CHALLENGE

Every three years the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) hosts an international public transportation EXPO and seeks a public relations partner to increase mainstream and trade media awareness, coverage and attendance at their triennial trade show. Stratacomm has provided strategic media relations counsel and program management to support three EXPOs for APTA thus far. Stratacomm services included message development, media strategy and outreach, materials creation, and managing the online and onsite press rooms.

STRATEGIC APPROACH

Stratacomm’s overall media strategy to generate media coverage in print, online, trade and broadcast media included four main tactics: conducting a survey of exhibitors for newsworthy items and announcements at EXPO; promoting attendance and providing pre-registration support to media; providing strategic media outreach in advance of the show; and developing press materials that highlighted news angles coming from the show.

Invited media was targeted to APTA’s media contacts, trade outlets, mainstream media covering public transportation, related online media and past attending media. We reached out to this media utilizing HTML invitations and personalized phone and email outreach. Stratacomm also developed support materials for distribution onsite based on EXPO 2008’s themes. The media kit contents were posted to an online media room, along with the EXPO event calendars, exhibitor news releases and other information of interest to media.

Stratacomm compiled newsworthy information from returning and new EXPO exhibitors to organize a media walking tour of the show floor for attending media and VIPs. We also supported an onsite opportunity with the APTA President and attending media for an “off-record” media lunch.

RESULTS

Stratacomm achieved the goal of generating trade and mainstream (national and local) media coverage surrounding APTA’s EXPOs.  At the latest Expo where Stratacomm was engaged, APTA and participating exhibitors generated more than 5.5 million media impressions and increased media registration by 15 percent compared to prior years.

Stratacomm consistently has garnered high-quality coverage of APTA’s EXPO, with both trade and mainstream media, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star Telegram, News Observer, Railway Age, Engineering News Record, BusRide Magazine, Fleets & Fuels, Associated Press, Reuters, CNN Headline News, MSNBC.com, CBS National Radio and National Public Radio.