The future of events industry media and how event professionals can strike the right tone to gain editor’s interest was at the forefront of conversation on Day 1 of EventLAB 2019, which takes place 14-15 October at the Business Design Centre, London.
In a session chaired by Davies Tanner associate director Ken Kelling, CN editor Martin Fullard responded to the question of what makes a good news story in the trade press by saying “if you’re bored writing it, you can sure I’ll be bored reading it.
“It is not always easy to get your news to the top of an editor’s inbox, as we receive a lot of press releases each day. The best way to stand out is communicate with us directly. You must build a relationship with us.
“If you have something that you think might be newsworthy, or may not, then pick up the phone or drop us an email. We can help steer it towards what may be on trend. If you the kind of thing we’re after, then what will help you.
Responding to an audience question about the future role of trade press, Fullard added: “There are two points here. Local news was in decline for 20 years, but recently there has been an upturn in its fortune. Local communities want to know what’s going on around them. The method has changed: it’s no longer a weekly print newspaper, but community boards and apps. The same logic can apply to trade press. The print product won’t be going away, but the manner in which we curate and publish content will.
“At Conference News we already run roundtable events, these are great way to temperature test the industry, and this engagement will only be more important in the future.
“Furthermore, and arguably more importantly, is that as the profile of the industry changes, the scrutiny from outside will intensify. Before the events industry has been able to hide, but with more exposure will come greater research into our supply chains and environmental impact. The national press will come to us first with their questions, so we need to be communication with the industry, and to publish and champion best practice for when that times comes.”
