Ask An Expert: How to plan and run the perfect press trip

PRE-EVENT

A press trip for our client The Three Fishes in The Ribble Valley had been in the pipeline for a few months but in order to entice London journalists up for two days, we knew it would be a good idea to take the blinkers off and think a little differently.

We decided to partner up with another agency to pull together an itinerary that our target list of journalists couldn’t say no to, giving them a host of new introductions and experiencing the best of what Manchester and The Ribble Valley has to offer.

We worked with Lucy Noone Blake at Pear, a brilliant agency in Manchester who turned out to be the perfect partner to pull off a mutually beneficial press trip for all our clients.

An itinerary was agreed on, an invitation was designed, and we worked together to collate and invite a group of journalist who we wanted to experience the two-day trip, with a view to putting our venues firmly on their radar in a casual setting.

PRESS TRIP DAY ONE

Our first day started with journalists arriving on the train from London – a smooth journey up and no train strikes or delays, thank goodness.

Lunch was hosted at the Edinburgh Castle where Shaun Moffat, ex of Manteca, has recently taken over the kitchen, producing a daily changing restaurant menu of local produce. We highly rate the veal pie (see image) and a pint!

En-route to the hotel for check in, we dropped into The Jane Eyre – the bar credited as the heart of the Ancoats neighbourhood, named as one of the 33 coolest places in the world – for cocktails.

Checking into the Dakota Hotel, there was time for a quick change before heading to 10 Tib Lane, recently applauded by Jay Rayner, for oysters and drinks.

Dinner was hosted at Higher Ground – the new bistro from the team behind critically acclaimed Flawd, whose CV’s span Noma, Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Fera by Simon Rogan.

Joe Otway’s whole animal cookery and produce grown on the market garden owned by the restaurant team has made waves in the Northern Hospitality scene since opening in February 2023. The menu, always decided on the day, was based on what had arrived that morning from Cinderwood. It was beef. And it was delicious.

PRESS TRIP DAY TWO

We switched gears on day two, taking the journalists one hour north of the city to the beautiful Ribble Valley countryside, where Nigel Haworth has returned to his roots for his latest venture – The Three Fishes, Mitton.

As Chef Patron, Nigel is leading a farm-to-fork culinary experience that’s a real passion project. Making full use of the surrounding fields, he’s fulfilling a long-held dream – to create exceptional, freshly-picked seasonal food with zero waste in the country’s most sustainable kitchen.

Following a garden tour of the one-acre plot where the menus are grown, and a cup of freshly-picked herbal tea, Nigel’s seasonal dishes of the moment were served for lunch. The lemon soufflé is still being talked about fondly at Viva HQ!

Our journalists were sent on their journey home with a hamper of snacks to enjoy and a copy of The Yorkshire Forager from James Martin’s Saturday Morning regular guest, Alysia Vasey, who joined us for lunch.

POST EVENT

Full to the brim with new contacts, ideas – and lemon soufflé – we started to receive thank you’s and fantastic feedback for the trip almost as soon as the journalists got in their seats on the train back to London.

Our clients were busy re-sharing posts from the journalists who were raving about the food, drink and chefs they had experienced – we had created a buzz and made an impact for our clients by bringing some of the most influential voices in the industry to their tables.

One journalist explained how important it is for him to get out and about and to meet people face to face to forge new relationships, another commented on why they said yes to the trip – multiple venues in one felt like time very well spent.

Next steps? Keep the conversation going. We opened the door to new contacts, spent two days with them and shared some of the most delicious food in the north – an exercise in the importance of creating genuine relationships with the media.