TABLE OF CONTENTS By Vivian A. Deuschl Vice President of Public Relations The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. Chevy Chase, Md.
A traditional staple of PR practitioners, especially agencies, is the press trip. Properly planned and executed, press trips can still be one of the best ways of gaining important third-party endorsement from consumer and travel trade press. No matter how lavish or enjoyable a press trip is, if it does not result in significant media coverage, with quantifiable "return on investment" (ROI), it cannot be considered an effective PR tool for a destination, hotel, restaurant, attraction, or transportation mode. There are ways to ensure money spent on a press trip "pays off" with solid results. Here are some suggestions:
Planning for a press trip should begin at least three months ahead of time. PR professionals should ask themselves some basic questions before the process begins.
What audiences are you trying to influence? If you are looking to reach third parties (travel agents, tour operators, or meeting planners), your approach should be different than when trying to reach the end consumer.
What publications or other media do you need to invite? It is not a good idea to host press trips with a mix of consumer and trade media. Their interests are different, and a "one-size-fits-all" itinerary is usually not appealing to press who receive scores of invites every year.
Finding partners for a press trip is essential. Since costs can be very high to conduct an effective visit, teaming up...
