PUBLIC RELATIONS TIPS — TIP NO. 21:

If you’re not doing so already, you should meet with journalists, analysts and bloggers at trade shows and conferences.

The larger the event, the more journalists likely to be on hand. That spells an opportunity for you to conduct pre-scheduled and impromptu media interviews and briefings at your booth.

I’ve found there are always journos willing to meet at shows/events if you will

1. Take the time to craft/prepare your story idea(s) in advance, and
2. Make the effort to reach out to reach out to journalists in a timely and appropriate manner.

At some of the smaller shows, such efforts have landed only a handful of meetings with the media for our clients, but that was okay as such results were in line with our expectations.

In other instances, such as this January’s 2009 Consumer Electronics Show where we helped Schwinn Bicycles launch its new Tailwind electric bicycle, we’ve been able to meet with 100+ bloggers, reporters, editors, reviewers, analysts and the like during a show.

Regardless, you should always look for opportunities to meet with the press while you’re at conferences, trade shows and other such events.