Getting ready for the big show

In about a month, the annual mega conference held by  the International Council of Shopping Centers will take place in Las Vegas.  We have been attending this show each year, as our client list in the real estate sector has continued to grow.  In fact, when we attended our first show in 1999, we had one client there.  This year, we will have close to 20.  The value of attending conferences like this, from a media relations standpoint, is immeasurable.  The media that attends to cover the show includes dozens of reporters and editors from a wide range of trade publications as well as from general business media outlets like the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.  Over the years, as we have grown our real estate client base and established and grown relationships with these media contacts, this show has become a key part of our media relations efforts on behalf of each of these clients.   Granted, we aren’t able to get these reporters to sit down with our clients for an hour to conduct an in-depth interview.  But, we are able to get them to say hi, talk briefly about what is happening within their companies and the industry in general and, most importantly, strengthen our relationships with these media members and our clients. What could be more important?  After all, at the end of the day, relationships are what we’re all about.