For the second year in a row, Sports Events Montréal — this year in collaboration with Communication ACTIVE — organised a networking day entitled Media and Leadership in Montréal Sport Events. Held in April at the Centre for Sustainable Development, it was specifically organised for national and provincial sports organizations and the media to get together and exchange knowledge. So, what was learnt?
Top takeaways
The aim of the event was to understand the issues facing the industry, explore ways of collaborating with the media and strengthen the links between the media and sports event organizers.
The goals were to:
🏅 Understand the industry’s challenges
📹 Explore ways to collaborate with the media
🦾 Strengthen the ties between the media and sports event organizers
⛳ Increase the visibility of Montréal’s events
🛠️ Equip promoters with the tools to effectively solicit media coverage for their events
🤼 Plan for the unexpected with a rigorous issues management strategy and methodology
Takeaway 1: It’s all about storytelling
It’s up to the media to grab the public’s attention with inspiring stories that express emotions and engage them. This was expertly explained by Maude Lapointe from Communication ACTIVE and the sports journalist Diane Sauvé in their workshop, The Art of Storytelling.
Urbania magazine’s Naomie Auger and Aurélie de Blois from Tourisme Montréal, expanded on this point in their talk about Content Creation, which demonstrated the variety of platforms on which these stories can be shared and also the importance of varying the angles of content proposed to the media.
We heard a handful of compelling stories during the event firsthand during the panel discussion moderated by Véronique Lavoie of Communication ACTIVE, featured Micah Desforges from Tribu Expérientiel, Alex Ratthe from Courons MTL, Jean-François Tremblay from La Presse and Genevieve Tardif from Radio-Canada.
Takeaway 2: The go-between is key
By understanding what type of story the media are on the lookout for, promoters in the sports industry (and any other) will be able to tailor their communications to meet the brief. That’s the raison d’être of Communication ACTIVE, whose mission it is to showcase the experiences, stories and people of the sporting and business communities through thoughtful, powerful communications strategies focused on action and excellence, to ensure credibility, brand awareness and commitment.
Spokespeople can be a fantastic way to bridge the gap between sports event and media, as expressed by Sophie Des Marais‘s talk on Demystifying Spokespeople, Ambassadors and Partner Athletes.
Takeaway 3: Communications strategy is an art
Sports events have very lively ecosystems made up of controllable and unpredictable elements. Planning for delicate and emergency situations is a necessity for any organization, given the current social and economic climate. Poorly managed, a small issue can become a disproportionate crisis. Properly managed, a crisis can go unnoticed, said Véronique Lavoie, founder of Communication ACTIVE, in her talk on Crisis Strategy and Management. Avoid crises by mastering your issues. Avoid improvisation with rigorous preparation.
With the right storylines, the right mouthpieces and the right contacts, it’s a cinch to get your right message out to the ears and eyes that count.
Here’s your cheat sheet:
🔥 Share a story of human interest that will grab attention
📢 Provide a maximum of information
⏱️Give as much advance notice as possible
🔢 Provide impressive numbers
🚨 Be the first to share the news
Read this next: Montréal neighbourhoods to fit into your downtime
