That Wonderful Tool, the Press Conference!
By Michael L. Martel, MMC, Inc.
I'm often intrigued by observing how many companies exhibiting at a trade show underutilize one of the best tools available for letting the world know about their technology - the press conference. Too often, when the word "press conference" is mentioned, the image that comes to mind is the daily White House press briefing on CNN. That's a far cry from what I'm referring to, usually a 30-minute presentation on the show floor, but some of the basic elements are the same. In fact, a concise, factual, and properly scripted presentation to the trade press is one of the best means of disseminating information about your products and technology to the industry. It also builds your extremely important relationship with members of the industry's trade press.
I encourage companies with a legitimate announcement or product introduction to invite members of the working press to their show booth (if that is where the technology is) for a brief, no-nonsense, scheduled presentation, followed by a question and answer period, to introduce a new machine, material, process, or what have you. Never cry wolf; trade press editors and staff are professionals with busy schedules, and don't want to schedule you in to hear a commercial sales pitch or non-newsworthy stunt just to get attention. Many of them have prior experience as engineers, and many have technical degrees. When I was an Associate Editor, my boss - the Publisher - was a degreed engineer with many years of manufacturing experience before he switched careers!
Working press are at the show for a number of reasons, one of them being to show attention and support for their advertisers, who support their publications. They are also there to get the "scoop" on new products and technology that may be of interest to their readership. Some companies ask "Will they be interested in my widget?" Very likely! You don't need to be introducing a 2100-lb. piece of capital equipment that came into the exhibit hall on a forklift, either. Remember that they want to know about new developments, but not merely a new paint job on something that they were introduced to as "new" last year.
In this modern day of e-mail glut and impersonal communications, face-to-face meetings with the editors and publishers of the trade press are more important than ever! It's not merely a matter of the technology, it's also personal interaction. Editors can ask questions, can look inside of the unit or see a demo; most important, you as the owner of the company or marketing guru can put a face on the by-line. You can establish a human link with a key portal of market access - the industry's technical and business publications - upon which your company's marketing success in large part depends. Here are a couple of pointers for planning a successful press conference:
- Put together a neat, professional press kit, consisting of product and news releases plus supportive literature, company background information, technical papers, and any other relevant information. Put some in the press room, hand out others at the booth, or mail them to members of the press if they request it.
- Schedule your press conference with show management in advance, then do the leg-work; call and write to the editors, briefly telling them what you will show them, and inviting them to the press conference.
- Keep your presentation brief and to the point - a maximum of 30 minutes, with roughly half the time devoted to editors' Q&A.
- Rehearse your presentation prior to the media event. Remember to speak up, over the din of the show floor, and don't talk too fast. Keep all elements of sales commercialism out of your presentation; the editors aren't buying equipment, and aren't your ad agency.
- Follow up. Your relationship with the trade press doesn't end with the press conference. Did an editor express interest in a technical feature about your technology? Inquire about photography, perhaps for a magazine cover shot? Perhaps an upcoming issue in which your technology would be the issue focus (e.g., Optoelectronics)? You would do well to advertise in such a focused issue.
Any way you look at it, a press conference should be an important part of your trade show marketing strategy. Getting members of the trade press all together under one roof under any other circumstances than a show is well-nigh improbable, so take advantage of the opportunity to make your "official" product introduction there and be sure to invite the trade press. Do it at IMAPS 2001!
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