Nearly every profession in the world has conferences and trade shows that bring together companies in the same industry to share the latest news, services and techniques. CES is where the best and brightest from the tech world comes to Las Vegas each January to premiere the latest must-have gadgets. Annual auto shows in New York, Detroit and LA are the must-attend events for car manufacturers to show off next year's cars.
But there's a unique event each year where the uber elite of the world from across industries and governments meet with the lofty goal of making the world a better place. The World Economic Forum is where movers and shakers from global businesses, world leaders, and celebrities come together to do no less than change the world.
The World Economic Forum, often referred to as Davos - for the city in Switzerland where the meeting takes place each year - is founded on the principle that leaders must gather to share insights and innovations in order to build to a better future.
It's not overstating it to say that Davos is where deals are made that will impact generations of people. It's a place to go if you're looking to reach a wide audience of influencers in a very short period of time. In Davos you can bump into someone like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or actor and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson.
If you're a publicist with a client attending Davos you need to have a firm goal and a detailed plan, but you need to be ready for anything. First you need to have a compelling narrative that tells your story by writing the headline you want told by the media and let that guide your message. Next you need to identify which journalists you want to tell your story, and create a pre-release strategy. For instance, before Davos you may distribute a press release and arrange exclusive interviews under embargo that will release on the date of your choosing. You should know which journalists will be attending Davos so you can arrange for interviews before you arrive. Finally, once you're on the ground at Davos you'll want to be ready for additional interviews that will come your way.
For example, my client UN Women is at Davos now. UN Women has a single focus, to achieve worldwide gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls by 2030. Today, UN Women's acclaimed HeForShe movement hosted a special session at Davos to release a report on the gender makeup of 10 private companies. These corporate IMPACT Champions - including Twitter, PwC, McKinsey, Vodaphone, Koç Holdings, Schneider Electric, Unilever, Tupperware, AccorHotels and Barclays - announced bold, tangible commitments to achieve a gender equal world. This initiative hopes to accelerate change. By reporting the representation of women throughout their career can help promote a gender equal within the workplace.
In preparation for UN Women at Davos, my Ogilvy Media Influence team planned the strategy to leverage the platform UN Women has at Davos. First we spoke with high level global journalists under embargo in the weeks leading up to the event. Interviews were arranged so that media is ready to launch on the day the report is released. My team also booked over 70 journalists to be at the special session for the event. Once Davos closes, the team will arrange follow up interviews, as well as stay in touch with each journalist to sustain the effort we created and keep momentum flowing.
With the media strategy in place, my client can focus on firming up the commitments and cultivating relationships that will take their initiative to the next level. UN Women could have made their announcement anywhere in the world and it would have made a splash, but by staging it at Davos, we guaranteed global awareness and maximum impact.