The Importance of Groundwork for Events
We’ve just got back from a successful visit to Innotrans in Berlin. For those not in the know, InnoTrans – held every other year in September – is the biggest railway industry exhibition in the world, with 2,515 exhibitors over the entire complex of Messe Berlin and 125,000 industry visitors over just three days. Events such as this can offer great opportunities for PR engagement but they provide particular challenges. Namely, with so much choice, how do you ensure that every key industry editor visits your stand?
The competition for PR is intense, with so many high-profile press launches taking place there can be more events than editors meaning that most stands receive no press visitors at all. At Innotrans we successfully got all key industry editors to our client’s stand. How did we do it? By developing and maintaining a close relationship with our transport press colleagues. Media relations isn’t simply about front page stories: it’s about keeping the press informed of what’s happening now, what’s about to happen and what’s going to happen in the longer term.
Having worked hard to develop that reputation with the trade press, every editor knew that visiting our client- Invensys Rail at InnoTrans would give them information and editorial leads for the future that would be perfectly tailored for their readers, and able to be followed up in the calmer times after the exhibition conclusion.
The result is a great relationship with the editor and what promises to be a full editorial calendar for the next 15 months, all thanks to thorough groundwork and investment in building relationships with the media.