Aly's Newsletter Industry Insights Edition: What's Going On With Press Events?

Good morning!

Today is National Cheese Day, and tonight marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot -- which is pretty dairy-centric. 

All in all, it's a rather complicated time to be trying to cut back on dairy!

Speaking of things we at times have had to cut back on (perhaps against our will!), I wanted to spend some time today focusing on the topic of media events.

It's been a bit of a hot button topic the last few years, with the pandemic forcing events online and now - two-plus years in -- some confusion about what exactly is going on and what it is people want at this point.

While there's no doubt in our industry that if you put four people in a room, you'll likely get six opinions, here's some insights I have as someone who lives and works in NYC (and, as I mentioned earlier this week, not only attend a fair amount of events, but have planned and hosted a bunch of virtual ones during the pandemic and actually currently planning an IRL one to launch my first signature cocktail!).

Planning media events in a post-pandemic world is a difficult proposition, considering we're not truly in a post-pandemic world. The COVID #s are still out there, still high in many areas, and still something to consider if ever in a situation where you'll be in a densely populated space, especially one that will not have an outdoor or well-ventilated component.

Before we get started, let me give a top-level rundown of how I feel in general: I think in-person events are very much back but that virtual events are also here to stay and hybrid events are key going forward. (In fact, a study by MPI shared that 70% of people in the event industry think hybrid events will be a major trend in the future.) And, using technology, we can make everyone a lot more comfortable on all fronts. 

Now, here's why I'm discussing this topic today...

Recently, a friend who is in PR mentioned to me that she was planning her first event (in a particular major metro area that I am quite familiar with) since 2020, and she was a little worried no one would want to go.

I have to assure you, while everyone has their own comfort area and what they will and won't do, that couldn't be further from the truth. In the last few weeks alone, I've gone to a few events a week, ranging from spirits tastings to movie premieres to press dinners -- and all were very successful and a fantastic opportunity to reconnect in person with beloved media and PR friends who have been relegated to email and text friends in recent years. In fact, one of the biggest issue NYC people are facing right now is the insane level of traffic, because there's so many people out there trying to get places!

Of course, that doesn't mean I have an open-door policy when it comes to event invites. In fact, I only say yes to about 10% of the invites I get, if that.

But here's some things that make me say yes to attending a press event:

Transportation

For various very serious reasons, ranging from social distancing to safety concerns, I am not currently taking the subway for any reason whatsoever. However, Ubers are prohibitively expensive, so I can only attend events that offer some sort of transportation voucher. Now, of course, for people who live within walking distance from wherever they are going, this would not be an issue for them. 

Timing

Daytime events are a very rare luxury for me, and have been for many years. A lot of my work is such that I have only an hour or two from assignment to publishing, and it's often in the morning. So, as much as I'd love to go to a fun breakfast or lunch, it's very rarely possible. The best way to get me to attend an event would be later afternoon or early evening, so think cocktails, dinner, etc. (But, again, this may vary depending on a person's situation, which is another reason it's a great idea to do appointment based or session based events.) I'd never want to say my personal feelings or situation describes everyone else's, so this is a great way that relationship building and providing options benefits everyone.

Content

You are spending so much time and effort and energy putting your event together. I have a world of respect for that. But, to that same end, I'm not going to waste a space at your event (and the expense to you of taking a space at that event) if it's a topic or product I can't foresee likelihood I'll be able to eventually write about in some capacity. I get that’s why I’m invited in the first place! So, If I attend your event, it's something at least casually related to my general content area, where I hope to build a relationship with the brand and subject to consider for future stories -- as well as just get to know that product better so I know if it's something I want to cover. 

As my content and my various outlets are largely culinary and travel focused these days, that's why topics related to that - be it home, kitchen, cooking, fine dining or spirits or wine, or destinations, are the bulk of events I do end up accepting.

Is It Fun?

There’s a whole lot of events. There’s enough events that we all could go to six a day if we were made of time and had no work to get done. But we do have work, and schedules, and other ways we need to spend our time — be it family, friends, cleaning our apartments, doing errands, whatever.

Be the event people choose by simply, being the event they want to go to. I’ve always loved the experiential events more than anything. I don’t want to go to a cocktail party where I see a model with great hair exhibiting a new haircare line…I want to try out the hair care line. And as much as I’d love to come and learn about your oysters by eating them, how cool would it be to learn about your oysters by getting a shucking lesson and then also eating them? To the same end, while it’s really fun to go and drink martinis, recently I went to an event where we got to use a specific vodka being showcased to make own own martinis and we had a whole selection of garnish options we could choose from to personalize our martini and make it our own. They tied this concept together by having a gardening element to the event and everyone going home with a window herb box. Make your event unique and fun and interesting to those attending and you’ll get those RSVPs.

That said, we live in the world we live in right now and we can’t pretend otherwise. There's of course some precautions and planning factors to keep in mind...like:

Communicate

I always ask a lot of questions before accepting dinners, events, and trip invites…on everything from Uber vouchers to health and safety protocols. Having all the information available in advance is the best way for people to make an informed decision. That informed decision is quite simply the decision that is best for them and their individual circumstances, which will obviously vary from person to person.

Consider social distancing

At the event I’m planning, I'm doing it happy hour style, where people will be able flow in and out over the course of a few hours, so it won't be all the people there at the same point in one isolated area. It’s also a spread out area. Social distancing can be considered in many ways depending on the capacity and type of event.

I've been to press dinners where you sit only with your guest at smaller tables, and not in a big long table of strangers. But you can also handle this by having smaller groups over a space of time vs having everyone all over each other all at once. This is not just about event flow, but anywhere where people may congregate - be it a bathroom or a narrow hallway to check in. This should all be taken into consideration when planning.

Use technology!

One awesome thing we've seen in these last few years is how helpful technology can be in limiting touch points. Most restaurants and bars have QR code menu options now, and there's no reason that events can't do the same with their cocktail menu, so that everyone isn't touching the same display all night. I've also seen a lot of larger events use apps like the Clear app so far as pre-event health screening, vaccination ID, negative test sharing, and even checking in and showing ID. This can be done on a smaller scale as well and it makes things a lot more seamless and avoids queuing up in aforementioned congested areas.

Consider health and hygiene standards at all points 

This can touch on so many areas of the event. You may want to consider avoiding buffet style or family style meals for large groups of people unless you go into the event with vaccination and mandatory pre-event testing (and even then, is it really necessary to have a buffet? Consider smaller individual tasting plates or portions whenever possible). But also consider sanitizing in all other areas, say, if you are sharing pens for signing in, or passing a mic back and forth. My favorite events have sanitizer available at all entry points and require all attendants to be vaccinated. People will simply be more likely to use it regularly if it's readily available everywhere. I recently was at one that required you be vaccinated, boosted, and take a rapid test before entry. Let me tell you, there's no greater way to feel safe taking that mask off!  If it's a food-centric event, it's totally fine to require people to stay masked, and all times that spacing, ventilation, and outdoor components are possible are appreciated.

Going hybrid

As much as I believe events are back -- and should be! - virtual events still have a place and I think that they should still be an option. Offer virtual versions of your events whenever possible (either concurrent or at another time). I've gone to a LOT more events the last few years as virtual events became the norm, just because they required no commuting, were in my comfort zone health wise, and fit into my schedule better -- the return of real events by means should mean the absence of virtual events. They remain a powerful part of the picture that I very much support. 

During the pandemic, I was blessed in that I was able to partner with brands to host many virtual events, from caviar tasting events to cocktail making, to much more. These were treasured memories that really helped to make a difficult time easier to bear and I will always be grateful — virtual and hybrid events continue to make it possible to connect with people who live some distance away or have lives and schedules that make physical attendance harder. Continue to make them part of your planning!

Whew…this went a little long, and I am actually going to send it out to everyone rather than limiting it to paid subscribers because it’s THAT important and often-asked a topic. (Don’t worry, paid subscribers, I’ll do another post just for you in a few days!)

lots of love (to you and to cheese)

<3

aly