The Big Event is targeted directly at four main industry groups:, 0rganisers, Venues, Governmental, Agencies, plus companies servicing and supporting the MICE industry. Each issue is sent out by name to management level executives within target companies.

Each edition of The Big Event gives invaluable reports on previous months activities within the industry as well as a detailed insight into the regions MICE industry, potential markets, launch and existing events, best-practice and successful strategies. Regular editorial features include: 

• Business Practices

• Event Calendar

• Contractor Focus: A close look at what makes a good event from venue through to promotional staff.

• Corporate Profiles

• County/City Focus: Analysis of different city/country in the region, growth of individual industries, venues, events, official restrictions, travel, new ventures and initiatives.

• Directory: A listing of event contractors by sector and country.

• Event industry hall of fame: interviews with leading figures, government bodies and speakers.

• Event Planning 101: tips and tricks of running professional events.

• Event Profiles: In depth analysis of GCC and MENA events.

• Event Reviews: reviews of the regions biggest events including attendee profile, numbers, space, revenue prediction, profit.

• Industry News: Tenders, contracts, personnel, government initiatives, infrastructure developments, recruitment.

• News: Movers and shakers, industry gossip, international event news.

• Site Survey: Analysis of venues in the GCC

• TechTips: New technology, software or processes being employed by the events industry.

If you would like to contribute to The Big Event, or want to respond to any of the articles in the publication, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

Public (Relations) Enemy Number one! - Mouthoff - Issue 3.

I’ve never understood Public Relations. Some say that the first step towards knowing Public Relations is to be confused by it in which case I know PR like the back of my hand. Surely if you’ve come up with an idea, event or product you should be able to write a story that sells. Conversely, if you can’t think of anything to write does that mean your idea isn’t interesting and if so who needs it?

Most journalists and public relations practitioners pretty much see themselves at opposite ends of the media spectrum. Journalists generally hate PR people particularly the ones who work for big business and high-level politicians and serve as a smokescreen to try to thwart journalist’s attempting to report negative but not untrue stories about their employers. I once had a conversation with a PR person in which she managed to insult my intelligence and attempt to manipulate the truth about 17 times in a five-minute conversation. If I believed in Hell, I'd have no doubt that's exactly where she'd be heading.

But I’m pleased to say that I am not alone in my understanding of the PR industry.

In a recent event held by MEPRA (Middle East Public Relations Association) in which the Public Relations sector and the media met head to head, Robert Serafin, Managing Director of ITP was invited to speak. He called PR people "pizza delivery boys" who do a good job of getting things from point A to point B. "But then they think they not only have cooked the pizza, but have also invented it."

“You fill our faxes with endless press releases (most of which end in the wastebasket); you threaten to pull out advertisements if we don't publish your puff. You offer journalists freebies and hinder the media in their job by influencing them. A strong journalist will write a good story, whatever you do,” he said.

Any self-respecting journalist or media owner probably feels the same way and is probably more than willing to tell you all about it over a grape juice.  They'll share PR horror stories like the firms who bill by the hour, the story of assistants who sit down with cold-call sheets, leaving unintelligible voicemail messages, and charge their clients for it. They'll laugh about the ones who call up and say how well they can relate since they used to be in journalism, to which the question from journo’s is “so why'd you sell out, pal?” And, of course, they will mock the silly promotional junk that they spend so much of their time packing into courier packages. By the way who wants a press release with glitter and silly string? Anyone?

But sometimes, their manipulative flackery works. Sometimes they convince even the most cynical that they have a good story. Sometimes, in the dark of night, an editor has a column inch or two that needs filling. And sometimes they cave, like a smokers New Year resolution. After all, none of their colleagues listen to the PR pitches that clog their voicemail, so no one who matters will recognise that stale three-column-inch pitch in the story that gets printed, right?

Take the absolute high-water mark of the PR profession, “The Crisis Communicator”. The person who takes on the client accused all sorts of violations and tries to convince that the infraction was fabricated, that the media is feeding on an innocent client, that there was an innocent mistake; anything but the thing that almost everybody decided to believe before the PR flack took the case.

But sometimes employing a PR company can work. Any industry that can convince normally cost-conscious CEO’s that they should pay charges for faxes, paper, stationery, taxi fairs, breakfast, lunch and dinner are doing a good PR job. And look at those like Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon or anybody who's been condemned and redeemed in the public eye. Let me tell you, it probably didn't happen by accident and it probably cost about Dhs 1,000 an hour.

So does PR have a place in the Events industry and do those who participate in events understand how to use it?

Well, the events business is known for a lot of things, but creativity is not one of them. Plagiarism yes, but ingenuity and inspiration, no. So PR can undoubtedly create “the spark” for an interesting story about a tired event, a new slant or company participation.

Those who support PR agencies say, “A good PR firm can boost sales, launch a product or improve a company's image in ways that advertising alone can't address. It creates news and generates word-of-mouth. It delivers your message to the hard-to-reach. And, applied properly, it can make a tight budget produce results beyond your expectations.” Well yes, a PR practitioner would say that.

Undoubtedly getting information into the press assists the marketing activities of companies at event participants. But why employ a PR agency to do it? If companies did their publicity homework they could well be on their way to creating thousands of dollars in free print space and airtime. However there are some that leave it all too late.  By the time the event begins, it may already be too late to capture the media’s attention. Smart companies work weeks and sometimes even months ahead, establishing strong media relationships that can pay off big long before the show is under way. But those who aren’t so smart turn to PR firms. 

So what if you don’t want to use a PR firm. Here are a few quick tips from a journalist friend for getting better publicity results at events:

1) Tell the caterer to avoid crab, shellfish and peanuts, okay? Journalists are human too - some of them have deadly allergies and a low budget for food when they travel. If you want to make them happy, feed them! If you want to make them cranky, serve expensive food they can't eat.

2) If you are not IBM, Apple, or Sun Microsystems, then for goodness sake put what you do into a sentence or two and slap that on the front of your press kit. Many reporters don't even open a press kit if they don't immediately recognise the company or at least the product.

3) As regards press releases avoid buzzwords. Also see http://www.dack.com/web/bullshit.html If you have use more than 5 of these words in the first sentence reporters won't read the rest of it.

4) Take your best people along. “I don't know how many companies I have seen packed with clueless sales people who don't know the difference between a sales list and a press list, and who don't want to look at us because they know we aren't "buying””. If you can't afford to send along marketing or media relations people then at least train your sales people to understand that a press contact can be many times more valuable than a sales contact – they can generate sales if they end up writing about you.

5) Don't dismiss a writer who freelances out of your area. Don’t dismiss those who don’t always meet "corporate expectations". Just because a reporter might look tired in casual clothing it might just be that they write for the leading media and the treatment they get DOES impact on whom they will choose to write about.

6) If you have the budget and a large enough private press list, rent a large room and throw a small gathering. Most of the attendees will likely be freelancers who are sniffing around for goodies to take home and you'd be surprised how much coverage you can get from these folks if you can keep them supplied with interesting stories.