Thank you Toronto…

Posted: 05/28/2010 | By: sportyd

I’m sitting on the plane on the way home from Toronto basking in the glory of two successful media events.  I went to Canada with executives from the San Juan Marriott with the goal of putting the resort on the radar screen of the media and writers in the Toronto area, as well as to just meet these journalists in person - as it’s always nice to have that personal introduction vs. just emails and phone calls.

Media events are a pretty regular practice for us - we’ve perfected the art of picking cities that are good markets for our clients and have a concentration of media, finding the right host restaurants, inviting the right people and putting all the plans in place.  It’s not an easy process, but we’re pretty damn good at it, if I say so myself.  However, the one thing we can’t control or plan for is no-shows.  (For the record,  if you think it’s ok to RSVP to an event and then not show up, and not call beforehand - it’s not. It’s rude and inconsiderate.  These are often catered events, based on head counts and guaranteed numbers, and just because you decide you’re too busy at the last minute to be bothered to show up - doesn’t mean our clients get a refund on your behalf.  Plus, you can potentially damage our reputation with clients by doing so, and subsequently, your relationship with us.  OK, I’ve vented…)

That said, as a result of the many events we’ve coordinated over the years, we’ve learned which markets will RSVP and show up (props to Atlanta, Washington, DC and Philly) and which ones like to RSVP and not come (I’m talking to you Chicago and North Carolina.)  But this was our first foray in to media events in Toronto, so we couldn’t be sure what to expect.  However, the bloggers and writers here exceeded any expectations I could have had… two lunches, 27 journalists, and only one no-show (I won’t mention names).  And so for that, I have to say “Thank you Toronto!” and we’ll most certainly be back.

Comments

Leave a Comment...

Be the first to comment on this post!

Leave a Comment

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.