Exhibition PR is simply different.

Exhibition and event PR really is different.

It is easy to forget that by far the most important media coverage for an event needs to be published months and weeks before the event takes place – the coverage that persuades exhibitors to book space and buyers, visitors and delegates to register and attend.

So before the event, PR is many months working closely not only with the client – the event organiser – but also with the client’s customers – hundreds of exhibitors – to find and develop news and features that will be a PR asset to the event PR programme as well as give the exhibitors added value.

What is different?

It is getting the event into the diaries of delegates and the media as far and wide as possible.

It is many months developing and following upon on media partners and barter deals to maximise editorial coverage.

It is months of working closely with conference and education session organisers within client teams to identify fascinating newsworthy speakers and creating news around them.

It is creating news relevant to the show and the industry to keep up the visibility of the event in trade and vertical market media right up to the show.

At show PR

Then, like a swan, the experienced exhibition PR team at the show will be working calmly on the surface, interviewing exhibitors, buyers, delegates and speakers. At the same time they need to be working busily behind the scenes, issuing news and perhaps social media, briefing photographers, writing speeches, managing the press centre and looking after the press – at IMEX in Frankfurt recently the Clareville team looked after nearly 300 media representatives.

That is another way in which exhibition PR is different. Rarely do PR teams working so closely with groups of journalists for several days, not on a special press trip, but providing the press with facilities to carrying out their day to day work in a home from home. There is much more to it than keeping a good supply of hot drinks, water and biscuits!

And if the unexpected happens – the press are on the spot asking questions!

More than 25 years of experience promoting a vast range of exhibitions, conferences and events across the world in various markets and looking after the media has given the Clareville team a huge bank of knowledge and expertise. It is learning and expertise that we have been transferring from event to event and back, from IMEX in Frankfurt and America to the PayExpo Europe Conference, from the Asian Women of Achievement Awards to the London 2012 Press Centre.

It has also taught us that market sector specific can be learnt more easily and more quickly than practical event PR can be acquired.

Yes, exhibitions and event PR is certainly specialised and different.

http://clareville.co.uk/cms/web-pages/what-we-do/exhibition-pr