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-We will be an active consultant in your planning, either in person or through your communication liaison committee member. We’ll be part of your ‘thinktank.’
-We will talk to your planning committee at one of your initial meetings to provide food for thought.
-We help you talk through the scope, size, reach and significance of your event. Is it of national interest? Does it warrant contact with national outlets?
-Can we help lay groundwork for your event? For example, should someone write a column for the “Nashville Eye,” or for “The Record,” or other publication as a preparation/foreshadowing of event.
-We will offer ideas, play the devil’s advocate, suggest alternatives, etc. We will help you make it easier, simpler, clearer, less cluttered and more efficient in terms of time, money and energy.
-Can we link your event/issue to the current events of the day … to a future event or celebration … etc.?
-With good information well in advance, we will suggest various ways to publicize free of charge: Record, Alumni Record, “On The Record” (radio), “MT Record” (TV), Audio Clips, MTSU Magazine (Pubs and Graphics), News releases (local and state papers), Public Service Announcements, Calendars (internal and external, print and TV), “Today’s Response,” Web Site link, Newswise, MTSU On-Hold, Murphy Center marquee, external talk shows (News 5 Plus, WGNS, NPR etc.
***Scheduling many of the above requires a month or two advanced notice. The Alumni Record is a quarterly publication! Not all of the above may work for you. We’ll be appropriately selective.
-Depending on your budget, we will help discuss such things as advertising, yard signs, fliers, etc. (There are others may be brought into some of these efforts.)
-We will steer you to other departments that ought to be involved: public safety, event coordination, parking and transportation, etc.
When you start thinking about planning an event … the following checklist will give you a jumpstart …
-Bring News and Public Affairs into the process at the beginning. We can help you plan. We can help you GET NOTICED!
-Time of year for event
-Scheduling the facility: What space will suit your needs?
-Venue: ADA accessibility, comfortable?
-Plan B in case of rain, etc.
-Parking: Shuttle service? Parking attendants? Signage? Reserved parking? (2850)
-Public Safety needs (2424)
-Signage: on campus and inside the event facility (Facilities Services 2414)
Where are the restrooms?
-Staffing needs at the event (Student Ambassadors: Alumni Relations 2922)
-Food: ARAMARK (Catering Office 2202)
Catering Guide: mtdining.com “Steps to Booking a Successful Catered Event”
-A-V needs: Test all equipment in advance (video, microphones, etc.)
A-V Services: (Equipment: 2711; Television: 2737)
-Platform/Room décor: Event Coordination (5002)
-Speaker platform: Can audience see speakers?
-MTSU presence at venue: Banner, wordmark on lectern, etc.)
-Invitation lists (if applicable)
-Registration procedures and deadline
-Handouts/Displays (What can you share with attendees about future events?)
-Printed program/other materials (Publications and Graphics 2896)
Directions to event for those off campus
-Photography needs (2875) Key question: How do you plan to use photos?
What We Need From You (or It’s good to sweat the small stuff!)
EVERYTHING … as soon as it becomes available!
WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW MUCH?????
Do you have NPA on your meeting announcement list?
Do you have a publicity person on your committee to serve as liaison to NPA?
Do you have contracts that we can see? What are the speakers’ stipulations/restraints?
Do you have speakers’ bios, contact numbers, photos, etc.?
Do you have a publicity/promotion/photography budget?
What kind of publicity do you want? Advanced story to bring people in? Day-of publicity for a follow-up story?
If we pitch to media in hopes of getting them to cover the event … what are the news hooks? Why should media (and their audiences) be interested in your event? What’s new and different about this event? What do you want attendees to take home from event?
Who are your spokespersons who will interact with media? Are they fully informed to give out information?
Who are your target audiences for your event? Are they local, regional, national?
Who are event sponsors?
Do we need to coordinate our efforts with outside pr agency?
Regarding fees, cost for faculty? Students? Admission for media?
Cost in advance vs. cost at the door?
When will your agenda/program agenda be final? (For events that are annual, biennial, etc., aim to have everything firmed up six to eight weeks in advance. Then rather than panic, you can tweak.)
Have you changed any details, times, venues, speakers, etc.? If so, let NPA know right away.
COMMUNICATION WITH NPA
-As soon as you say, “Let’s put on an event!” … contact our office and bring us into the loop.
-Invite us to your planning meetings (especially the first couple)
-Assign someone on the committee to be a liaison with our office to keep us fully informed
-Let us know each time there is a change, addition, deletion, etc. to your event.
SPEAKERS/PARTICIPANTS
-Will your speaker (s) be accessible in advance of the event? Could we contact someone and maybe do a phone interview while he or she is “on the road”?
-Will your speaker (s) arrive the day before event or stay until the day after? That opens up the possibility of a radio interview, etc.
-As soon as a speaker (s) confirms, ask for a bio, photo, contact information, Web site, book, etc., and have him or her send it our office or to you to relay to us.
-Get the contract, if there is one. Check to see if there are stipulations on media access and in other areas.
TIMING OF PUBLICITY
-C-Span requires almost a two months advanced notice (which means if we don’t have good information, we will miss that window)
-The effectiveness of our publicity efforts are in direct proportion to how far in advance we are made aware of an event. If you know you are going to have an event two, four, six, eight months from now … don’t notify us two weeks before and expect great publicity. Notify us months in advance. Then we can lay out a publicity plan.
PLACEMENT OF PUBLICITY
-Are there appropriate places in town and surrounding areas for publicity? For example, think about restaurant and business marquees.
-Are there other events in advance of your event that will bring a lot of people to campus whom you would like to reach with your publicity? Obtain permission to have a table display, fliers to insert in their packets, etc. Take advantage of reaching people who are coming to MTSU for other events: conferences, seminars, ballgames, lectures, Sunbelt and TSSAA events, etc.
REMEMBER … once our office springs into action and sends out publicity with venues, times, speakers, etc., any changes will confuse the message and detract from the event. Make sure your details are in concrete and the message is consistent … in news releases, Web sites, radio announcements, fliers, word-of-mouth, etc. d impressions and negative perceptions come from mixed messages, wild goose chases, locked doors, loose ends, etc.