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Carrying Out a Successful Event
If you have opted to hold an event and you have secured the attendance of your Member of Congress, you now must focus on planning and carrying out the event. You should also seriously consider inviting the media to cover your event and help get the word out about your project, but make sure to clear this with the Member’s staff first. In this section, you will learn more about event logistics that pertain in particular to successfully hosting your Member of Congress and engaging the media. Tools and resource for this section include:
➢ TOOL: Event checklist. (Word format) This checklist will help you quickly determine whether you have handled the key tasks for your event.
➢ TOOL: Press release template. (Word format) Personalize this press release template with information about your event and project.
➢ RESOURCE: Tips for giving interviews. (.pdf format) You can download and print out this summary to help prepare for any media interviews.
Planning the Event
While this guide is not meant to be a how-to for planning an event, these resources should enable you to recognize if you have planned the “basics” so the event will run smoothly and successfully:
• Create an event timeline for the weeks you have remaining until the event and indicate what tasks need to be completed by which days.
• Develop an event timeline for the day-of that lays out the event start and end time; the various components, segments, or speeches involved in the event, including the length and order of each; and the roles and focuses for each individual who will be speaking or leading segments.
• Obtain permission for the location of your event. If it’s on school grounds, make sure the principal has signed off on the event. If it’s on city streets, make sure you have checked with city authorities to obtain permission or any required permits.
• Arrange for important logistical details, including refreshments, decorations, a backdrop and podium (plus microphone if it is a large event) for any speakers, and how your room or space will be laid out for the event.
• Confirm the attendance for the individuals that will be speaking or leading event segments, and make sure they know their role.
• Invite other key community leaders, including a representative for your school, funding agency and other key county, city, or local officials that are important to your project.
• Produce the informational packets discussed in Section 3.
• Identify someone who can volunteer to take photos (if possible, someone who can also videotape) during your event. It is important to document your event and get photos of the Member of Congress and other community leaders interacting with project personnel, parents and children, and other VIPs. You can use the photos in any publicity materials or brochures you develop in the future, and you can send copies to the Member of Congress or the media.
• Notify the press about the event (see the “Engaging the Media” section below for details).
In addition to planning the event, there are a few details you need to consider when planning for the involvement of your Member of Congress. Things to plan for include:
1. Identify a senior leader for your project or organization who will serve as the liaison with the Member of Congress and his or her staff during the event. This individual should not have any other responsibilities during the event except for escorting the Member during the event and taking care of his or her needs. The liaison will greet the Member of Congress when he or she arrives at the event and ensure that the Member gets a good understanding of SRTS during the event. Additional detail on this individual’s role is discussed in the “Holding the Event” section below.
2. Make sure the Member liaison you have selected has reviewed and understands all the background materials you have developed for your event (as discussed in Section 3), including your project one-pager, the fact sheets on SRTS nationally and in your state, the reauthorization recommendations, and the press release (if any). The liaison should be able to quickly and knowledgably talk about your project and its importance to the community.
3. Think about who your Member of Congress should talk with while they are at your event. Make sure these individuals are all prepared with background information on your project so they can represent SRTS well when talking to the Member and provide their unique perspectives. Provide a list of these individuals to the person who will be serving as the Member liaison.
4. A week before your event, contact the scheduler for the Member of Congress.
• Confirm that the Member still intends to participate in your event, as well as the date, time, location, and role for the Member of Congress.
• Confirm how long the Member can stay.
• Let the scheduler know that your Member liaison (provide the name and cell phone if possible) will be greeting the Member when he or she arrives at the event.
• Ask if there is a cell phone or number you should call the day of the event if the Member does not arrive as planned
• Make sure the scheduler has a cell phone or other way of contacting you the day of the event.
• Thank the scheduler for all her assistance in securing the Member’s participation.
• If you are planning to engage the media (see the next section for details), let the scheduler know that you are working with their press secretary.
5. Contact the scheduler one last time the day before your event to confirm the Member’s attendance.
Engaging the Media
Many people are intimidated by the idea of calling or writing a reporter or editor to pitch a story. They believe that the media will be uninterested in stories coming from the community. In reality, reporters and editors rely on a wide variety of sources for news, and they are often grateful to those who tip them off to good stories. And, if you are able to secure some media coverage for your event, it will help spread your message about your SRTS project—possibly encouraging more parents to consider allowing their children to walk or bicycle to school or reminding drivers to be more careful near schools.
Before you start to contact the media, you need to be prepared. Investigate the following items:
1. Talk with the scheduler for the Member of Congress to see if they are comfortable with having media at the event, and whether they would like to be involved in publicizing the event. The press secretary may have different ways in which they want to be involved, such as:
• Providing you with some contacts for reporters or helping pitch the story
• Asking to review your press release or collaborate on language
• Providing a quote from the Member for your release
• Producing their own press release about the event.
2. Check with your key partners to see if they have a press or media person on their staff. If so, see if you can work together. This is particularly important when working with schools and city officials. They may have existing relationships with reporters that will make it easier to get them to cover the story.
3. What are the key types of media you should contact? Make a list of each of the following, and use the phone book or the Internet to find their phone numbers. If you’ve noticed a particular reporter tends to cover stories in your neighborhood or about transportation or education issues, make a note so you can start with that person when you call.
• Newspapers, including the main newspaper for your area as well as smaller community papers or newsletters
• Radio stations, including any local public radio or news stations
• Television stations, including the major networks plus any local public television or cable access news channels
4. Think about your talking points. You need to be able to quickly and succinctly pitch the reporter on why your event would make for an interesting story. The key things you need to cover are:
• When your event is and what kind of event it is
• Why your event and project are important to the community (take a look at the one-pager you developed in section 3 and pick the most important things about how your project will help children in your community)
• Why this is “news”—any high-profile local leaders who will be in attendance (including the Member of Congress!), that it’s the kick-off for a campaign or building project, etc.
5. Draft a press release. A press release is simply an informative document to communicate basic information about your organization, your project, your event, and why it’s news. It is a longer version of the talking points you just developed. Please see the Sample Press Release tool in this section, which you can personalize and adapt. You will fax or email this to any reporters or editors who ask for more information.
6. When you are a week before your event, you should start making media “pitches.” If you don’t know which reporter to talk to, call the main number and ask to speak to the editor or reporter who covers education, transportation, or children’s issues. Make sure to have your talking points in front of you before making the call!
Once you reach the reporter or editor, it’s important to remember that they are often working on “deadline,” and that you need to be sensitive about timing before making your pitch. A possible approach would be to say:
“Hello, my name is ______________ and I’m calling to let you know about an upcoming event at [school name] involving Rep. [name]. Do you have a few minutes to talk right now?” If the reporter says, “No, I’m working on deadline,” then ask when might be a good time to call back. If the reporter agrees to talk, go into your quick “pitch” of your talking points.
Here’s an example for a pitch:
“XYZ School is holding its first-ever “Walking Wednesday” on October 8, 2008 as part of International Walk to School Day and Rep. [name] will be attending/speaking. We recently received a $100,000 federal Safe Routes to School grant to enable more children to safely walk and bicycle to and from school—which will help reduce traffic congestion, improve safety and air quality, and introduce more children to healthy and active lifestyles. We have made important safety upgrades to the sidewalks around the school, and our kick-off event is an important opportunity for parents and their children to try walking to and from school.” Pause and see if the reporter says anything. If not, continue. “A number of community leaders will be speaking at the inaugural Walking Wednesday, including Mayor Jones and Congressman Smith, and local businesses will be handing out healthy snacks and incentives. We expect it to be a fun and informative day for families and community members in Johnstown. Do you think you might be able to cover this event? How can I send you our press release?”
The reporter probably won’t commit to covering the story on your phone call, but hopefully you have piqued their interest. Send them your press release and the one-pager on your project you developed in Section 3 via fax or email, whatever the reporter preferred. Make sure to follow up right away, before the reporter loses interest. If the reporter says that he or she is not interested, ask if there is someone else at the paper who you can contact. Be sure to thank the reporter or editor for their time, regardless of whether they do or don’t want to do a story.
If the reporter or editor agrees to consider doing a story, call back the day before your event to remind them about your event and confirm whether or not they will be in attendance. Make sure they have your contact information (including a cell phone if possible) in case they have last-minute questions when writing or producing their story. It’s also a good idea to send an updated press release one day in advance of the event to ensure that the media has the necessary information.
As you talk with reporters, build a “media contact” list for yourself, including names, numbers, email, the publication name, and how they like to receive press releases (by fax or email). Then you will have this information handy for future events.
Holding the Event
The day of the event you will likely be busy making sure all your planning comes together. There are some things that you should ensure will be handled for the Member of Congress and the media (if they will be attending.)
The individual you have identified as the “Member liaison” is very important during your event. Their job is to make sure the Member of Congress has a good time at the event, is seen in a good light by the community, and walks away with a favorable impression or your organization and SRTS. Specific duties for the Member liaison during the event include:
• Greet the Member of Congress when he or she arrives, and thank him or her for attending.
• Confirm with the Member the timeline for the event, and that the Member is still able to stay as long as the scheduler had indicated.
• Tell the member a few highlights about the project and give some context for the event.
• Make sure the Member is comfortable and see if he or she needs refreshments, a place to take a phone call, or any information for remarks they might be making at the event.
• Let the Member know that there are some key individuals you would like to introduce him or her to, and facilitate those interactions.
• Coordinate with the photographer to document the Member’s interactions during the event.
• If the Member will be making a speech or leading a segment of the program, make sure he or she is in the right place at the right time.
• As the event is winding down, thank the Member for attending and “make the ask”. Let the Member know that you hope they see the value of Safe Routes to School, and that they will support the expansion of the program in the upcoming transportation reauthorization bill. See Section 5, Conducting a Successful Meeting, for more information on the “ask” for the Member of Congress.
• Give the Member and his or her staff the informational packets you have prepared, as well as your business card.
• Get a business card from any staff accompanying the Member of Congress so you can follow up after the event.
You may not know until you are at the event if any members of the media will cover your event. So, if you sent out a press release, you should plan for a few things the day of the event:
• Identify a spokesperson for your project who will do interviews with reporters. See the Tips for Giving Interviews tool for additional information. Please also note that the reporter will probably have their own “angle” in mind for the story and may ask the spokesperson if they can speak with certain types of individuals, like a parent, student, or engineer.
• Create some packets for the media (see section 3 for more information on what to put in a media packet) that you will distribute at the event.
• Have a place at your event where media can check in. One way of doing this is to have a table with a sign on it for Press. Members of the media should be asked to sign in and provide their contact information, and you can then give them a media packet.
• Identify someone to staff the media table. This person should greet the media, thank them for coming, and help steer them to your spokesperson and any other newsworthy individuals (like the mayor, the principal, the Member of Congress, etc.) Your Member of Congress will likely be very happy to talk to be featured in a “feel-good” story about child safety and education, so try to make sure any reporters get an opportunity to talk to the Member.
If the reporter covers your event, be sure to send a thank you note afterwards. Through building the relationship, you will hopefully become a credible “source” for the reporter, and you might be able to work with him or her again on future events. Remember, the media is always fast-paced, so if you ever get a call from a reporter asking for information, make it your top priority to respond as soon as possible. If you are timely and provide accurate information, you can become a “go-to” source for the media.
Another way to continue the good “free” press about your project is to follow up on a news story with a letter to the editor. A leader for the project can write a letter to the editor of the publication that covered the story thanking the paper for covering the story, thanking the Member of Congress for attending, and reiterating the importance of the SRTS project. You can also ask a parent or older student to write a letter to the editor about the impact of the project on their lives. Be sure to follow the guidelines in your local paper’s opinion section for the length and format of your submission.
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