Press Perspective
Information overload. That's the best way to describe my trip to the EcoCity World Summit in San Francisco as a member of the press. As I write for Jetson Green, a green building blog, I was able to secure a press pass thanks to help from Amy Senn who handles media relations for Sensible City, the conference's pr firm. Speakers discussed global environmental problems and limitations on resource consumption, which demand a restructuring of cities and transportation systems worldwide for long-term energy efficiency and conservation.
I attended three separate sessions, with speakers coming from China, India, Senegal, Washington DC, and more. Knowing in advance the sessions that I was attending allowed me to formulate a plan for posting (coming soon) to Jetson Green. The speakers each helped shape what I knew I was already going to write. I didn't come with a blank slate waiting for an exhibitor to feed me stories.
That's an important point for businesses hoping to attract press attention at conferences. Most likely, the press have stories already formulated (in their heads) and are looking to round it out with perspectives. Talking to a reporter or blogger for 5 minutes at a conference and then being disappointed that nothing (yet) materializes leads to unrealistic expectations. Despite the 24/7 world we live, PR can be a slow process because the press are pulled in so many directions.
On behalf of one client, I spoke to a radio interviewer while at the conference. She knew of my client, knew everyone that worked on the project, was very excited to cover them, and was even geographically close. She just hadn't gotten to it yet because she was just plain busy. That's a press reality.
Leave a Reply