How to Locate the Convention Press Facilities

 

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Most conventions provide special rooms for the press. Depending on the size of the show, there may be a main Press Room, auxiliary press rooms for meetings and press conferences, and a Press Kit Room, or these activities may all take place in one room or area. Locate these facilities when you first arrive at the show by checking with the show office or using the locator maps in the conference guide.

By doing so, you can learn which facilities are accessible to exhibitors and non-exhibitors (find out if lunch is served in any of these rooms – this could create an opportunity for you to meet reporters who may welcome a discussion or demonstration).

Also, you’ll know how much time it takes to walk to the press facilities from your booth. This information may be the deciding factor in a reporter’s decision to visit your booth, especially for chance encounters made near the Press Room.

If you have arranged interviews before the show that will be held at the Press Room, it’s especially important to familiarize yourself with the facilities. Again, you’ll want to know how long it will take you to get there so you’ll be on time for your appointment and avoid inconveniencing the reporter. Also, you should determine how much privacy you’ll have for your meeting, what area and equipment is available for demonstrating products, and whether or not you’ll need extra chairs. Use this information to plan ahead and make whatever arrangements are possible in advance in order to ensure the success of your meeting.

A word of caution: A number of conventions provide working Press Rooms in which reporters can write their stories and send them to editors electronically. Don’t even think of entering this room, as you will be perceived as a pest. Attendants are generally posted at the entrance to this room to restrict access to working press members.