Advocacy At Home: Top-10 Tips For Facility Tours

Advocate for the promotional products industry by welcoming your member of congress on a tour of your facility. Here are PPAI’s top-10 tips for a successful facility tour:

1. Team Work: Don’t try to organize it alone—recruit a team. Appoint or recruit staff to a cross-departmental committee to ensure that all aspects of the tour run smoothly. Reach out to your regional association or PPAI for tips and guidance.

2. Be Persistent: If your member of Congress’ scheduler turns down a particular date, offer another.

3. Be Flexible: If your choices still don’t work, ask the scheduler to pick a date. Be sure to have back up dates in mind. Member of Congress’ schedules are subject to change.

4. Invite Partners: Invite suppliers in your area or regional association leadership to participate in the tour in advance of the event.

5. Spread The Word: Develop a press kit and send it to local media, PPAI publications and regional associations. Take photos, document the event and publicize after the event as well.

6. Tell The Story: Discuss the value of promotional products, the strength of the industry and your facility’s contribution to the community. Find talking points at www.ppailaw.org.

7. Map It: Map a route of the tour and make sure all attendees and company staff have a copy.

8. Rehearse It: Rehearse the walk through during regular business hours and be sure to stay within your allotted time.

9. Follow-up: Send a thank-you note to your member of Congress and include some of the key points made during your tour. Include photos of the event in your note. Invite him or her to return at any time.

10. Recognize It: Recognize your member of congress with a promotional product to commemorate the visit. Remember to thank company staff who offered their time and expertise to make the tour a success.

Contact PPAI today for tour planning consulting: Anne Lardner-Stone, director, public affairs,
AnneL@ppai.org, 972-258-3041. Eme Alberico, public affairs specialist, EmeA@ppai.org, 972-570-3282.