For many of you and your local clubs you are discussing if not planning for your next scale modeling event. Hopefully one of your goals is to create interest in the hobby by attracting spectators outside of the regular circle of modelers who attend these events. The costs of promoting these events has gone up. Sure you can hang flyers at your local hobby shops, but again you’re missing a wider audience, one you need to lure to your event.
The more you can lure the greater the exposure and hopefully educate and attract those not yet enlightened as we are. ;0) To do this many contact their local newspaper, radio and television media. This is a good idea, however unless you walk in the door prepared it won’t give you the return you had hoped it would. Typically a newspaper will print a short piece about the event before hand. Radio too can help promote it too. Television, well this is often where most model clubs and chapters are not prepared properly. Television typical show up during the event and report what they saw after the event has ended. Good but not necessary good for a larger public turnout at the event.
Look back at the previous event, someone probably took photographs of the event and hopefully someone took some video of it too! You want images and video of the event, not just the models on the table. You want to show that there is interest in attending the event by others. You only need about five to ten minutes of good video footage as well as three or four good images. Put them on a CD/DVD and present them to the contact at the station along with a show flyer and cover letter asking them for their support as well as specific goals you hope the event will to accomplish. Money raised to support <blank>. Special award presented by <blank>. Features and benefits are key to selling anything!
When you provide this you give them a tool to create a report that they can air BEFORE the event complete with footage of what those watching the broadcast can expect to see. Don’t provide too much footage, you’re only going to get a 30 second to a minute of air time for the story. Just give them a solid taste.
Remember too that you want to provide the same for next year, so find someone handy with a camera that knows what they are doing! Oh and while we’re on the subject of knowing what you are doing. When you produce promotional materials, let someone who knows what to do, do it. I can tell you we in the industry see our fair share of crappy promotional materials for local events. I discussed this in a previous post Promoting A Successful Modeling Event here on the Squawkbox.
Good Luck! Get that event well promoted to attract a larger audience. It will provide you a better return on your investment and hopefully encourage new or renewed interest in the hobby in others. This tip to promote your event is very inexpensive, the cost of some blank discs and a little time is all it takes.
Got a question about promoting your event, drop me a note. Want to promote your event on The Plastic Scale Modeling Hour? again drop me a note!!!
