WeWork Golden Gate, 25 Taylor St, San Francisco, CA 94102
T: +1 646 738 8960
E: leslie.campisi@hotwirepr.com
Hotwire has planted its flag in the heart of San Francisco. Our staff is getting settled, taking meetings and soaking up the tech-infused lifestyle that makes the Bay Area so special.
From PR Week: “Hotwire’s San Francisco branch will have five agency staffers, including associate director Annette Leach, who transferred from the London office. Leach will report to US MD Leslie Campisi, who is based in New York.
When Hotwire entered the US market in 2011, it had an office in New York and one team member in San Francisco, Campisi explained. The agency’s New York office now has 15 staffers.
The firm is seeing increasing demand in RFPs and other inquiries for a bi-coastal offering, Campisi said. The San Francisco office will allow Hotwire, which specializes in tech and digitally-enabled brands, to compete for more national business as well as local accounts.”
Annette, Leslie, Dan Gamble and Brendon Craigie just finished a whirlwind week at the new offices at WeWork Golden Gate that was filled with meetings interviews, and, most importantly, Graduate Assessment Day. The San Francisco office is about to receive an influx of amazing young talent to add to our already blossoming US team.
If there’s a profession that deserves a little TLC this month, it’s the print and online news business.
On this rainy Friday, around a dozen New York Post staffers received the ax after weeks of rumors that cuts were imminent.
In May, the pink slips flew at the New York Daily News and the Village Voice imploded. The Department of Justice freaked everyone out when it demanded two months worth of information from the Associated Press. Even the New York Times is rumored to be considering sponsored content in order to cope with quarter after quarter of piddling revenues.
The Chicago Sun-Times recently canned its entire staff of photographers, replacing them with… iPhones.
And let’s not even talk about magazines.
I doubt there’s more than handful of newsrooms in the country where reporters and editors feel confident that their jobs, as they know them, will be there in 2014.
So how do we as PR professionals respond to a shrinking, stressed-out news industry?
From Christa Conte, Senior Program Director at Hotwire in NYC
LGA, OHR, EWR, MCO…O my.
In less than 10 days, I participated in two major client events: PegaWORLD and IRCE. That meant 6+ keynote speeches, one major acquisition, 20+ media briefings, penning a 10-question survey for 80 attendees, hosting over 15 journalists through multiple sessions, briefings, breakfasts, lunches and dinners. I even rode a rollercoaster somewhere in between.
Non-stop, keeping my wits about me, fast-paced, and high-energy… just a typical day in PR! But getting back to a (somewhat) normal pace has made me want to share some words to wise when in the trenches at a client event:
Be prepared. It might be a digital world but reporters still like to write things down on paper. Package of pens? $5. Handing a panicked reporter with a working writing implement before interviewing your client. Priceless.
Lock it up! Metaphorically and literally. When you’re running around with a million other things on your mind, you might forget the small stuff. Like locking up your hotel room or grabbing your hotel key on the way out. Keep a small checklist in your mind of all of the things that need to happen before you walk out that you would normally do in your day-to-day life.
Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges… Actually, you do! Always remember to double and triple check credentials before you get on the plane. You may need additional access into a client’s panel or a pass that gets you to an off-site event. Check yourself before you wreck your event.
Afternoon Delight. In general at events, days typically run from 6am until 10pm so a mid-afternoon coffee or espresso is a good pick me up. Just remember you need to give it 1000% while you’re in person with the client. So work your hardest… it’ll help you sleep better at night.
Be type A+. When planning an event, the truism, “calm before the storm,” should always be part of your planning. This means organizing your events to a “T” so that they run as smooth as possible. Once the logistics are dealt with, you can relax knowing that you’ll only have deal with the unforeseen bumps in the road. Loss of Wi-Fi, anyone?
There’s no “I” in team. Unless you have an evil twin lurking around somewhere, it’s utterly impossible to run an entire event single-handed. Whether it’s your direct team, your external agency or client; whether they’re there in person or hundreds of miles away, your team is crucial to your success at any event.
By Annette Leach, Associate Director of Hotwire PR in San Francisco
We have been working alongside Finovate in the UK for a while. So I was extremely pleased that Hotwire announced it would be a partner for Finovate Spring 2013 which took place in San Francisco this week. I went along to find out what’s hot right now in FS Tech and do some all important networking for our newest office.
If you’re not familiar with Finovate, the format involves 72 companies over two days, presenting seven-minute demos in sets of nine. This means that the audience has a break in between each set. Is something isn’t up your alley, you only have seven minutes before the next company takes the stage. I really liked the pace this gave – you could also continue chatting with each company at their booths in the breaks, or at the happy hour after 4PM.
In terms of focus, mobile was obviously a big thing this year, something that spans almost very vertical. Yet, I found myself more interested in the emergence of a number of companies presenting socially aware business innovations – where social conscience intersects with tech. Examples included Refundo which just launched a mobile banking app to serve the millions of Americans who do not have a bank account, providing financial services to those with a low or moderate household income. PayNearMe which focuses on bringing an alternative payment mechanism to the “under-banked,” allows consumers to pay cash for their utility bills or purchases via participating retail stores. Also LendUp, which enables consumers who cannot get credit to make small dollar loans to build up their credit rating.
The other companies that received positive feedback on #finovate were Finovera – still in beta but a cool online service that allows you to manage all of your bills in one place and gives you analysis on your spending. TipRanks also received a good response with its concept of ranking financial analysts’ predictions on stock recommendations to ‘rate’ them, giving would-be investors a gauge of how reliable their sources may be. Finally another company focusing on the investment community was SeedInvest, which provides a platform to connect investors to high-quality start ups with the aim of making the process of raising capital much speedier and without the red tape. A great concept for anyone with an investment interest!
A very interesting show to make new connections and get the low-down on the latest in FS Tech! One to visit again in 2014.
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