Last week, roughly 60 airport media relations and public affairs professionals attended the 2010 ACI-NA Media Relations & Crisis Communications Seminar in Las Vegas, to discuss the challenges and opportunities in investing in social media outlets, and to share best practices in media relations and crisis communications.
Attendees spent most of Thursday discussing the merits and disadvantages of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs. Airports, both small and large, shared some ideas on how to get started using these tools and how to perfect their usage. Some takeaway tips include:
- Use www.Hootsuite.com to schedule tweets during weekends and non office hours.
- Strive for 100 Facebook users to earn a personalized URL.
- Tap into www.mashable.com to guide the social media n00b (Twitter slang for “newbie”)
In addition to the numerous discussions on social media and a helpful NextGen 101 session from ACI-NA’s Chris Oswald, the attendees had the opportunity to learn about the best ways to communicate during a crisis. Some tips from the experts include:
- Stay in your lane to ensure accurate information is distributed.
- Utilize interviews—in addition to social media outlets—to disseminate information.
- Hold a press conference in a controlled environment
Finally, the seminar closed with an upbeat presentation by media trainer, Dr. Joe Trahan. A few brave attendees were put in the spotlight in front of their peers for an on-camera practice interview. Some of Dr. Trahan’s recommendations for a spotless interview include:
- Prep one hour for every one minute of interview.
- Use the 27-9-3 rule when crafting sound bytes: 27 words, 9 minutes, 3 messages.
- Speculating is not okay; saying you don’t know is okay.
Most of the seminar presentations can be found on ACI-NA’s website. Click here to access the agenda and PDF versions of the presentations. Pictures of the event will be posted soon on ACI-NA’s Facebook page.
Also, by popular demand, click here to access the Socialnomics YouTube clip that appropriately kicked off the seminar. Social media skeptics: consider yourself warned.
Thanks to all of the speakers and participants that made this seminar a success. And remember, what happens in Vegas, stays on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube…