Press Conference
On Tuesday March 4, 2008 I officially attended my first press conference. The Toronto EMS, whom I have been assisting recently, announced the addition of 12-lead ECG unites to their advance level of care.
It was very intriguing to see the event unfold from the perspective of the host rather than the viewer. The team started crossing off their checklists from early morning at headquarters, than preceded to the location of the conference where everyone (including the multimedia crew, paramedics, administrative staff and so forth) helped to set up.
CTV, CBC, Global and a few cultural newspapers arrived moments before the 1 p.m. start time. I always assumed that the media arrived much in advance to set up their cameras and stands, but to my surprise it took these professionals seconds to pull out their cameras and begin filming.
The event went very smoothly. The special guests arrived on time, the speakers where informative and the paramedics doing the demonstrations where great.
The most interesting part was seeing what footage the media chose to air. It’s not always what you would think they should use, but the lack of control is an aspect of press conferences that PR professionals must embrace.
Lack of control is a huge aspect. Relates to social media as well, online we can control our comments, but we can’t control others. When I see a negative comment made on a forum or blog. The most you can do is comment back. I guess the good thing about social media commenting is that it generates discussion. Media airing specific footage, we chose what we want to believe as well.
Good point Neda and congratulations on a job well done!