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As the agency responsible for managing all media relations surrounding Lotusphere Orlando 2000, Lois Paul & Partners (LP&P) was responsible for securing press attendance, writing the press releases, as well as designing the Press Kit, and scheduling 838 interviews between the Lotus executives and press and analysts. Lois Paul & Partners also crafted 304 background briefing documents on journalists and 10 electronic internal Q&A documents and an overall Q&A. The public relations activities around Lotusphere 2000 had to be coordinated across 12 different Lotus PR teams at the agency. This included making sure that every team was kept aware of any changes that could affect their specific product area. The PR teams also needed to take into consideration the news topic preferences of the on-site journalists when scheduling meetings. Given that many journalists were not able to attend the event due to time or budgetary constraints, the PR team worked to notify non-attending journalists of the news announcements as they crossed the wire and set up telephone press briefings with Lotus spokespeople in a timely manner. Feedback about the show from members of the press, analyst community and Lotus itself was overwhelmingly positive. Press coverage in more than 300 articles demonstrated the media’s acceptance and understanding of Lotus’ positioning and key messages. OPPORTUNITIES With over 10,000 customers, 200 exhibitors and 300+ members of the media at the “Happiest Place on Earth” for an entire week, the possibilities are limitless. Lotusphere is an annual user conference held in Walt Disney World for customers and business partners of Lotus Development Corp. This year, the conference sold out in two days. A-Okay with Y2K Companies that were hesitant to purchase new software during 1999 due to the Y2K scare were now confident with the level of security and reliability in the computer industry. 2000 was the year companies built up their e-business and knowledge management solutions by implementing software that enables users to work in the style that best fits their needs. A Visionary Company Computerworld has rated Lotusphere among the top user conferences worldwide. And, it was the only conference run by a vendor to receive such an honor. “Survey respondents said Lotusphere has the best exhibits and demonstrations, and they gave it high marks for its training and certification offerings.” (Computerworld Sept. 20, 1999) The theme for Lotusphere 2000, “Looking Forward, Forward Looking,” captured the visionary status that Lotus has acquired in the software industry over the last decade. A visionary company like Lotus is naturally the target of many competitors -- Microsoft for example -- that seek to profit by mimicking technology concepts that it originated. By meeting with key press and analysts at Lotusphere, Lotus had a chance to shine through as the original and true leader in e-business and knowledge management technology. RESEARCH, PLANNING AND STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES There were two high-level objectives for Lotusphere 2000. The first was to reinforce the message that Lotus is the leader in developing total knowledge management solutions. The following announcements were designed the help draw attention to this objective: The second objective was to promote Lotus as a visionary in building next-generation e-businesses. The following announcements aided in delivering this key message: LP&P also mapped 122 Lotus Business Partner announcements to the overall Lotusphere 2000 objectives, depending on which initiative each release best supported. STRATEGIC APPROACH AND CAMPAIGN EXECUTION A high-impact industry event like Lotusphere 2000 demands extensive planning and preparation. Lois Paul & Partners spent four months fine-tuning and executing the PR plan to ensure its success. Following is a summary of the strategies/activities leading up to Lotusphere 2000. Outreach: Press/Analyst Meetings Press Materials Celebrity Guests Briefing Materials Leveraging of Technology RESULTS DOCUMENTATION At Lotusphere 2000, Lotus Development Corp. made seven announcements and showcased solutions that successfully demonstrated the company’s leadership in the knowledge management and e-business markets. Feedback about the show from members of the press, analyst community and Lotus itself was overwhelmingly positive. Press coverage in more than 300 articles demonstrated the media’s acceptance and understanding of Lotus’ positioning and key messages. Coverage Attendance
