Meeting Promotion & Publicity

Stay on budget, make your deadlines and reach the right eyes and ears with this list:

❑ Review previous years’ promotional budgets and set new budget.

❑ Determine audience(s): membership, potential exhibitors, an industry or trade, general public.

❑ Develop theme and corresponding graphics.

❑ Develop a schedule for the campaign.

❑ Develop promotional materials according to tested criteria: short and forceful sentences, convincing explanation of benefits to attendees and easy means of registering.

❑ Solicit a minimum of three competitive bids for all printing, checking samples of paper stock, and samples of work.

❑ Select printer(s), taking into account whether need is for “quick” or commercial quality, ability of a single printer to handle all needs, availability of equipment for jobs.

❑ Agree with printer on schedule into which extra time is built, and monitor deadlines.

❑ Release promotional pieces, press releases and related materials in accordance with schedule, with news releases preceding membership promotional mailings.

❑ Target local, national, international media as appropriate by type: trade papers, newspapers and periodicals of general interest, radio and television tailored to market.