Epic Events Podcast with
Matt Kovacs

Why Your Event Needs a PR Strategy Before It Has a Venue

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  • Matt Kovacs

    Matt Kovacs is a communications and PR leader with more than 20 years of experience helping brands create meaningful visibility through events, media strategy, and experiential marketing. As part of Blaze PR, he has worked with brands like Monster Energy, Heineken, and Electrolit to build campaigns that connect PR, storytelling, and live activations in ways that drive long-term brand awareness.

About the Episode

Are your events creating real momentum for your brand, or are you leaving attention and media coverage on the table?

In this episode of the Epic Events Podcast, Muhammad Younas sits down with Matt Kovacs to unpack why PR should never be treated as an afterthought in event planning. Matt shares how the best brands build media strategy into activations from day one and why that approach creates stronger engagement, more buzz, and better long-term results.

The conversation goes deep into how brands can create media-worthy moments without massive budgets. Matt explains how smaller brands can use smart storytelling, unique partnerships, and creative experiences to stand out in crowded markets. 

If you want your events to generate attention before, during, and after they happen, this episode gives a practical look at how PR, content, and experiential marketing work together to make that happen.

Key Takeaways:

  • Build PR into event planning early so your team can spot media moments before the event is fully shaped.
  • Create buzz before the event by giving media and influencers a reason to care ahead of time.
  • Invite media to take part in the experience so the coverage feels more real and less forced.
  • Use the event as a content engine for social posts, LinkedIn updates, press outreach, and recap stories.
  • Start with clear brand goals so every PR move supports what the business is trying to achieve.
  • Keep PR, marketing, brand, and event teams aligned so the story stays consistent across every channel.
  • Build a strong timeline because missed approvals or late outreach can cost you major coverage.
  • Make smaller activations feel newsworthy by using creative pairings, smart locations, or unexpected brand moments.
  • Measure more than attendance by tracking sentiment, media coverage, social reach, downloads, and engagement.
  • Keep the momentum going after the event with follow-up stories, media check-ins, and the next campaign idea.