Face-to-face
Technology makes it easy to communicate with anyone from pretty much anywhere these days. Companies often put on events that are webcast raising the question of why you would take time out to actually travel somewhere. BMW’s annual accounts conference in Munich yesterday is an interesting case in point. The press conference itself was accompanied by simultaneous release of press releases, transcripts of speeches and the event itself is available to access in real time via a webcast. You could cover it from the beach.
So, your physical presence there has to be about getting something more out of it than you can get online. That can mean trying to get additional interviews with senior bods, informal chit-chats over dinner and so on. You pick up a lot through the constant conversations, not just with company people but also with fellow journalists. It may not be directly useful today, but it may be valuable next week, next month.
Modern communications technology is a great enabler and has its place, of course. But there is no substitute for actually meeting with people in the real world.
Re the below clip, I think Rolls-Royce PR man Graham Biggs deserves a credit as the man with a very steady hand behind the camera. Â