Concept of Press Kit and Organizing Press Conferences
Organizing a Press Conference
Press conferences are the mechanism through individuals, institutions, and stakeholders reach out to the people. Since the media is the transmission mechanism for communication between these groups and the people, it is necessary to organize press conferences to drive the message that these groups want to be conveyed to the people. Hence, it is the practice in modern democracies to organize press conferences wherein the stakeholders invite presspersons and mediapersons and put their point of view across.
There are many things that go into organizing press conferences and in this article; we discuss some of these aspects. The first and foremost requirement for a press conference is the press release that lays out the message sought to be conveyed in a concise and lucid manner.
The press release is the first formal communication that is sent out by the stakeholders to the mediapersons inviting them for a lengthy press conference or if the mediapersons cannot attend for some reason or the other, the press release serves as the reference point for media coverage. Hence, caution must be exercised in drafting the press release and the wording in the release must be chosen judiciously.
The Concept of the Press Kit
The press kit comprises of the press release, the accompanying material that elaborates on the topic, and any other items that need to be bundled together so that the mediapersons have all the information that they need.
It is the practice by many stakeholders to include gifts and complementary items in the press kit so that the mediapersons have an incentive to attend the press conference as well as an incentive to report the topic. Of course, given the recent scandals in the media about how the press is compromised because of monetary gains, the gifts and the complementary items must be chosen with care so as to ensure that the stakeholders do not go overboard in showering largesse on the mediapersons.
In cases where there are no formal press conferences and the media is invited to cover an event or a happening, it is the practice to include documentation, pamphlets, and complementary items in the press kit so that the mediapersons are made aware and informed about the event or the happening.
Apart from this, the process of organizing a press conference also involves booking the venue for the press meet and arranging for refreshments as well as providing for acoustics and lighting so that the visual media have the necessary infrastructure to cover the press conference.
Final Thoughts
Finally, it needs to be mentioned that the press release should be sent before the press conference preferably a week in advance and the press kit made available at the venue.
The point here is that these things should not get mixed up as the mediapersons might abstain themselves from the press conference if they find that they have all the information that is needed and that their presence in the press meet does not serve any purpose.
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