If you’re covering– or hope to cover– a major event in the foreseeable future, Joshua Hudson, Senior Customer Content Specialist at PRNewswire, offers several great tips to help you out.
Stay on Top of Those Credentials
This tip seems like a no-brainer, but pay attention to the credentials deadlines. Most applications must be turned in months in advance. It’s not an ideal situation if you’re a procrastinator.
Applications for press credentials for Super Bowl 50, which took place Feb. 7 in Santa Clara, Calif., needed to be in by Nov. 16, 2015. If your local team has even a remote chance of making it to the Super Bowl, get those credentials in.
It’s not just sporting events that have tight credential timelines. Awards shows, for example, have similar formalities.
Know Before You Go
Another keep-in-mind tip is if you are traveling to an unfamiliar city, you should research transportation.
Would it be better to drive or rent a car? What’s the easiest way to get to the event? Are certain streets blocked off or with limited access? How close to the event will you be able to park? What time do they lock the doors in the parking garage? (This may seem like a minor issue, but I know from personal experience that this can lead to a very long night.)
Being on Time is Probably Too Late
Whether it’s a sporting event, entertainment-related event or something political, security is going to be intense. Heed this tip.
Not only will it be difficult to get to your location, but you probably will have to pass through several security checks. Keep in mind that the larger the event, the more extensive the checks are going to be.
According to NBC News, the NFL hired more than 4,000 private security professionals and worked with more than 60 agencies to help support security for Super Bowl 50. If you attended the game, you also probably dealt with bomb-sniffing dogs, X-ray machines, and cameras on every corner.
It’s easy to see why getting to the event with time to spare not only is a good idea, it’s a necessity.
