The DIFFERENCES in organizing press conferences for events in SAIGON and HANOI – things every PR and communications professional should know… (If you don’t need to know, feel free to ask!!! 😄).
✍️ This is a small sharing of experiences in PR and journalism, distilled from the practical experience of the Blue Moon Opportunities team – with no intention of being sarcastic or biased towards any region.
This blog post is a way for BMO to share more experiences with colleagues in the PR, communications, and journalism industry.
Hanoi Reporters Show Outstanding Enthusiasm
Considering a mid-level event, not a major hot topic or the focus of current events, reporters/journalists in Hanoi seem much more enthusiastic than those in Saigon.
😊 For example, the BMO team recently organized a press conference for an exhibition in Hanoi, inviting around 15 newspapers and media outlets to cover it. However, in reality, 25 newspapers showed up – meaning 10 were unexpected, and after the event, several more newspapers proactively contacted us to offer their support in covering the event.
If you’re a new account manager or PR professional, this unexpected situation might surprise and confuse you, as you might not know how to handle it properly. An account manager or PR professional certainly can’t just say “NO” and… “please leave because your name isn’t on the list.”
🙂 Because we’ve organized hundreds of press conferences like this, the BMO team always thoughtfully prepares impromptu press releases and press kits to welcome journalists who “weren’t on the invitation list but came through private sources.”
🥰 The aforementioned overwhelming enthusiasm isn’t something bothersome or awkward; on the contrary, it’s an opportunity for any agency team to expand its media network and become an even better bridge connecting brands or event organizers. But most importantly, it’s about how the PR/account team proactively engages with reporters/journalists – whether they’re familiar with them or new acquaintances – and whether they’re subtle, tactful, and understanding…
🫶 BMO has an absolute principle of not pushing articles or supporting content for reporters/journalists after events. Fortunately, reporters/journalists familiar with the BMO team are always happy to proactively send links to the team after their articles have been published, and the articles are always high-quality.
👉 This kind of “enthusiastic” attendance at press conferences is less common in the Saigon PR-journalism scene. For normal press conferences, people usually only attend if invited, rather than proactively showing up without an invitation. As for high-profile events involving businesses, journalists will certainly be very proactive in contacting them to ask for information.
💁‍♂️ That’s it. In general, when doing PR for an event in Hanoi, you have to be prepared to warmly welcome journalists and reporters who are not on the list; to avoid being caught off guard and feeling awkward for all parties involved…. This proactiveness is not only to protect the agency’s reputation but also for the brand or business hosting the event.