Prince William Chamber’s “Meet the Media” Event Offers Businesses Strategies for Media Relations

On Wednesday, November 19, from 9 a.m.- noon, members and guests of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce will gather for a half-day seminar titled ”Meet the Media.”

The event will be held at the Wyndham Garden Manassas, located at 10800 Vandor Lane in Manassas, just off of Intest ate 66. Over breakfast, businesses will have the chance to mingle with members of the local news media before choosing to attend two out of the three offered breakout sessions where they can find out how to best develop relationships with represenatives of print, broadcast and online media outlets.

Comcast Spotlight is the Corporate Sponsor. Constant Contact is the Associate Sponsor.
Philip Lewis, with Comcast Spotlight, will speak during the opening session on the topic of “Controlling Your Message: How PR and Marketing Work Hand in Hand.” Lewis has over 20 years experience and has spent the past 13 years at Comcast Spotlight creating comprehensive advertising campaigns that maximize message impact with demographic and geographic precision.

“We want this to be an open dialogue between Chamber members and the publishers, reporters and editors who make decisions regarding what will and won’t be published. Look at this event as a time to ask your burning questions about how your organization can have greater success in interacting with print, online and broadcast media outlets,” says Chamber Event Director Andrea Whaley. 

After meeting media representatives, attendees will be encouraged to choose from the three breakout sessions: Print Media, Broadcast Media and Online Media. Media representatives such as David Culver from NBC4 and Sarah Lane from the Washington Post along with an array of reporters, PR consultants and marketing specialists will be on hand to offer expert advice.

Along with breakfast, attendees will also take away download information for the 2014 Media Guide containing contact information for over 25 different news media outlets, a hand-out with “PR Do’s & Don’ts” and a greater understanding of what the men and women in the media are looking for (and how to provide it).

Lewis says he looks forward to helping the businesses in attendance “meet” their modern day consumer and understand how to take advantage of their current advertising behaviors. The audience will learn what has changed over the past year or two in broadcast media outlets, strategies for controlling their message, how to reach a fragmented audience and when to use paid advertising and what to expect from it.

Anyone working or volunteering for a local business or not-for-profit organization is welcome and encouraged to attend. The cost is $35 for members of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce and $45 for non-members.

Interested parties can sign up online at PWchamber.org or call 703-368-6600. Contact Andrea Whaley for more information at 571-765-1876 or email [email protected].

News outlets participating to date include: Discovery Publications; Diverse CEO Magazine; Bull Run/Manassas/Old Bridge Observers; Prince WilliamTimes/Gainesville Times; Prince William Living Magazine; Asian Fortune Magazine; The Washington Post; BristowBeat.com; PotomacLocal.com; and WRC-TV.