Overview:

Kashi, also known as Varanasi, is revered as the spiritual capital of India. It holds immense religious and cultural significance and is renowned for its spirituality and temples. Situated on the banks of the sacred river Ganges, Kashi has been a center of pilgrimage and devotion for thousands of years.

The International Temples Convention and Expo (ITCX) was held at the Rudraksh Convention Centre in Varanasi, the oldest city in the world, from July 22 to July 24, 2023. The convention was organized by Temple Connect (India) and was the first of its kind, exclusively dedicated to addressing the management of temples worldwide.

The main focus of ITCX was on nurturing and empowering the administration, management, and operations of temple ecosystems. The aim was to bring together the representatives from temples across the globe to facilitate discussions, exchange ideas, and share best practices related to temple management. 

Objectives:

• Generate widespread awareness about the ITCX among the global temple community, religious institutions, potential attendees, media, and stakeholders.
• Increase visibility through targeted media outreach, press releases, and social media campaigns.
• Establish ITCX as the world’s first event, solely dedicated to the management of temples worldwide with emphasize on its unique focus on nurturing and empowering temple administration, management, and operations.
• Encourage participation from representatives of temples worldwide. Highlight the benefits of attending ITCX, such as networking opportunities, knowledge sharing, and access to valuable resources for temple management.
• Media Coverage: Secure media coverage from national and mainline media outlets.
• Showcase the significance of the event and its potential impact on temple management practices globally.
• Actively engage with the temple community and potential attendees through social media platforms.
• Use engaging content, updates, and discussions to foster excitement and anticipation for the event.
• Extend PR efforts beyond the event’s dates to cover post- highlights, achievements, and key takeaways. Use post-event coverage to reinforce the impact and significance of ITCX.

Challenges:

• Time Constraints: The Expo had strict deadlines, and organizing everything in a limited timeframe was stressful.
• Proper planning, time management, and coordination among team members (Operational and on-ground) were crucial to meeting the event’s timeline.
• Finding a suitable venue that accommodates the expected number of attendees and provides the necessary facilities was challenging.
• Coordinating logistics such as transportation (Media), accommodation, and setup was complex and time-consuming.
• Ensuring effective communication and coordination with all the parties, namely, clients, sponsors, speakers, media, and attendees for a seamless communication.
• Generating adequate media coverage and publicity.
• Handling media during the event.
• Contingency Planning: Unexpected challenges, such as technical issues, weather disruptions or last-minute cancellations during the event.
• Managing Attendee Expectations: Meeting the expectations of attendees and delivering a memorable experience.
• Post- Follow-up: Following up with attendees, media, and stakeholders after the event
• Proper handling of press releases and media detailing
• Managing media queries

PR Strategy:

• Media Outreach: Develop targeted media lists and create compelling press releases to announce the event and its unique focus on temple management.
• Reach out to national and international media outlets, including CAT A, CAT B publications of Uttar Pradesh media and industry-specific media, to secure coverage and feature stories.
• Create and distribute thought leadership articles, and op-eds discussing the importance of temple ecosystems and the significance of the event.
• Optimize for search engines to increase online visibility.
• Utilize targeted email marketing campaigns to reach out to potential attendees, previous participants, and relevant stakeholders.
• Share event updates, speaker announcements, and registration reminders with the guests.
• Organize pre-event webinars, teasers, and sneak peeks to pique the interest of the target audience. These activities are to provide insights into the event’s agenda and showcase the value of attending.
• Arrange media interviews with event organizers, keynote speakers, and representatives from participating temples. These media interactions can build anticipation and generate coverage.
• Post- Coverage and Reports: After the event, share comprehensive reports, success stories, and testimonials.
• Engage with attendees and media to highlight the outcomes and key takeaways from ITCX.
• Dissemination of the press releases across other states such as Delhi, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh enhancing the PR engagement.

Execution:

• Press Releases: Develop and distribute press releases announcing the event, highlighting its unique focus on temple management, and featuring key speakers or dignitaries attending the convention.
• Media Pitching: Proactively reach out to journalists and media outlets covering religious, cultural related topics.
• Offer exclusive stories and interviews with event organizers and key participants.
• Collaborate with media organizations to secure media partnerships for extensive coverage before, during, and after the event. This included interviews, live broadcasts, and featured articles.
• Build a segmented email list and send targeted email campaigns to potential attendees, previous participants, and industry influencers. Regularly update them on event news and speaker announcements.
• Organize pre-event activities with industry experts to discuss key topics related to temple management, creating awareness and generating interest in the event.
• Share post-event coverage, highlights, and key takeaways through press releases, blogs, and social media posts.
• Engage with attendees to gather testimonials and feedback for future promotions.

Result:

• Successfully secured a steady drumbeat of coverage throughout the 3 days long activation
• Coverage included 125+ media placements across top-tier print publications including Amar Ujala, Dainik Jagran, Hindustan, Rashtriya Sahara, Pioneer, Hindustan Times, I Next, 25+ Online Media Portals, 24+ YouTube traction garnering good number of media impressions.