HOW DO YOU 'PR' AN EVENT?

Events are bread and butter PR opportunities for me - and also for journalists covering any community across the UK and the world. They are 'moments' which highlight a range of activities, expertise, entertainment and PEOPLE all over the world.

Yet how often in business do we not 'bother' to showcase our own 'moments' and if we even go to the trouble of letting the media know about our event? And if we do, what kind of expectation do we have?

We do have to be realistic. Local media will have a ton of events to attend in any community every day so your first action is to 'assume' they won't attend and that you will yourself send out a story after your event to 'mark' it. If your event has something 'extra' to elevate it in the eyes of the media then they might come along and it might be very last minute. So have realistic expectations. Be ready to DIY or get your PR partner to act as your journalist.

The truth is that good PR always starts within any organisation large or small. There has to be a 'will' within a person, organisation, company or charity to make the most of any event they want to put on, manage or engage with. Media outreach is generally part of that. Even if it's an invitation-only event.

Today at about 6pm I'm heading to meet my client Arthur Dallimer at a small invitation-only event that he's staging to mark the official 'opening' of his new home Burderop House, a manor house just outside Swindon which will be his home. As a local property developer who is so committed to his community, we felt there was every chance people would want to come. His small event will involve about 300 people. So how have we looked at that event in terms of PR?

For most events there are two main opportunities - the story about it being held and a link to book and secondly the story about how it went both with good pictures.

Events are usually only of interest to the local media, community bloggers or online local outlets - with a longer lead time, some local parish magazines will cover them too. If it's a regular event and you have photographs which are decent from the previous year then use one of those to show case this year's event in advance.

Depending on the type of event - it's the 'before' activity which is often the most critical and it can also, in some circumstances, lead to national coverage but that's a whole other post for another day.

Then there's the 'after' event story, with a great picture, showing people who have attended, looking happy. It's a picture story and, depending on who attends and the size of the event, it may be a picture spread if it's a community event. Local media will prioritise events with a community or charity bias so it's worth remembering that.

In this case as an invitation-only event there was no pre-publicity. This is Arthur's home and it's a 'moment' to showcase his work on an historic local building, bringing it back into use as a home - and possibly may host some bespoke events for those within Arthur's circles (the house also includes 17 acres of grounds).

However the media have been invited to the event, and three writers have confirmed their attendance. With that in mind, I need to be there to ensure they get what they need and they can speak to the 'characters' which appeal to them while they are there. It's very unusual for the media to stay for a whole event - they may just have half an hour so make the most of that time. What do they want? Who do they want to talk to? What photographs do they need? And make it happen.

I'll also work with a professional photographer we've hired to be there too. Therefore we act as journalists for the event ourselves to send out photographs to any local media who are unable to attend. Will we get coverage? There's no guarantee as we're not buying space. However we are maximising our chances of this happening.

Along side that the guests will be free to take their own images of the event, the building, the food, the ambiance which many will share on their own social media. Any private spaces will be out of bounds. This itself will create coverage with an energy of its own. At some events, it might even be appropriate to create some 'selfie spots' in a venue to actively encourage people to do this. This is all part of PR.

Just today, I heard someone talking about whether or not they want to stage an 'event' around a new business - what if no one turned up? If that's your concern, add in elements to draw people in. Events are very much about doing the best you can with the budget available. Events tend to be successful if you think about how you want people to 'feel' while they are there - not if you think about sales.

Elements could be:

*Highlight great food and/or drink in advance.

*Share pictures of the amazing venue and what they will see in advance.

*Hire a good speaker to inspire and motivate - and talk about that in advance.

*Do a charity element which could be a fun raffle or auction of goods on the night.

*Great elements of fun such as selfie areas with props etc.

*Invite a local mayor or your MP (not at the moment as technically we don't have MPs at the moment) to attend as a VIP. This is about their community role and not about politics.

*Or do an 'open day' where people can drop by for tours of the premises and then take pictures as you go.

Every event has a different look and feel however these basic things will generally apply. And in Arthur's case, we do have a big iron in the fire when it comes to national coverage - but that's a story for another day!