Friday 9 November 2012

Putting PR in the Pole Position

MCC Director Graham Thatcher attended a very special corporate event this week hosted by NICE Systems and got to spend a day with some of his favourite 'boys toys', as he explains:




There are some days when you don’t want to talk about what went on at work and other days when you are just itching for someone to ask. For me Wednesday fell very much in to the latter of the two.

Jumping in the car first thing in the morning (no ice to scrap off thankfully!) I got on a busy A34 and around one hour later I pulled to the barrier and heard the words “Welcome to Williams F1”. In the world of PR we get invited to, and often attend, many seminars and events, and because our clients know how to impress, the locations are often as appealing as the content. This year I paid my first visit to the Ritz and also Lords Cricket Club, but being a fan of F1 since longer that I care to remember, this was a real treat.

Of course, there was work to be done and my notepad (if you read my blog a few weeks ago you perhaps not be surprised that I am yet to decide what tablet to buy) was filling up rapidly as end users talked about why they had chosen my client's technology and the many benefits it was delivering. This is why it is so important to tag along to these events, as not only does it give you fresh case study material, the questions from the floor and the networking opportunities always provide real insight as to how the market is thinking. It also gives you valuable time with the sales team, to learn from their experiences and share ideas about how PR can help to generate even more leads and win new business.

The challenge with hosting a seminar is firstly attracting delegates and my struggle to find a seat demonstrated that there was no problem here. Once you have them it is about keeping them engaged and minimising the afternoon drop out. No such problems on this occasion as everyone seemed to share my excitement for an exclusive tour of the Williams F1 museum, home to all of the iconic cars since the team started back in 1978 from Rosberg, through to Mansell, Coulthard, Hill and the present team.

So, driving back at the end of a packed day I reflected on an excellently organised event (all credit to NICE Systems), and notepad full of stories to write. In fact, the only downside was discovering that my reactions are not even half that of an F1 driver, although I would challenge any of them to type faster than any of the team here!

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