Venue

Many journalists are based in London or the Home Counties area, so select your venue with this in mind. It needs to be quietly impressive, easily accessible (preferably by public transport) and have good conference and catering facilities adequate for the sort of numbers you’ll be inviting. If you can afford it, you won’t go far wrong with the tried and trusted ‘central London hotel’ solution.

Avoid the temptation to go for a way-out venue which you’re sure the press will find really exciting and memorable – it can backfire on you. A company once held a press conference on a Thames pleasure barge which, after the journalists came aboard, weighed anchor and chugged off on a non-stop return journey to Tilbury or somewhere. Unfortunately several journalists were pushed for time and wanted to get back to their offices immediately after questions were finished, but were forced to hang around in mid-stream for another couple of hours while pre-lunch drinks and lunch were consumed before the barge moored up again back at the start point. The only escape route would have been to swim ashore; no one took it...