WOBURN, Mass. – February 26, 2010 – As the technology community enters one of the busiest times of year for industry events, Topaz Partners (www.topazpartners.com)
In these first few months of 2010, major conferences and shows cross every technology segment - from SNW in IT management, to CTIA and Mobile World Congress in mobile communications;
Shows, conferences and other industry events provide a valuable springboard for social media and other PR activities. These events also present an all too infrequent opportunity to meet face-to-face with media, analysts and online influencers. Events are a magnet for thought leadership placements such as speaking opportunities, articles in special publication issues and online discussions that typically emerge around these milestones. Conferences, shows and other industry events are bringing all of these elements together, making them a very effective platform for the launch of new products, services or other major announcements.
To maximize these and other opportunities at industry events, Topaz recommends these tips:
- If a show or conference is important, try to attend, even if you can’t exhibit (from a PR standpoint, Topaz has found that there are PR opportunities whether you exhibit, present or just attend the event);
- Have a plan and prepare ahead of time, especially if you’re interested in arranging meetings at a show or conference;
- If you’re interested in speaking opportunities and article placements, you must start early – and you must do your homework on relevant and current topics;
- Try to “bookend” shows and conferences with outreach to media, analysts and online influencers before and after the event (while you might get a meeting, chances are your contacts will be covering a lot of ground and it helps to preface and reinforce your story);
- Use social media to extend your reach and leverage the content you’re developing for other PR activities (blog, Twitter and podcast before, during and after events, and look for opportunities to capture and distribute video through online channels).
“Social media has emerged as one of the most exciting developments tech PR has seen in decades – and while PR strategies such as proactive issues-driven media relations and thought leadership initiatives are helping PR professionals extend their reach – events-driven PR still plays an important role,” said Tony Sapienza, principal partner at Topaz Partners. “Many of our clients are attending shows or conferences – Acision and Novarra at CTIA, Fairchild Semiconductor at APEC and another at Sales 2.0 - and for them and other clients the emphasis is on a multi-faceted approach designed to maximize their exposure at these events.”
“Whether through speaking engagements, social media updates or face-to-face meetings with reporters and analysts, events continue to play a huge role in tech PR,” said Topaz principal partner Paula Slotkin. “We’re encouraged by today’s new PR strategies and we’re embracing them aggressively, but the face-to-face benefits of events-driven PR are hard to match.”
To learn more, share your experiences at events or voice your opinion, visit the Topaz Tech PR gems blog: http://techprgems.com/
