Press Conferences are an integral part of the PR took kit and are considered as one of the most effective ways to communicate a news. Closely knitted to the PR sphere, Press Conferences have been around since a long time. Traditional Press Conferences are being held in person, inviting Media personnel to a face-to-face interaction. However, the travel restrictions and social distancing initiatives implemented since the Covid-19 outbreak impeded the continuity of traditional Press Conferences for the first time in the history, as it was the case with many physical events. The silver lining is that the pandemic provided an opportunity to hold Press Conferences virtually and not before too long, PR Agencies in Sri Lanka shifted to Virtual Press Conferences or hybrid events, whenever possible under strict health guidelines.
𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬
Virtual Press Conferences are being held via innovative platforms such as ZOOM and other exclusive virtual event platforms. While traditional Press Conferences have limited access due to space and logistical concerns, virtual Press Conferences can easily accommodate a larger audience online. The hybrid events concept is a new approach to events and Press Conferences. When it comes to hybrid events, the organizer can choose to hold the Press Conference physically with limited audience, while providing access for more participants to join the event online.
𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬
It is fair to say that virtual Press Conferences have come to stay with us for many reasons. Traditional Press Conferences involve a lot of arrangements and logistics, but going virtual enables the organizations to plan and initiate the whole process within a short time span. Virtual Press conferences open up the opportunity for the participation of a larger audience and also to share the stream across multiple social media platforms simultaneously. The entire event can be posted on social media platforms as a means of brand engagement. It is observed that media presence can be comparatively high as the media personnel can connect virtually which is time saving.
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬
The major challenge is to sort out the technical aspect, as technical errors are common in virtual events and will also lead to audience losing the interest on what is been presented / discussed. The key for a successful Virtual Press Conference is a well-planned back-end technology management mechanism that takes control of the entire event. One could argue that Virtual Press Conferences lack face-to-face interaction and engagement, but PR Agencies in Sri Lanka at present deploy innovative measures such as video content, e-booths, polls and quiz campaigns to make the event more interesting and engaging as much as possible.
