Clint and I went along to the 2009 launch of Floriade, which was officially opened on Friday 11 September by Antonia Kidman and ACT Tourism Minister Andrew Barr. Apart from the glamour factor, Kidman is also a keen gardener and fitness fanatic so is perfectly suited to this year’s theme of the celebration, Mind, Body and Soul.
Events and launches are a great way to highlight your cause and create a buzz about your business. It gives you a chance to thank your customers, welcome potential new customer and also raise your public profile through the media. But events don’t get into the news just by happening, and trying to get media there can feel like pulling teeth. Endless effort sending invitations, alerts, media releases and several follow up phone calls to get ‘I’ll see what’s happening on the day.’
So if it is not possible to get that famous sister to open or launch your event, how do you get media to an event?
With so many stories competing for media attention it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. You need to know what makes you ‘newsworthy.’  Journalists are more likely to favour events that have a unique story, involve celebrities or local heroes, raise money for charity or launch what has or will become an exciting annual event.
So to maximise your chances of getting media to your event, here are some tips. Have a respected profile launch or open your event. Time it so that reporters can still make their deadlines, give media at least a day’s notice of the event, send your release a few days before and call the reporters a day before to confirm. Ensure have extra copies of the release on hand or if you have time, put together a press kit to include a little more information. Lastly, always have ‘the image’ in mind; make sure you have something visually appealing for cameras.