Marketing / Communications
Articles
“Roadside Assistance: Seven Steps To Great Celebrations,”
America’s Byways Resource Center; Vistas, Spring 2006
Public Relations: Seven Steps To Great Celebrations
As the new National Scenic Byways designees graced the platform in September 2005 and joined the America’s Byways® collection, the celebration planning started to take shape around the country. And that’s great! Celebrating accomplishments such as designation or even completion of grant projects is an integral component to the success of byway organizations. Celebrations offer a forum to publicize participants’ hard work and dedication and generate new interest for byway projects.
To help you celebrate successfully, here are some planning tips:
Make it BIG!
Don’t be shy about your accomplishments. Whether you are celebrating a project or designation, it took many people and a great deal of time. Members of your byway corridor community(ies) probably don’t realize the amount of effort involved. Celebrations remind them that your group is working really hard. Brag a little! Celebrations get folks excited. Old-fashioned banners, posters and plaques all add to the festive atmosphere and offer visible reminders afterward.
Focus on something tangible.
If a particular resource on your byway emulates the intrinsic qualities, host the celebration there. Perhaps a new visitor center is the reason for the celebration. By all means, show off your hard work there! Experiencing something firsthand cements concepts in your audience’s memory much more than reading an article or hearing a broadcast. There is plenty of room for creativity in this regard. Another reason to focus on a tangible element is that it gives the media a subject for their photographers. A picture says a thousand words, so why pass up the opportunity to provide a “Kodak moment” for the local media?
To be formal or informal, that is the question.
Celebrations come in all shapes and sizes, from the black-tie dinner to the community potluck picnic. Set the mood and atmosphere to fit your byway and its featured accomplishment. If the celebration is about a new trailhead, it probably seems out of character to have a black-tie dinner. Likewise, if the accomplishment is monumental and historically significant, take it seriously and create an atmosphere that reflects what you want people to remember.
Choose the right time.
As members of an organization, you know the details and actual timing of accomplishments. General community members do not. Celebrations serve as a public relations forum for your organization and it is perfectly acceptable to schedule the announcement at a date when you will get the most bang for your buck, rather than when it actually happens. For example, restaurants usually open long before their grand opening to ensure customers will encounter a well-trained and prepared staff. Book publishers do it all the time, too. Harry Potter came off the presses in August but the big release was not until October. Why? Because consumers are more likely to buy at that time. Choose a time that will ensure a large audience and best leverages your situation.
PR, PR, PR.
If reaching a large audience is your objective, the market needs to know when, where, whom and how. Craft a press release about the celebration date and location with a paragraph about the accomplishment and a picture, if possible. Even if the media can’t come the day of the big celebration, they can publish an article and photo to help you spread the word. Hosting a press conference is another way to ensure the media is present. Establish a time for all media to be there, indicate who will be speaking and provide the press release about the accomplishment at that time. Presenting a member with a plaque or cutting a ribbon are solid press conference highlights, and they give the media a newsworthy focus.
Invitations.
If you want important people at your celebration, invite them. Everyone appreciates the recognition implied by a request to attend an event; often this is enough to get someone there who might not otherwise attend. Invitations can be formal or informal, depending on the celebration atmosphere.
Thank-you notes.
Thank the special guests you invited for attending your celebration. Thank the media, too. A simple note a week or two later is a simple and effective way to build a good relationship that sets the stage for your next celebration.