Advocacy in Action - International AIDS Society

How to...organise a press conference
Advocacy in Action Card 9 Preparing a press conference
Preparing for the press conference
• Give two to seven days’ notice of the conference to relevant journalists (consider reporters,
columnists, newscasters, editors) and send them an announcement including:
♦ The purpose of the press conference
♦ Date, time and where it will be held
♦ Who will speak at/present/chair it.
• Choose a suitable venue including the following as required:
♦ Easy location, access and adequate parking space
♦ Low noise levels
♦ Enough capacity – power points for TV lights, space, layout
♦ Audio/audio visual equipment
♦ Room for individual interviews
♦ Helpful staff with experience of hosting press conferences and with technological expertise.
• Choose an appropriate time of day for the majority of media, i.e., so that they can write the
story before their deadlines (but you will not be able to fit in with everyone’s deadlines).
• Select and brief a chairperson and appropriate speakers. Work with them to identify and
practise answering questions from the journalists – especially the difficult ones!
• Select a press officer/key contact person for the press to deal with.
• Prepare a press pack for journalists, including:
♦ Press release (see Press Release Advocacy in Action Card 7)
♦ Background on your organisation/coalition
♦ A list of the key points you are making and sample quotes
♦ Recommendations for future action
♦ A list of contacts whom journalists can contact to discuss the issue
♦ Any relevant photographs, statistics, graphs, etc. Take special care concerning
confidentiality, and brief the chairperson and speakers about these issues where necessary.
Format of a press conference
1 Welcome, refreshments and distribution of the press pack.
2 Chairperson:
♦ Introduces the speaker/s
♦ Explains arrangements and proceedings
♦ Points out the press officer/key contact person for all enquiries
♦ States whether interviews are available afterwards
♦ Stresses confidentiality issues where appropriate.
3 First speaker.
4 Second speaker, etc.
5 Chairperson takes questions from journalists who then gives them to one of the speakers to
answer; other speakers may also add remarks.
6 Chair thanks the press for attending and closes the press conference.
7 Individual interviews with speakers.
After the press conference
• Send the press pack to the journalists who did not attend.
• Make a list of attendees and update your database where appropriate.
• Note down the names of journalists who asked particularly important questions/appeared
sympathetic to your cause.