Special Events Publicity: 11 Tips to Draw a Crowd 

By Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound

If you've been put in charge of publicizing your group's annual charity ball, food festival, tourist event, church bazaar, triathlon, or any other special event that must attract hundreds of people or raise thousands of dollars, don't panic. 

You don't need to spend another sleepless night worrying about your event if you steal the 11 ideas to below to attract participants--and reporters--in droves.

1. Involve reporters in your event so they experience it, not just cover it. If you’re sponsoring a food fair, for example, ask the local food columnist to be one of the judges. See Special Report #42: Tips for Letting Reporters Experience Your Event, Not Just Cover It."
    

2. List your event on your cable TV station's event calendar, just one of dozens of online event calendars and event directories you should be using.
    

3. If your special event is in a city served by major airlines, try to get pre-event publicity in the airlines' in-flight magazines. But submit it at least 6 months ahead of time because these magazine have long lead times.
    

4. Call TV stations the morning of your event and tell them about interesting visuals they can film. See How to Get on the Local TV News Tomorrow.
    
5. Create a tip sheet that ties into your event and send it to the media beforehand. Example: “8 Tips for Avoiding Traffic Jams at the Summer Jazz Festival.” See Special Report #16: How to Write Tip Sheets That Catch the Media's Attention.
    
6. Let reporters know who in your organization is an expert, and on what topic. Then invite them to your next planning meeting of a major event to “meet the experts.”
    
7. Ask TV anchors, weatherpersons, sportscasters or other on-air celebrities to emcee your event. If they agree to do it, there’s a good chance their station will cover it.
    
8. Call local radio stations and ask them to do a live remote from your event.
    
9. Take photos of your event and use them during your publicity campaign the following year.  
    
10. Write letters to the editor after your event thanking sponsors and volunteers. See Special Report #4: How to Write Crisp, Compelling Letters to the Editor.
     
11. Tell media outlets that covered your event exactly how their coverage helped you attract more visitors or raise more money.