I can’t really remember my very first blogging event that I was invited to but I do still feel a little anxious when I get invited to events because you never really know what to expect or if you will know anyone or what exactly you are supposed to do.
Sometimes they are casual events, other times they are more formal and there are times they are totally outside of your comfort zone. This does make it a really fun part of what we do and I have really attended some incredible events and met some awesome people.
So what is the PR/brand event protocol? Is there even one? Maybe not but these are a few rules I try to stick to.
- Be on time. I was late to an event recently and I felt horrible. It was a mixture of not taking the traffic into account and the traffic just sucking but I still felt completely unprofessional. I know often they work late comers in to the event and there are always people arriving late but don’t be that person. Be on time. It shows you respect their time.
- Read about the event. Find out what the event is about, find out about the brand and the product.
- Share on social media. You don’t have to give a blow by blow of what is happening and take photos of every single thing but nearly every event has had a hashtag, make use of it and give a shout out or two.
- Engage where you can. Talk to the PR people, engage with the brand themselves if there is opportunity. This helps keep you on their radar and also shows that you are genuinely interested in the brand.
- Take a pen and a notebook with. Most of the time you don’t need to take notes but it is always good just to have a pen and notebook with you.
- If you have business cards, make sure you take them with you and leave them with whoever you speak to. The events are often busy, there is a lot of talking to people but if you leave your card with the people you talk to they are more likely to keep in contact.
- Do not get drunk. This may sound obvious but getting drunk at an event is never going to end well for you, even if you don’t really do anything embarrassing or inappropriate it is not professional.
Most of all, enjoy the event!!
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Thank you for the great advice. 🙂
Thanks for the tips. I’m really excited to be going to an event in July, it’s the first time that a brand has invited me. I’ve always felt a little envious of those who receive regular invites. PS I came to read this after seeing some debate on FB. Your advice seems very sound to me
Great post! Love it 🙂
Great tips. Great places for connecting with other bloggers as well as brands/PR. I had to laugh at the getting drunk part – I guess I’ve never been at that kind of event!
I enjoyed this. 🙂