Press Trips: Does Anything Ever Come Free?

By Jillian Dauer -- Tradeshow Week, 7/10/2006

The opportunity to travel is just one of the perks that come with being a member of the press. But being wined and dined on someone else's dime doesn't always come without a price. Organizations that put on press familiarization trips have a certain expectation that, in one form or another, they will get their money's worth.

For most organizations, whether it's a convention and visitors bureau, a hotel or a convention center, one purpose of holding a press fam' trip is to get media coverage.

"There's a certain expectation that the writer will produce a story," said Kelly Earnest, director of public relations for The Peabody Memphis. "Sometimes that doesn't happen. There's no guarantee."

Danielle Courtenay, vice president of public relations for the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau, agreed that the purpose of the trip is to receive press coverage at some point, but not necessarily the second they return home.

She said she wants the journalists to leave with "fresh thoughts on the destination so that when other stories come along we're in consideration. We want to be more at top of mind."

Helen Holzer, managing editor of Exhibit City News, said she always writes about where she's been, whether she saves it for her publication's regional focus or does something more elaborate.

"I feel an obligation," she said. "We're not there to see how much we can get, we're there to learn and bring it to our readers."

Because Scott Briscoe, editor in chief of Associations Now, understands the effort made by the trip organizers, he takes a different approach to the invitation.

"I explain ahead of time what kind of coverage they are likely to get or not," he said. "I don't want the expectations to be there."

Then he lets the organizer decide if there would still be value in his attendance.

Courtenay also prefers to have a conversation beforehand regarding what the journalists hope to get out of the trip.

"I hope they wouldn't accept the trip if it didn't meet their needs," she said.

Showcasing the full destination and building relationships are also accomplished on media fam' trips. Lauren Jarrell, communications director for the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, said she wants the press to leave with a sense of the destination appeal and a reason to go there now.

Atlanta, which is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the 1996 Olympic Games, has taken the media fam' trip up a notch. This year, the city hosted five trade publications in partnership with the Intl. Woodworking Machinery & Furniture Supply Fair — U.S.A.

"The purpose is to get people excited about the show in August through articles in the trade publications," Jarrell said. "If they're excited about the event, then they'll register to come."

Jarrell said that while she feels the press is familiar with the infrastructure that makes Atlanta a top destination, she wants to highlight what's new and different, and illustrate to attendees that the city is worth revisiting. Aside from drawing attendees to the show, the city also wants them to come a day early or stay a day late.

The biennial event, which ranked No. 10 in the 2005 Tradeshow Week 200, will take place at the Georgia World Congress Center Aug. 23–26.

Since group trips don't always work with every journalist's schedule, Orlando offers individual fam' trips. She said these can be arranged for several reasons.

"Maybe the group trip didn't work for them, so we tell them they can come down at their own time. Maybe someone has a specific angle and needs to do research, and asks if they can come down," Courtenay said. Sometimes the bureau just extends an open invitation to be notified when a journalist wants to visit.

The Orlando CVB works around journalists' schedules and creates itineraries to meet their needs.

"One size doesn't fit all," she said. "Fam' trips are a critical part of what we do."

But the event planners are not the only ones with expectations of the trip. The journalist's time is valuable as well.

"I really want to see what's worthwhile, what my readers would enjoy," Holzer said. "Everyone thinks these trips are exciting, but they have you running from morning until night. What they want to do is show you the best."

And they do. After eating at the finest establishments, staying at the nicest hotels and touring the city's newest attractions, how do the organizers determine if a media fam' trip's been a success?

"One way to measure success is the articles generated by the trip," Earnest said.

She compares the value of whatever stories end up in print with the cost of advertising dollars to determine return on investment.

Atlanta also measures the success and effectiveness of fam' trips by coverage.

"We look at the cost of an ad in the publication of the same size as the story," Jarrell said.

Earnest said success can also be calculated by circulation and readership of the publications, but those are harder to measure.

"Does the article do what you want it to? Did it reach the people you want to reach? Did it generate business?" she asked.

For Orlando, it's more than just the number of clips that are produced by the trip. How the articles were generated and whether or not they include information taken from the trip are also evaluated.

Perhaps the most valuable souvenir the journalists will take home is firsthand knowledge of the destination.

"You can say as much as you want, but until someone experiences it for themselves, they won't embrace it as much," Courtenay said. "It gives you a better translation into what you're writing."