Why Your Event Needs a PR Strategy Before It Has a Venue | Epic Events by vFairs | Matt Kovacs

Matt Kovacs Thank Younas, CEO Hello everyone for being on the Epic Events Podcast. Today I have Matt as our guest. Matt, thank you for being on the podcast. Matt Kovacs Thank you, no, I appreciate it, this'll be fun.

Younas, CEO For everyone, Matt is a seasoned leader with a passion for strategic communication and brand elevation. He has over two decades of experience in the public relations industry. Matt has honed his expertise in crafting compelling narratives and driving impactful results for clients across various vectors. We learned a lot from Matt today.

Matt, us through what led you to be in the events industry. Walk us through the journey. Matt Kovacs Yeah, I think it's interesting, you know, really the background is more from communications and PR experience. So I think that's where you're seeing from that, you know, strategic approach with marketing and communications and PR.

It really evolves through the actual activations, the events, you know, the experiential type of elements these days. I think that's what, you know, brands and marketers really look for. And that's really where we are able to align with those types of things, because, know, such messaging and communications that is a thread through everything. And I think that's an important factor because if they're siloed, just doesn't, there's something missing.

It doesn't make sense. And I think that's how that evolution happened. I'd worked with a number of brands from Heineken through Kashi doing their, not only their PR, but also their activations in those events. So you're able to have that type of, you connectivity.

Younas, CEO And how often do event teams and peer teams actually work together from the start and what happens when they don't just? Matt Kovacs Yeah, that's a great question because you're seeing that it's many times they don't. There's different silos because there might be a comms team, a marketing team that we work with, and then there could be a brand team that is the one that's bringing on or you're working through the events. those things, it's almost like they align sometimes.

There's those types of elements. We really try and push and really campaign to have those start earlier because it's those layers that as the events are being crafted and created. Where are their PR moments? Where are their communication moments?

it inviting media to participate? We just did a big event at Coachella and Stagecoach for our client who's a sponsor, Electrolit, which is a hydration beverage. And they've created a 5K run that's in the campgrounds and a whole aspect around it. But we invited media on the front end to have them participate.

they covered, not only they're there to cover Stagecoach and the actual events, but they're participating in the actual event of doing a 5K, which isn't that far. It's a nice size run for that, but you're able to get the authenticity of not only the event and obviously, hydration that ties into it, but then you're able to have those storylines pre, hey, I'm going to do this. Hey, I'm doing this. And then here's how great the event was.

Younas, CEO And where do you see the biggest missed opportunity when brands treat PR as an afterthought to event planning? Because I'm just of the opinion that if there's a strategy that's built from day one, you can just benefit so much. But if it's coming afterthought, what's the missed opportunity? Matt Kovacs I think some of the obvious ones are there's just less opportunity for coverage after an event has happened.

Yes, there are the post-event releases pitches and a lot of the trades will cover it from an event marketer or in your beverage trades will talk about, this happened and this brand did this. But that sometimes can fall flat because there's the anticipation, there's the excitement. You also want credit for doing it and the thinking and the strategy behind it as it's happening so that you're able to have more eyeballs on it and actually That's a little bit of that FOMO that, know, if other media, other influencers, you know, don't know, or they can be participate and then you're getting more of that buzz online.

And it really helps with engagement and the impressions that it's happening strategically on that outreach. Younas, CEO And do you have a of a success story, a case study, like where, you know, when it's built into activation from day one, what does it change about how the event is designed when things are planned the way they should be planned? Matt Kovacs Yeah, I think when it's when you're part of that conversation, know, and we're seeing, look, PR has been, I think, elevated and brought into the marketing roundtable a lot sooner now.

And, you I think there's activations because in those conversations, the ability that content is created content is such a big part of all marketing now from all layers. And it can be from the obvious, you know, Instagram and Facebook and TikTok, you know, consumer facing. But on LinkedIn side, you know, so many of the brands, brand people and the companies want to be able to showcase to other brands what's going on. So I think that's where that conversations can be layered in throughout of, okay, what's the news we're trying to create?

How can we elevate that? there aspects of inviting media to cover to participate, engage, and then how do we wanna layer in when the timing is as well? So if the event centered around Coachella, obviously there's so much noise and so much going on. So we wanna make sure, okay, a month out we should have an initial announcement.

We wanna invite media to attend. We want to have that participation all as it comes up into the event. And then obviously day of, and then quickly post event, the types of information that gets disseminated. And then afterwards how it's treated to be able to, again, get credit, take that type of honor of it and the abilities to share it everywhere.

Younas, CEO Matt, you've worked with Monster Energy on high visibility cultural moments where timing, production, storytelling all have to align. What's the behind the scenes reality of pulling that off and what does it teach event planners about creating buzz-worthy moments? Matt Kovacs Yeah, I think with any event in any brand, it really is. You want to get all the players involved.

So from the brand, the comms, the marketing, and understand what are the goals. Are the goals about brand building? Is it about trying to create that big moment and trying to do something unique and different? We've done things with augmented reality and product launches.

So you're bringing in a new technology. You want to be the first one of your category to do it. And then that takes a lot of the behind the scenes with the brands. with the experiential agencies and peoples to understand what we're trying to achieve, then be able to get consensus and be able to understand what type of messaging we want to convey.

And also in many of the categories, you know, the brands that we work on are maybe, you know, number two or three in their space. So we have to, you be work a little harder, do a little different because we never want to be perceived as a me too brand or a copycat. So those things, those conversations and the communication that goes along the way can be as simple as weekly calls, you know, in, in persons, it could be, you know, the zooms, obviously it can make sure that everyone's aligned.

And then timelines are always key. You know, we're a big proponent of those strategic timelines because, know, there's so many factors of not only approvals, you know, may have to go through legal, may have to go brand and all the different partners that come in, but also in those timelines, we just don't want to miss opportunities because that's the biggest thing on PR is if there is that cultural moment, if there is that aspect, it could be a trade show. could be a, you know, a stunt that we're doing.

It could be tied to, you know, the St. Patrick's Day parade in Chicago. Okay. There's So many things you need to make sure that you can't drop any balls, because everything, it literally is that house of cards that things will fall apart.

Younas, CEO And that is PR is only for the big boys because not every brand has monsters energy budget, right? How do you help smaller brands engineer media worthy moments when they're working? Matt Kovacs ⁓ 100%. Yeah.

And I think that, you to your point, you know, in many of our brands are those challenger brands, entrepreneurial brands, even startups PR is something that is very cost effective and cost efficient and that you can create those messaging and create those opportunities to be able to tell stories. It could be as simple as a product mailing, could be as simple as, you know, creating a tasting, you know, at a unique and different place. You know, we talk a lot about we have brands that we try and do those sort of high low pairings.

So you might have a wine brand that's trying to reach millennials. Well, again, millennials in Gen Z, of age, obviously people, they may not be able to go to a five-star restaurant, but if you did like, hey, let's get a food truck that does a fun truffle burger and we have a wine pairing, we can do unique and different things that really can be not only newsworthy, but make it feel elevated. And from an event standpoint, you're doing something different for the brand. And back to the point of content.

They have to share that through that socials. So they're having a new messaging of like, okay, here's the high-low pairing idea. Also then on LinkedIn to be able to share it for retailers and buyers to see how they're marketing the brand, they're doing unique things. So I think that's an element where PR can be cost effective that way that the dollars add up obviously, but not to the extent of having to do a large media buy or creating a whole augmented reality aspect.

There's things that can be done that creates that type of fervor. Younas, CEO Nice. Everyone wants to be on USA Today, know, WSJ, Huffington Post. You you have seen what journalists actually want from a brand event.

Like what makes a story pitch land versus get ignored and how should that shape how events are structured? Matt Kovacs So I think one thing that we do to start of any campaign is we reach out to media well in advance and we do almost a thing we call, it's a perception audit. So we're actually interviewing media and saying, okay, here's your, you're in the category, you're in the space, you're writing about this. What's interest of you?

You know, and we ask questions, we, it's really fact-finding and it's a way for them to tell us that story before we pitch them. So it's a way that you're honoring them, you're talking about what they do, how they cover. So then we come to them, it's in their, in their peer view of what they want to try. And then also they get excited about it.

Now they feel invested in, I talked about this, you're answering my question, unbeknownst to them many times because we're letting them talk and really give us their understanding. And that's a way that that can be covered in a way that they feel confident, that it's different, unique, they're a part of it. And it's also that aspect of its data. Because in many ways when PR campaigns start, you're dealing with the clients in the bubble.

They've been planning the brand, they know the brand, they've done all the brand promise, the identity docs. We can come and say, okay, you're here, media is over here, how do we try and meet in that middle to garner coverage and also to garner the success rate of, obviously, event coverage. Younas, CEO I love that very unique way of handling this. So what metrics do you use to determine whether a brand activation actually worked?

Like how do you tie media coverage and social reach back to business? Matt Kovacs Yeah, I mean, again, there's many ways. Again, we work closely with the experiential and activation partners to understand how they're going to monitor and match, it if it's samples given away, if they got email addresses, QR code downloads, then obviously, through our work, there's ways that we look at it from impressions. Also, with a lot of the current software that we work on, we can see sentiment.

We can see if those aspects are popping up within the conversations of the actual campaign. And then that's where we really align with the messaging and media training of the clients. So when they're doing interviews, they're talking in those sound bites that are relevant, specific to the event. And then especially the pre-event coverage and outreach, we're making sure that people understand why they're doing it, what they're looking for, how they're incorporated, because those things will carry through.

And then we align with in the recap stage at the end with the experiential agency and marketing, you know, aspects to say, okay, here's your, you have your downloads, you have how many people showed up to the event. Here's what happened. Here's all the coverage and impressions and the social media posts. So it becomes a really 360 recap for a brand to say, here's what we did and here's how we incorporated that all in a way that really shadowed the aspects and now look how it's the results.

Younas, CEO I've seen with events, of course, there's always a spike in terms of how the brand is perceived and pretty much any other metrics, impressions, so forth. How do you set client expectations of what a single event can achieve versus what requires a sustained campaign strategy so that that success is not a blip, something that is continuous? Matt Kovacs . Yeah, I think it's interesting because what we try and do is, and back to the audit, you'll have data of like, okay, here's what everyone thinks before we're doing it.

We also will do the sentiment and do all the different software downloads and understanding of what is being perceived about your brand prior. And then within that, we'll try and say, okay, here's phase one is obviously the buildup. The phase two is we're actually doing it. And phase three is, okay, how do we maintain that momentum?

Because to your point, there is, there's a spike of, okay, this stuff happened. And we don't want it to be a spike. We try and say it's, the splash in the water and then what are those ripples that happen outwards? And then from there, we have our post-event outreach and the recaps, but then what's our next story?

Because media now, we've gotten them hooked. They've either seen the event, they've been a part of the event. We wanna make sure that they're maintaining that. be it product mailings, additional interviews, additional aspects, really giving them more bites of the apple, if you will, because that's where it really creates that narrative more long-term.

And then we also do different things like just checking in with media. We try and look at it as, again, media is that's our allies. So we know birthdays, we know anniversaries, we know all those things that we can have those conversations with them. So it doesn't feel like it's transactional.

It's more about really helping to provide a service. You journalists are always looking for stories and those events can be that first hook. But then we want to make sure that they have an understanding and investment in the brand. Younas, CEO And you have said that the blaze philosophy is that simply being good is not good enough.

So what does the standard look like in the context of experiential marketing where so much is outside anyone's control? Matt Kovacs Yeah, it's interesting. I think what we see and again, many of our clients we've worked with five years, we have a few that are turning 10 years this year. It's that, you know, the relationships, but obviously the results.

And I think that, you know, elements within the events, like a good example is the augmented reality one. So you do it once and it was great. was appealing. It was something different, but then you look at it.

Okay, what's going to be next? What can we do that's going to be different and elements? And we look at it on a quarterly basis of really coming up with PR stunts. events pitches that we can make sure that we're obviously keeping our chops up and coming up with ideas, but being able to pitch those to brands because you never know what's going to stick.

We pitched an idea many years ago and you see those things that it gets carried through. There's that line that's like, hey, remember that idea you guys came up with? And then it gets evolved obviously through time, but it's that people are thinking about it in a way that it's not just a press release or not just, okay, just handing out product. What can we do to make things different?

Are there new, elements and aspects. Obviously, know, the World Cup's coming, you know, many of our clients, you know, key markets. So what kind of things can we do? Can we look for different partners?

Some of the clients are sponsors and or, you know, engaged in the thing with FIFA and in that aspect. So obviously that makes it different. But there's a number of brands that are looking ways to disrupt. They're sort of outside the lines.

You know, they can't get access to be on any of the footprints of any of the activations. But that doesn't mean there's not fun things we can do in and around it. And especially in a number of the markets where they be at the hotels, the tourism, the events are going to be, we have brands that are sort of in those ranges. So what are things we want to make sure?

And we've talked about this for probably two years now. So we've had clients like thinking that way. So then as we activate, that's part of that event aspect. And then to that point of we want to get, you know, obviously activate and then talk about it afterwards of what we were to do and disrupt and, you know, work around those ways.

So it's really thinking about that. We've done the baseline. That's good. How do we get better?

How do we do different? And then especially in Southern California with the Olympics, then two years after this, it's what learnings will we have the things we did during the World Cup that we'd be able to then try and do in two years and really put that flag in the ground now and then be able to really activate around it. You many of our brands have athletes that they're involved in so we can do things with the athletes outside of the games, you know, before there's the lead up before the games and then they put a stop to it.

But then I think there's things that we look at as how do we make sure that these things are. available and back to the point of timelines. When should we do them? Could we do them?

And making sure that there is that drum beat that never stops. Younas, CEO Anyone who's listening to this must be thinking that we have been leaving application on the table. Where's the single best place to start fixing that? Matt Kovacs I think that what we try and do and I think with brands is really, know, you have those tough conversations.

You really speak to it and look at it of, you know, what is going to make the difference? You know, what is their goals? And when we talk to us with brands and we start, you know, what are your goals of a campaign? Is it just brand building?

Are you looking for funding? Are you looking to be acquired? Like, you know, what are those spikes that you need from PR and from events? Because each one of them have different campaigns and strategies around it.

So I think that's that hard question to start. And then from there, we're able to work backwards and put together those plans and timelines. And I think that's something that, before you sort of, you know, again, there's many agencies or other people's that'll say, Hey, we can get you coverage. We'll get you ink, you know, on page six.

That's not really a strategy. That's just, you know, spray and pray. And I'm to throw a lot of stuff out there. But what are the things we need to do to win and how what is success for the brands?

And many times brands don't know that yet. You know, they'll say, we just we need a PR agency. We need to do stuff. We need to do an event.

We need, you know, experiential elements. But it's carrying that through and understanding what is the goal. How do we carry that and then be able to create that success? And we saw it with a number of brands with our experiential partners.

There's a brand that was a collagen brand that we worked with, worked with for 14 years, they got acquired, but a lot of that was the buildup. Their goal was we wanted to get acquired. So what are the things we needed to do with the experiential agency? We did stuff with NASCAR.

A collagen brand in NASCAR is very 180. And then also we did stuff in surfing, we did stuff in... So looking for ways to have relevance. And collagen isn't something you just, you you take the pill or you try and it works instantly.

It takes like 30 days to really build that. So it was how you, the drum beat and how you're able to connect with people's in those different markets and arenas. Obviously NASCAR is a whole different element, but it worked and they were the only brand that was doing that. They were able to break through.

It gave us a lot of that credit to be able to build it. But it was those conversations in the beginning. What do you want to do? How do we need to do this?

And that they were committed to really put forth the effort. Younas, CEO Matt, this has been extremely helpful. If someone wants to connect with you, learn a bit more about how you can assist with them, what's the best way for them to reach out to you? Matt Kovacs Yeah, I mean our website is blazepr.

com and we have emails on there and then also you know. LinkedIn is always great. You know to find me there and connect. Younas, CEO Matt, thank you so much for being on the podcast.

Thank you everyone for listening in. We'll be in touch with the next episode. Thank you, Matt. Matt Kovacs Thank you very much.

This was great.