks to give an entire day – or even a half-day – to see your project, you should make catering arrangements. Make sure to have water and other beverages and snacks available for your guests if the bus or train trip to your project will be an hour or more. A box lunch to be enjoyed on the bus, or a post-event reservation at a nearby restaurant is always a good idea. Sharing a meal with the journalists is a great way for you to get to know what they like to write about and for them to learn more about your work.

Guide the tour. Once you arrive at the project, it’s show time! Prepare to be tour guide extraordinaire and show off your work. Plan ahead of time what you will be saying and plan stopping points along the way. For example, if you’ve designed a new office building, think about the most interesting features and design aspects of the project. Mark the location of each of these on your project map and plan to stop and talk about these features. Remember, however, to be brief. Don’t turn the tour into a lecture!

Don’t forget social media. Find the right moments to Tweet and Instagram during the event, or post the event to LinkedIn. This is a great way to document your event and to show the folks that couldn’t make the event what they missed!

After the event, follow up. Following your event, send a quick thank-you to your guests. Even if they don’t write about your project, it’s good to show your appreciation for taking the time to see it.

A media event can help you promote a new project but, more importantly, it can be an effective way to strengthen your relationships with the media and the people you want to talk about your projects. The more they know you, the more likely they will be to write about your projects in the future.