How to Organise an effective press conference

Organising a press conference

• Choosing a date
• Try to obtain as much information as possible about internal deadlines of the media you are targeting, and schedule your press conference accordingly
• Try to avoid a date parallel to other events that are likely to attract considerable public interest

• Choosing and preparing a location:
o Make sure the location can be reached easily, and with little effort for journalistso Make your organisation visible (e.g. with a banner, roll-up, poster)
o Provide good signage so that journalists arriving late can still join in

• Invitations
o Build a good list of contacts in advance, and try to use existing media directories
o Send out invitations by fax or email, about one week in advance
o Keep it short and simple (maximum one page), highlighting the date, time, duration (45 to 60 minutes) and location
o Include contact data at the end, and ask for feedback on planned attendance and accessibility requirements
o Follow up by telephone a few days before the press conference

• The press conference itself
o Have a moderator/facilitator to host the press conference
o Each speaker should prepare a short presentation or statement
o Align the whole programme around one key message, e.g. think of the headline that you would like to see the next day in the newspaper
o Do not assume that journalists necessarily understand technical terminology
o Prepare written or printed information on the topic; you can add information on the speakers and organisation(s) involved (cf. a media kit)
o Invite journalists to ask questions