Why Can’t PR Pros Organize A Useful Press Conference?

November 2, 2010 | Filed Under Featured, Photography, Public Relations | Leave a Comment 

Working in the media means working with public relations professionals. Their job, at least in regards to the media, usually means two things. These would be trying to keep you from publishing information about their client or trying to get you to publish information about their client. Sometimes on the same day.

PR pros uniformly do a great job when they try and keep you from finding out information. They ignore emails, don’t return calls, give you vague and unhelpful answers and make sure you’re at the front when the client goes out the back.

That’s why it is such a mystery why they have such difficulty trying to present information they want published.

The main vehicle the PR industry uses for media is the press conference. An arranged situation where the client or product is shown off, allowed to talk (even if heavily scripted) and just generally put on display.

Now there are a couple of things to mention, especially from the photographer’s viewpoint. In order for a photo to get decent play in a newspaper there must be something visually interesting happening.

Visually interesting is not a person behind a podium with a logo plastered wall behind them. Not unless the person is on fire. That rarely happens.

A real life example from last week. I attended a press conference at an educational institution (no names as this type of thing is so common I don’t want to single anyone out) to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated library.

Walking in to the library I could see in front of me a beautiful revamped space, students were jammed around new computers, relaxing in overstuffed chairs with books and magazines while other students and staff strolled the aisles looking over striking backlit shelves showcasing different publications. Picture windows at the back looked out onto the campus.

Lots of opportunities for photos that would truly showcase the library.

The press conference was not set up there though, no no no, it was to my immediate left, in front of a brick wall.  A podium at been set up in front of the wall, a big poster extolling the generosity of the federal government immediately to the left and a wall mounted TV screen showing the educational institution logo on the right.

To make the press conference even more interesting they had scheduled nine speakers, because nothing says interesting like nine people patting themselves and each other on the back.

Then they were having lunch, in a different room.

Another wasted opportunity.
An event that could have resulted in a decent coverage and promotion of a useful and well designed (and used) space (which is what pr types are supposed to be trying for) was just another boring waste of time.

The most frustrating thing is that not even the people involved with press conferences, the organizers, the clients or the audience (especially the audience) find the podium/speaker/logo wall interesting.

Come on folks, you can do better.