FOSE's PR In A Box -- FOSE

FOSE's PR In A Box

Public Relations and Press at FOSE

A well planned and executed public relations campaign specifically designed to support your company participation can help increase traffic to your booth and create valuable awareness of your company and its products among your various target audiences.

FOSE and ConnellyWorks, Inc., our public relations agency, are available to support your efforts to promote your company and new products to government and industry publications.

Press List

Exhibitors can receive the pre-registered press list to promote their participation and products at the show at no charge, starting 30 days prior to the show.

You must request the press list in writing by email to Kim Andreotta, Account Manager at ConnellyWorks at fose@connellyworks.com. The press list will also be included in each show’s exhibitor newsletter, which is emailed to your point of contact. Please note that the press list will be sent to the exhibiting company only; agencies or consultants must indicate who they are representing.

Maximizing Your Media Coverage

The trade, business and mass market media outlets covering FOSE are looking for story ideas and news angles. Some of these angles will include: exciting new and enhanced products, new trends, case studies, proven solution implementations, noteworthy industry thought leaders, and other items of interest to their readers.

Before you launch your PR effort, find news or feature angles about your company that are truly newsworthy or unique. It may be a new product or service, or it may be a partnership you have formed with another company. The two major questions to ask are: 1) Would this news be interesting to me if I were a writer or buyer and 2) How can I “package” it to make it interesting and exciting to the media and their readers?

Once you have identified the best news angle, it is time to present the information to the media. One of the most effective ways is a press release.

Press Releases

A well written press release that succinctly tells editors what makes your product or service different or unique is one of your most effective PR tools. These releases can be about each new or enhanced product, a successful customer story (case study), a new partnership, and a variety of other topics.

Many press releases turn out to be written advertisements. Stick to the basics, remembering the purpose of the release is to inform, not advertise. The goal is for the media to be informed and interested in your product so they can write about it; you are not trying to get them to buy it.

Many journalists are pressed for time and you must get their attention quickly or risk not getting it at all. They want facts, not short stories. Give them the main facts early in the release to hook them. Later on in the release, expand upon the facts that you have already given them.

Your release should include:

• An attention-grabbing headline
• The most important information in the 1st paragraph (who, what, where, and why)
• What the product, service, or important piece of news is
• Pricing and availability (if applicable)
• Contact information (name, address, phone, fax, email)
• Company information and booth number

If you have more than one or two newsworthy items, it is usually better to develop separate releases and then send them with at least a two to three week interval. Remember that many media outlets get hundreds of news releases a week, so if they receive two or three at the same time from you, they are likely to use only one and throw the others away.

The information in the press release should be summarized in a one sided 8.5” x 11”, double-spaced document. It should be no longer than 2 pages, stapled together. The release should be written in a journalistic news style, not as a promotional sales pitch. When appropriate, send/attach a color photo of the product in the release. These releases can be sent out with a reminder that they will be on display in your booth. Always include your booth number in your release. Many editors prefer to receive press releases via email. When emailing a news release, send it in the body of the email AND attach it. This way, the editor will be sure to receive it in the format they prefer. If sending a photo, you can attach photos and/or provide a link directing them to where they can find them on the web.

Follow Up Phone Calls

Many editors are very busy and do not have time to take phone calls from the hundreds of companies that send them press releases on a daily basis. Editors especially do not like people calling to see if they received their release. That is why it is so important to write an interesting release.

However, if you have an interesting news angle and/or some information you believe the editors would be interested in pursuing, give them a call. As with your press release, be succinct, get to the key points right away, and ask if they would like to receive some back-up information or set up an interview. Try to be as brief as possible and respect their time constraints. If they are interested, they will prolong the conversation.

A good guideline to use is to ask if this news will be viewed as truly interesting and important to the industry and/or a segment of the industry. If a significant portion of the editor’s readers would find it of little interest, so will the editor.

Press Kits

FOSE encourages all exhibitors to submit press kits to the Press Room in Room 154A of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Press Kits may be delivered to the Press Room between noon and 4:00 pm on Monday, July 18th and from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm on show days. We also recommend keeping a few Press Kits at your booth in case media stops by.

Your Press Kit can include any or all of the following: company overview; positioning statements; press releases and company executive bios. If you are giving away samples or advertising specialty items at your booth you may include it with your Press Kits in the Press Room.

Each company may submit a maximum of 50 Press Kits to the Press Room. We recommend that you ship Press Kits directly to your booth on the show floor as opposed to delivering them directly to the Press Room. Shipping directly to the Press Room may result in your package being misdirected or lost and you will be billed for drayage. Press Kits will not be accepted prior to the event.

You may want to consider an Electronic Press Kit (EPK). This is a traditional press kit but in an electronic form. An EPK can take the form of a CD or DVD, a thumb-drive, an e-mail, or a Web site. It’s easier for media to carry an EPK with them from the show so you may wish to consider this as an alternative or an addition to your printed Press Kit.

Press Interviews

The Press Interview Room is located in 154B of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, and is available by appointment from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm on show days. Exhibitors may reserve the Press Interview room for up to 30 minutes at no charge. We recommend you reserve your time as early as possible as it is first come, first served. (A/V is not provided and catering services are prohibited.)

To reserve the Press Conference/Interview Room in 30 minute time blocks, contact Kim Kim Andreotta, Account Manager at ConnellyWorks at 571-323-2585 x2150 or fose@connellyworks.com.

Publicity Request Form

We get many inquiries from the media in the days and weeks leading up to the show requesting information about our exhibitors. We want to be able to share as much information with them as possible about what’s new and interesting on the show floor.

Download the Publicity Request Form Now

By completing the Publicity Request Form, you’ll be giving us vital information for marketing FOSE to the media. Tell us about what’s new and interesting in your booth and we’ll tell the media, although we cannot guarantee the media will feature your product or service.