One, it is best way to get the media to you. You can be sure that if the subject is important all newspapers and TV channels will send their reporters. Most will also send their photographers.
Two, you control the flow of information. You set the agenda by reading out a prepared statement. Reporters can, of course, ask questions but the answers lie in your hands.
You should answer only those questions that are favourable. Negative questions should be deflected with a smile and “No comments”.
Three, you get an opportunity to make friends in the media.
# Organising a press conference
If need be, you should hire a professional event management company to ensure that the press conference goes off without a hitch.
Public relations staff and event management companies spend considerable time in organising the press conference. The work starts by fixing the time and place. Next, an invitation is printed and is distributed to all news channels at least a couple of days in advance. Personal calls are made to all editors and reporters requesting that a photographer and reporter be made available.
The press conference is either followed by a lunch or dinner. Most evening press conferences are followed by cocktails. The idea is to keep the reporters happy, and hope to get favourable coverage.
# Media kit
Each reporter and photographer is presented a media kit. In the good old days, the media kit was limited to a note pad, a pen, a press release and a backgrounder on the organisation holding the press conference.
Today, the media is presented laptops, Ipods, suit pieces, even company shares. If it is New Year and Christmas time you can also expect Johnny Walkers.
It is not that the reporters are not aware of what is happening at the press conference. The principled ones refuse any gifts that are aimed to influence their judgement. But such reporters are few. There are several reporters who attend press conferences only to collect gifts.
The editors too are getting concerned at the way information is being pushed at them. They are trying to limit press conference journalism by encouraging their reporters to get the stories directly from the field.
You should therefore be careful. Don’t organise a press conference unless you have something important to communicate.