November and December are slower months for many public relations firms as the holidays begin to take precedence, but for any agency with consumer technology clients those chilly winter months are primetime for CES prep. Two months of planning for our 19 clients attending, supported by eight on-site staff members resulted in great coverage for our clients, but how did we get there?
For those who don’t know – the annual Consumer Electronics Show takes over the Las Vegas strip each January for four days, unveiling some of the most unique and advanced innovations in a variety of industries ranging from automotive to fitness. Attended by nearly 200,000 people and with an exhibit space spanning over 2 million net square feet, it’s safe to say CES is one of the biggest technology gatherings in the world.
While the show floor at CES didn’t officially open until Thursday, January 5, the Uproar PR team began our work in the months leading up to the event, which are critical for exhibitors (clients) hoping to catch the eye of the thousands of media lost in a sea of technologies. This is – you guessed it – where we come in.
The Prep Work:
Drafting press releases, compiling press kits and of course pitching the attending media lists are just a few of the tasks that go into prepping for CES. The prep work is a key aspect in gaining the most traction with the attending media.
This is due to a few different components, the first being that the show spans so many industries. Therefore, it’s vital to schedule meetings with reporters and editors covering a specific beat before they hit the show floor since the show floor can quickly become chaotic. Scheduled meetings are also helpful for our clients so they know when a reporter is going to show up and thus, have time to prepare for the interview. This prep work is invaluable, but the in-person support our team provided for our 19 clients who attended the massive event was equally important to the overall success.
Pound the Pavement:
One of the pre-show press events, Unveiled, takes place prior to the official launch of CES with nearly 1,500 media attending to get a glimpse of all the new products they may see on the show floor. Our team attended the four-hour-long press event with a few clients to help facilitate scheduled in-person and on camera interviews. We also worked to grab the attention of attending media who had not scheduled meetings prior to Unveiled. This is one of the key benefits of having in-person support, particularly at pre-show events which have frequently proven beneficial to our clients to capture the attention of top-tier press ahead of the show.
These strategies continued to prevail and prove successful once the floor opened on Thursday. As the rest of the Uproar PR team entered their respective halls, we continued to be on the lookout for attending media that may be interested in learning more about our clients’ products and services featured at their booth. Additionally, we frequently walked the show floor to see which media was attending and if they would be interested in meeting with our clients.
Our in-person support is even more important for these drop-by meetings as we’re able to quickly coordinate with a reporter interested in pursuing a story. Reporters are on tight schedules and strict deadlines at CES, so our in-person team also works closely with our staff back at the office to make sure press kits, high-res images and any other necessary details needed for a story are sent in a timely manner. We also make it a point to follow up with media (both email and Twitter) every night to answer any lingering questions they may have and better understand their plans for CES coverage.
Overall, these strategies resulted in amazing coverage for our clients with over 350 articles total in top-tier outlets such as TechCrunch, Mashable, CNN, USA Today, Women’s Health, CNET, VentureBeat, The Wall Street Journal and more. In just nine months, it will be time to do it all over again and begin prep for CES 2018!
