What to Send Your Media Team Before the Event
What to Send Your Media Team Before the Event (And Why It Changes Everything)
Most event organizers send their media team one thing before the event: the date and the venue. That is not enough. The difference between good coverage and great coverage is almost entirely determined before anyone sets foot on site.
The Pre-Event Brief Is the Most Underused Tool in Conference Planning
Your media team cannot read your mind. They do not know which speaker is the most important one. They do not know that the award presentation at 4pm is the emotional centerpiece of the entire event. They do not know that a sponsor paid for the main stage and needs clear logo visibility in every keynote photo.
If you do not tell them, they will do their best. But their best without context is not the same as their best with it. A pre-event brief changes everything.
What to Include in Your Media Brief
Every session, every break, every meal, every evening event. Include start and end times, room names, and any concurrent sessions that need simultaneous coverage.
Which moments are non-negotiable. The keynote open. The award presentation. The closing session. The gala entrance. Flag these explicitly so your team knows where to be no matter what.
Names and photos of speakers, VIP attendees, sponsors, and leadership. If your team does not know who the CEO is, they might miss the handshake moment that belongs on your website.
Which sponsors have branding expectations. Where their signage is located. Whether they need coverage of their booths, activations, or branded moments.
A floor plan or venue map so your team understands the physical space before they arrive. This matters most for multi-room events where positioning decisions need to be made in advance.
If you want same-day content, your team needs to know before the event, not during it. If you need speaker portrait photos for press releases, say so in advance.
How you want content organized. How it will be delivered. What your post-event timeline looks like so your media team can align their turnaround to your needs.
When to Send It
The earlier the better, but at minimum two weeks before the event. This gives your media team time to build a coverage plan, ask follow-up questions, and identify any logistical needs before they are standing in your ballroom. One week out is workable. The day before is damage control.
Every CLM client goes through a structured pre-event brief process as part of our standard workflow. We ask the right questions, build a coverage plan from your answers, and show up knowing exactly what needs to happen.
What Happens When You Skip It
Without a brief, your media team is making judgment calls all day. Some will be right. Some will not. And the moments they miss are gone. No brief also means longer editing time after the event, because your team is sorting through content that was not organized with your end use in mind. A 30-minute investment before the event saves hours of frustration after it.
The Bottom Line
Your media team is a professional operation. Treat them like one. Give them what they need to do the job well and they will deliver something that makes your event look exactly as good as it actually was.
We Ask the Right Questions Before We Show Up
Corporate Level Media builds a full coverage plan from your event brief before every booking. Travel always included. No subcontracting.
Request a Quote