This year’s
RSA Conference press list boasts nearly 300 names ranging from the industry’s
top business, IT trade and vertical reporters, as well as financial and industry
analysts.  On top of that, many will register on-site as well (to avoid the
barrages of pitches beforehand).  A collection of the industry’s top influencers
all gathered in one location at the same time…a PR practitioner’s dream-come-true, right?  But how about
those folks on the list themselves?  What does it mean for them? 

It means
dozens upon dozens of email and phone call pitches over the past couple of
weeks, leading up to the security industry’s biggest event, to have them meet
with their respective companies and/or clients.  But how bad can it really be,
you ask.  Last week, one leading security journalist lent me some perspective by
saying "I have had over two hundred meeting requests so far, and they keep
coming in.  Do you know how many fifteen-minute time slots I had to work with
from the get-go?  Twelve."

Twelve time slots
over three days?!?

Many of you might be saying that sounds ridiculous, but what
we need to be aware of is the fact that most, if not all of the attending
reporters, already have set agendas for their time at a given event.  There is
more going on at trade shows than just vendor meetings.  Keynote sessions,
education tracks, industry pundit roundtables, networking events, major
executive meetings.  Oh yeah, they still need to leave time to actually
write those stories…not to mention eat!

Our
job, as public relations consultants is to
ensure that our constituents, be it in-house or external clients get as much
face-time with as many industry influencers as possible.  Face time is huge, even if it means just a quick booth
visit to say hello, or to make an introduction.  And if you do get time…use it wisely.  Have a
game plan going into the event and remember, it isn’t necessarily
how many meetings you arrange ahead of time, it is how you use
them.

– Tim Whitman