From the snowy mountains of Switzerland to the sun-drenched streets of Dubai, events such as Davos and the COP28 climate summit offer a huge opportunity for corporations to place themselves at the heart of conversations that resonate globally.
Having a voice at such events offers the potential to build your reputation, engender trust in your brand and to position C-suite executives as industry thought leaders. But turning that potential into communications reality can sometimes be challenging.
Major events attended by world leaders and industry leaders can flood social media channels with huge amounts of news and communications traffic. Being able to cut through all that noise to get your voice heard will unlock the door to successful event-based communications outcomes.
Formative’s content generation teams have been supporting clients at Davos and other leading events for a decade now. In a LinkedIn Live webinar headed up by Formative CEO, Gay Flashman, our team shared their approach to Unlocking the Power of Event Amplification.
Plan for success
Gay opened the discussion by asking Joe Myers, Formative’s Deputy Director of Operations how he ensures event coverage delivers on client objectives.
“You really need to start with a sharp mental image of what success looks like and what you're trying to achieve,” says Joe. “For really big-ticket events like Davos and COP, you need to think big and set your aspirations high because these events present major opportunities that don’t come around very often.”
With that vision in place, Joe then advises a process of reverse engineering – working backwards to ensure everything is in place to achieve your aims. You’ll need the right strategy, the right team on the ground and all the technical kit required to produce the content you need at speed.
Align content outputs with client needs
Kate Whiting has covered events across Europe and the Middle East in her capacity as a Senior Writer at Formative. She says it’s critical to ensure that all stakeholders are aligned on outcomes well before the event gets started.
“I've been to Dubai, Berlin and Davos,” says Kate. “Ahead of time, we always have multiple conversations with our clients to agree on what type of content they want, the tone of voice and the channels on which it will be published. We are usually creating video and photography as well as fast-turnaround written content like live blogs and discussion panel summaries, so we have to think about how all of that fits together to form a coherent communications package.”
Picking up on Joe’s advice to plan what you can, Kate suggests creating templates and article outlines to give you a head start when things get busy at the event. “Adrenaline and coffee will only get you so far,” says Kate. “You have to be a self-starter. It's about having a sense of ownership and urgency, and being accurate at speed – all core skills for a journalist.”
The view from the crew
At Davos 2024, Formative’s visuals team shot more than 7,000 photographs and 3,000 gigabytes of video (3TB). It’s a complex logistical challenge with the need to move crew and kit around a town where the temperature can fall to -20°C, the streets are covered in ice and security comes courtesy of the Swiss military.
Mike Sedgwick, from By This River, has partnered with Formative for many years, leading the technical and creative aspects of our content capture teams. Mike says flexibility is key to success during events, where plans can change from moment to moment. “There are a lot of things you can't control at events,” says Mike, adding three elements he does like to keep a tight grip on where possible: “communications, logistics and outputs”.
For Mike, having clearly defined content-approval channels in place before the event is critical. Clients often want to publish content very quickly, so it’s important to know who to go to – and that they understand their timely approval is key to the successful execution of the content plan.
Extending the life of the event
The opportunities offered by event amplification extend far beyond the event itself. A well-planned content strategy can keep delivering for months after the event concludes. This should never be an afterthought, says Joe. “The event doesn’t finish on the final day. Make sure you have a clear plan in place to guarantee all the content that's been gathered can be used effectively.”
For Kate, the SEO buzz created by a major event gives opportunities for big wins in the weeks afterwards. “Event round-ups capitalise on the search engine rankings,” she says. “For example, a headline such as 10 things we learned at Davos will make that content run and run. Post-event communications with the client are crucial to make sure these opportunities are not missed.”
Make your comms plan a central part of your event strategy
Hosting or attending a major event takes months of careful planning to ensure your organisation meets its objectives. Don’t squander the opportunity to maximise your comms impact – and make certain your voice is heard loud and clear when the world’s focus falls on the event itself.
