Out Of The Cradle has the most comprehensive set of ISDC links so far.

And justified criticism of the Dallas Morning News, which doesn't seem to think that this is important, even when it takes place in its own city.

I hear that. I had to come to the intertube just find out it was going on. From the local media affiliates I heard squat. I recall the local TV talking about Quakecon in Mesquite, TX a few years back. Nothing about ISDC though, nada.

Did ISDC provide a press release? The Dallas Morning News reporter needs something to cut and paste into an article.

Here's what always galls me about worthy causes bemoaning lack of coverage--they make no serious attempt to widely publicize the event outside their own community; no serious attempt to make the event even superficially attractive to the general public; they simply assume that being a worthy cause and having a significant, albeit thinly distributed support base should naturally result in coverage. That doesn't happen, so then they just complain and make the same mistakes over and over. DMN would have covered Quakecon because it's clearly related to fun and entertainment--the singular focus of most news programs--whereas venture capital financing isn't. Perhaps that will change when the "space bubble" starts showing, and the coverage begins to follow the money, but for the moment these conferences will only get as much coverage as they strive for. Three years from now they'll be wading in hype up to their shoulders, so they should treasure these halcyon days.

What galls me is folks opining when they don't have the full story. NSS does engage in media relations. Jeremy Pyle is our point person, and I have somewhere on my computer or external hard drive the list of major media outlets to which he sent press releases and followed up with in the time leading up to the conference.

Our local chapter also followed up with local media that had slipped beneath national's radar. I personally sent out a number of press releases on May 1st on behalf of our chapter. I also encouraged our local affiliates to also send out press releases highlighting their participation in the event.

Supplementing this is a big way were our flyers and postcards that chapter members posted/distributed to libraries, bookstores, video stores, record stores, cafes, universities, and even head shops fer cryin' out loud.

Superficially attractive? Not even book signings and movie screenings and t-shirts and a huge public exhibit area? Those in the metroplex who did show up (and there were a fair number, though nowhere near as many as I would have liked) could have walked out with handfulls of space goodies without having to pay one penny for the experience.

I suggest, Mr. Swiderski, that you mosey on over to the link that Rand provided (by the way, thanks for coming out, Rand!) and see the kind of coverage we've gotten. Sure it's largely from within the space community, but there are also other communities that are beginning to engage with us as well, and that's a good thing.

FWIW, I am not 'of' the space community, I'm just a parvenu. I've worked in international banking and finance for over a decade and a half. I know a thing or three about conference architecture, marketing, and PR not related to space efforts.

You might want to think about loosening your tie a little bit there Brian, and signing up for next year's ISDC in DC. This year's conference has given us a lot of good feedback (and was a lot of fun) that we can take to the capitol and smack our congresscritters around with. Given your self-professed knowledge of the ins and outs of successful PR efforts, we could certainly use your help in promoting next year's conference.

Are you willing to put effort behind your words?

Ken,
I wasn't trying to dump on anyone's efforts or imply that I had specialized expertise, and I admit to speaking cavalierly without detailed knowledge of your program, but it doesn't matter on this issue how many press releases were delivered, how many channels and publications were contacted, how many flyers were distributed, or even what features and exhibits were offered at the events. Facts don't matter to infotainment news businesses, only the ability of those facts to attract attention from the audience. If the Dallas Morning News was a curious blip on an otherwise successful campaign, then I congratulate you and the other team members on a job well done, and you can simply ignore what I said earlier. But the indignation of many bloggers in the community to DMN's lack of coverage doesn't make it sound like a trivial oversight.

I may indeed go to ISDC in the next few years, assuming all things work out, and if I'm quite lucky I may eventually bring some money--I'd be one of the "fools" in the FFF trinity--but it's highly unlikely that I'll have time to volunteer. Moreover, I don't have knowledge of the "ins and outs" of PR campaigns, I simply call it like I see it and hope other people do the same (as you have here).

The best I can do is give this advice, for what it's worth: In your press releases, focus on all the money that's going to be floating around, playing up or even making up drama, even if the reality is just a bunch of preliminary contacts. Make it sound as though Important Decisions are being made at these events that will have titanic consequences Sooner Than You Think, they're not just meet 'n' greet socials for the VCs and startups. I don't know what the prevailing feelings were at this ISDC, but I think creating a sense of magic and contagious anticipation ought to be the goal for future ones. You're selling a road into the future, and ISDC is a window looking out at its awe and mystery, and facilitating Big Happenings that will take us there. Magic and anticipation are a lot more exciting than fun and cool. Just my three cents.

.

AMAZING BBC NEWS:

"Fourteen space agencies have agreed to co-ordinate future space exploration of the Moon and Mars."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6708661.stm

this is the space agencies' list:

Asi (Italy)
BNSC (UK)
CNES (France)
CNSA (China)
CSA (Canada)
CSIRO (Australia)
DLR (Germany)
Esa (European Space Agency)
ISRO (India)
JAXA (Japan)
KARI (South Korea)
Nasa (USA)
NSAU (Ukraine)
Roscosmos (Russia)

could this international agreement be the "first step" to see something like...

.

the Orion launched with the Ariane5 ... http://www.gaetanomarano.it/articles/010arianecev.html

the Vulcain2 as Ares-I 2nd stage engine ... http://www.gaetanomarano.it/articles/024aresF.html

a Lunar Space Station built with ESA and Russia modules ... http://www.gaetanomarano.it/articles/009_LSS.html

a joined LSAM+Shenzhou moon mission ... http://www.gaetanomarano.it/LSAMshenzhou/lsamshenzhou.html

a "STANDARDIZED docking system" (maybe, the androgynous Orion's LIDS) as suggested ten months ago on ghostNASA ...

> What galls me is folks opining when they don't have the full story. NSS does
> engage in media relations. Jeremy Pyle is our point person, and I have somewhere
> on my computer or external hard drive the list of major media outlets to which he
> sent press releases and followed up with in the time leading up to the conference.

That may be part of the problem, Ken. If you want press to show up at your event, you send a "Media Advisory," not a press release.

More importantly, if you want press to come to your event, don't schedule it on a holiday weekend. Most reporters work Monday through Friday, fewer work weekends, and fewer still a holiday weekend. Those who do are generally on call to cover breaking news like fires, bank robberies, and tornadoes.

With newspapers, you have to schedule your press conference so reporters can get back to the office and write the story before the paper goes to press, otherwise there's no reason for them to show up no matter what you have to say. Even then, you have to hope there's no breaking news that takes priority.