Elevating Media Presence at ProMat
16 Interviews Secured, One Cover Story Earned
The Communications Group partnered with a leading material handling company to enhance their media presence at ProMat 2017. Despite challenges, including a last-minute acquisition, the team successfully coordinated multiple high-profile interviews and achieved significant media coverage.
The Challenge
Fifty years ago, a material handling company entered the North American forklift market and has since become an industry leader. In 2017, they sought public relations and media relations support from The Communications Group for ProMat, the premier global event in the material handling and logistics industry, attracting 45,000 professionals from around the world.
Our goal was to secure media coverage for the company at ProMat, despite not having an exhibit booth. We aimed to arrange interviews with trade media outlets for 10 invited journalists. However, a major acquisition just weeks before the event disrupted our planning, necessitating additional efforts to communicate the new organization's strategy.
The Solution
We conducted an audit of the earned media coverage from the 2015 ProMat event, which included interview opportunities, attributed quotes, and stories earned. Using this research, we developed an earned media strategy for the 2017 event. Our team secured interviews for the president of the newly acquired organization and included the new CEO in our pitch to journalists. We wrote tailored talking points for each expert and provided on-site media training and preparation for every interview.
To navigate the absence of an exhibit booth, we lined up interviews for two days at the show, provided talking points and coaching to the client, and created an offsite space to host the interviews. We scheduled 16 interviews, resulting in one cover story and coverage from each interview.
The Results
The Communications Group's PR team scheduled 16 interviews during the two-day media availability window. The efforts led to a cover story published in Modern Materials Handling a month after the trade show. Every journalist confirmed and completed their interview, resulting in comprehensive coverage across all targeted horizontal and vertical trade media. This achievement set a record for the material handling company’s media relations efforts at ProMat. Despite the challenge of an off-site location, careful planning and buffer timing ensured every appointment was met, facilitating meaningful conversations between journalists and the client's executives.
Connect With ComGroup
Let's chat about your marketing goals