From Power Outage to Power Coverage – Planning is Everything
The ability to pivot successfully starts with a solid plan. We are all dealing with the unpredictability of 2020. Covid-19 has changed our business environment. For months, I had been working closely with AllianceSTL and Accenture Federal Services (AFS) to implement a press briefing to announce game-changing, great news for St. Louis. AFS had selected our region for their new Advanced Technology Center, bringing 1,400+ technology jobs and significant investment to the area. We planned to host the presser downtown in March, until the impact of Covid became increasingly clear. The business community was besieged with ongoing layoffs, budget cuts, travel restrictions and work-from-home mandates.
We needed a new plan. I presented our teams with three options for a Covid-compliant press briefing in an atmosphere fraught with complexities and unknowns. Most of our media outlets were stretched to capacity with the escalation of serious news issues and furloughed staff. Assessing secure platforms, travel restrictions and the mitigation of risks from Covid was imperative. I reached out to some of our top local PR agencies to gauge media capabilities for a hybrid media event that was now timed for late Spring. I engaged a winning team for the task at hand. Oh, and they had a back-up satellite truck in addition to their media production expertise.
Almost all of us can admit to being “Zoomed-out” these days, and the typical channels for such a briefing were not offering necessary levels of technical stability and security. This news conference would feature significant content, visuals, remarks from top government and business leaders and an interactive Q&A session. We would leverage multiple locations based on AFS’ East Coast Headquarters and the St. Louis location of the new facility, along with the various sites of our dignitaries. Our extended team of media pros would use hard-wired internet and back-up satellite capabilities to produce the event. It was seamless. Then, the event was pushed to late June and would accommodate the on-site presence of the CEO, the Governor and other leaders. Plans changed again, but the shifts were favorable.
A great plan affords flexibility. We were able to quickly secure an ideal host facility adjacent to the new Technology Center. The state-of-the-art auditorium was the perfect venue for our technical and Covid-compliance needs. We would livestream the event, making it readily accessible to all media, partners and stakeholders throughout the country. The stage was set, seats were marked in six-foot compliant increments and cameras and technology were in place. It was 90 minutes to “go-time” as I led the Governor’s advance team through the site.
Then we lost power, all power. The outage impacted most of the immediate geographical area. The auditorium was pitch black. Ameren could not arrive in time from downtown. In a crisis, one must work with facts. We needed light. We needed generators, and yes, a satellite truck. We had guests arriving in an hour.
Our terrific team was unified, flexible and committed to success. We shifted the event to an adjacent light-filled business center. Everything was re-set, including the stage, dais, mics and makeshift production, registration and hospitality rooms. Guests arrived, dignitaries were briefed, and the live announcement and media coverage achieved a potential reach of 82M. Social media amplified it all. The much-needed good news on jobs, growth and St. Louis made its mark, and we shifted from power outage to power coverage. Planning is everything, every time.
Expect the unexpected. Make a plan that is a framework, one that allows you to accommodate repeated change. Be flexible. Invest in the right resources. We needed the extended expertise and back-up capabilities for such an important event and tentative time, and we knew it. Work with the facts and make decisions accordingly. Lead unhesitatingly from experience and have a capable and committed team with clear roles. Then let the magic happen. June 23, 2020 was a great news day for all.
I’d like to help you plan for the best, and pivot as needed. Stevens-PR.com