Event Marketing: How to Successfully Promote Events, Festivals, Conventions, and Expositions

and members whose facilities and services are available to

your attendees. These resources provide excellent ancillary

information with which to market the event. Moreover, the

convention bureau typically moves with significant influ-

ence in city politics, giving the association an even greater

presence and awareness among local decision makers.

6. Contact the local chamber of commerce. The chamber of
   commerce can be an excellent resource. An aggressive pub-
   lic relations campaign about the event, including buying
   power and demographics of attendees, can induce local
   merchants to display welcome signs in windows and pro-
   vide discount coupons for their shops and restaurants for
   the association to distribute as an extra benefit to attendees.

Holding a Media Conference

A media or press conference is an excellent way to get the word
out and establish relationships with those who can give you press
coverage, accommodate ads and “advertorials” in their publica-
tions, and slot your public service announcements into their broad-
cast programming. There are a number of ways to determine whom
to invite. A canvass of broadcast and print media information in
the location of the event should begin with chamber of commerce
and convention bureau membership lists and personal inquiries of
local contacts such as members and supporters. Personal inter-
vention by local association leaders can greatly enhance the op-
portunities for press and broadcast coverage. In general, news as-
signment editors at radio and television stations and city editors
at newspapers will be the first contacts to gain attention. They
may assign others to cover the media conference, depending on
the nature of the subjects to be covered, such as business, sports,
style, or entertainment.
These strategies should be observed when planning a media
conference:

1. Locate the conference in as central a location as possible,
   with greatest proximity to the press and broadcast stations.
   This may be a hotel, press club, or a public hall.


2. Ask the members of the press about timing. Attempt to
   schedule for their convenience. For example, a television

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