In recent years, armed with one of the most important tools for market promotion, an increasing number of firms begin to utilize expos to advance in the market. Consequently, issues regarding media distribution during expos have attracted much attention from the exhibitors. With the intention of addressing such concerns, Xinhua PR Newswire and BSPC jointly hosted this event. Xinhua PR Newswire, who represents PR Newswire in China, has extraordinary experiences with corporate communications, public relations and a strong connection with investors. During this session, participants from the media, public relations, expo groups and various other industries engaged in an in-depth discussion on the demands present in different sectors of the corporate communications industry.
According to experts in the media industry, it is often not effective to simply distribute information based solely on the target firm. In order for a firm to gain exposure among the massive quantities of information present in an expo, we must first understand the industry in which that particular firm belongs. Key information such as the firm’s management policies and attitudes, the conditions of its suppliers and clientele can all contribute to the effectiveness of its corporate communications. However, this leads to another issue, how can firms individualize their own information? Many smaller firms have doubts over the effectiveness of media promotion because of their size. YongShen Li, of China InfoWorld states that media poses no discriminatory attitude towards smaller firms. All innovative firms are within the range of the media. However, it takes time for reporters to familiarize themselves with a company; therefore a firm must communicate its industry-relevant information with the media. Only then can it discover its own unique prospect.
The representatives of i-vision interactive also raised their own doubts: “The most common and effective method for smaller firms to promote themselves through media is to “piggyback” on some larger firms. However, their information will usually seem irreverent among the constant influx of information from the larger firms. Consequently, we often don’t see the results we’re expecting.” WeiHua Wu, assistant general manager of Marketing Resource Group states, “‘piggyback’ method can only be used in conjunction with recent hot button issues. Case and point, the concerns regarding security issues with the recent release of Windows Vista present an excellent opportunity to ride on the wave of such issues.” XiaQing Yang, assistant editor-in-chief of China InfoWorld news and review department states that, only when smaller firms prioritize the task of discovering their own unique prospects, can they convey that they may well be the necessary partners for a larger firm.
WenZhen Wu of Hannover Fairs China, host of the famed IT expo CeBIT, states that the expo host supplies their customers, the exhibitors, with services. And media promotion is one of the services. The exhibitors should make use of these opportunities to the fullest extent. Events such as live interviews organized by the host, as well as the use of professional media distribution firms such as Xinhua PR Newswire are all excellent opportunities for the attending companies.
During the last free discussion session, the guests conversed about the functions of multimedia in relation to media distribution. They stated that an increasing number of media outlets begin to make use of pictures within their columns and reports. They also welcome unconventional stories and hope to see more professional images provided by corporations. Especially images regarding live events, innovative technologies, industry trends and market conditions. During the final minutes, the participants expressed that they gained much knowledge during the session. And they felt that the session seamlessly merged the experiences of guests with many diversely different industry backgrounds in this event.
