5
BEST TIPS: |
Event
Check List
• Get
a request in
writing.
• Find
out when and
where the event
is and if there
is flexibility
to change dates
and times.
• Clarify
the purpose of
the event and
the role requested
of the official.
• Determine
whether the press
will be there.
• Ask
for the number
of guests and
other participants.
|
EVENT
PLANNING
• Planning
for an Inside Event
• Planning
for an Outside Event
A government press
office is called upon
to deal with many kinds
of public events. There
are "media events" -
events to which the
press is invited — and
there are other events,
some of which the media
attend and some they
do not. A press spokesperson
should be able to manage
participation in any
event, media or not,
whether you are hosting
it or attending it
as the guest of someone
else.
Think of these events
as theater or ballet.
Everything should be
planned and scripted,
and everything should
relate to the overall
theme of the play or
the ballet. Every detail
and each person's role
is well thought out.
There should be a director — from
your staff — on
site to make sure that
things are carried
out as planned.
Planning
for an Inside Event
Thorough planning
is needed for every
event in which a press
spokesperson participates,
but especially for
events such as the
visit of a head of
state or a meeting
of several foreign
ministers.
- As a first step,
appoint a manager
to oversee the entire
event. He might handle
everything, or she
might have to supervise
several other people
who are handling
different tasks.
- Then, decide on
the theme of the
event:
- What is its purpose?
- What goals do you
want to achieve?
- What impact do
you want to have?
- Establish deadlines
for the various components
of the event.
- By what date must
a speech be completed?
- By what date should
requests for materials
- By what dates are
approvals needed?
- By what date should
invitations be sent?
- Have regular meetings
with those involved
in the event to make
sure that assignments
are being carried
out. Make a site
visit at least one
day in advance to
check on arrangements.
The bigger the event,
the further in advance
the site visit should
occur — for
a state visit, probably
weeks in advance;
for a half-hour meeting
between ministers,
an hour in advance.
But always have someone
from your staff at
the site several
hours before the
event so that they
can manage any last-minute
changes.
- Prepare a briefing
book for the event
that includes the
schedule, list of
participants, talking
points or speech,
biographies of important
people at the event,
a summary of political
and other key issues,
and newspaper articles
that are related
to the issues.
- Write thank you
notes after the event
to those involved,
such as the key attendees
and staff.
- Hold a follow-up
meeting with your
own staff and write
a short report on
what went well and
what did not so as
to improve future
events.
A general theory in
the United States is
that about 5 to 10
hours of planning are
required for each hour
an event will last.
Planning
for an Outside
Event
Even if it's someone
else's event at which
your government official
has been invited to
speak, review anything
related to the official's
participation, including
the invitation and
press materials in
which the official
is mentioned.
Always have someone
from your staff at
the site in advance
of the event. That
way he or she can advocate
on your behalf, learn
if there are changes
to the program, and
alert your official.
Without this, you will
have no control over
the official's participation.
An important part
of outside event planning
is assessing the invitation.
Consider this: a government
official traveled several
hours to give a speech
to an audience he thought
would be supporters.
But once there, he
found he was on stage
with opponents, whom
he was expected to
debate in front of
an unfriendly audience.
No staff had checked
the arrangements in
advance, so no one
knew that the actual
event deviated from
the invitation, which
had been given orally.
To prevent surprises,
many politicians request
that all invitations
be put in writing.
That way they know
exactly what is being
requested and can negotiate
their participation
according to what is
written. Many then
respond in writing
stating what their
participation will
be.
When an invitation
comes in over the phone,
the press spokesperson
or scheduler might
say: "Our policy
here is to have invitations
in writing. Please
mail, fax, or e-mail
a request with the
following information:"
- The title of the
event.
- Its purpose.
- The date and time(s).
In this regard, it's
good to find out
if there is any flexibility.
For instance, if
a conference is being
held over several
days and an official
is invited for one
specific day on which
he/she is engaged
elsewhere, can another
date be substituted?
- The location.
- The number of people
expected to attend.
- Whether there will
be other participants,
and who they will
be.
- Whether there's
a tradition of having
a particular guest
speak at the event.
Is that person the
official for whom
you work - for example,
in his/her capacity
as governor of a
state.
- What the official's
role will be — to
give the main address,
to be the sole speaker,
to be one of several
speakers, to speak
on a certain topic,
and so forth.
- Whether the event
is open or closed
to the press.
- If this is an annual
or repeat event,
how the media have
covered it in the
past.
You can then review
the written invitation
and change what you
like and don't like,
negotiating from what
has been written. And
you can respond in
writing as to what
you want to accept
and what will be your
participation.