Learning how to cover an event.

So, for just under a year I've been blogging as DLP Town Square - and this post is no representation as to how I blog on there, this is much more conversational - the twitter account launched late June last year, and the website on July 4th (Almost a year ago now! How time flies!). Now, the first website was pretty rubbish - in fact, it still remains online here - but I wanted to write about something I enjoyed. I started a hobby, I could write and enjoy myself. Stats never mattered, and they still don't; although I am looking to increase numbers of visitors, again though, more of a hobby. I was inspired by the likes of Dedicated to DLP, Le Parcorama, DLP Guide, Photos Magiques and more! And on a twitter front, I was inspired by the likes of CafeFantasia, InsideDLParis and so on. I never imagined that I would ever call these guys friends one year on. Neither did I imagine that one year on, I'd have over 1,400 followers on twitter - talk about crazy!
Late last month I received an e-mail from Disneyland Paris inviting me to the Ratatouille Fan Press event.

What an achievement I thought- One year on and I've been officially recognised by those that I blog about. I never expect anything, I'm the first to criticize my own work - some of the stuff I've written on DLP Town Square I feel is complete rubbish - but this time, I had to get it right. So a nervous month wait began, amongst spiralling costs - the Eurostar alone was £129. The main thought on my mind? Don't mess it up. I've live tweeted from Disneyland Paris before, I've come back with content before. However this time, there was a level of expectation on my shoulders. So, lets run through it all. For those wondering how I approached this event, the lessons I've learnt and what I'd change next time; hopefully this blog post will leave you knowing more.

The Build-up

So, as I said - this invite came late. About a month to the day before the event itself. This left a heavy cost on our shoulders. Unlike the standard press, the fan press were expected to pay their way. I had no problem with this, and off I went on the hunt. First step, getting there. Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord (Where I usually get the train to) was insanely expensive. £70+ each way. Even the train to Marne-la-Vallée was expensive on the dates I initially looked at (Friday-Monday). So, I looked for the Thursday. I got a £64 train each way. It came to £129. Double what I usually pay, which is about £69 return. Next stop, a hotel. I wanted cheap - I had only been to Disneyland Paris in April. Hotel F1 in Noisy-le-Grand had served me well in November. Guess what? Fully booked for the first night of my stay.  So I booked the following 3 nights for £80. The first night I booked myself into Hotel B&B in Bussy-Saint-Georges for €66. I'll certainly stay there again, it was nice. 

Next stop was awaiting an agenda. It arrived the Monday before the event. A packed agenda including a presentation in which photos and videos were restricted. The kit I went with? Canon 550d with two lenses. Camcorder and a dictaphone. I also grabbed some reporters notepads from Tiger (which were useless - go with a larger notebook, these notepads were far too small). I also took my iPhone 5C for live-tweeting equipped with an Anker charger so that I could charge my phone on the go. To charge this all? I grabbed an extension lead with a continental adaptor plug that I could use in my hotel room. 

How to Live-Tweet from abroad.

Now, this is tough. I think I could go grey from the amount of stress live-tweeting puts me under. So why do I do it? Each time I do, I get lovely comments from people telling me it feels like they are there with me. That is a huge compliment, and I'm glad they appreciate it. When everything works well, I love doing it! So, why the stress? Disneyland Paris' mobile signal is terrible. Main Street USA is usually OK. But the busier it gets, the more stress the network is under and the more it breaks. Fancy live tweeting from a peak summer day? Forget it. This weekend was tough. The signal was the worst I've ever seen it. This added a real challenge to the weekend. 

Right, let's get down into costs. I'm on a 4G EE plan. Data Roaming abroad with them is pretty decent. When it works, I can use French 4G signal. A 100mb package which lasts 24 hours will cost £3. That's ample for a day in Disneyland Paris. I used to use Vodafone, which is also £3 a day to activate your UK contract. Any data you use will contribute against your data at home - with EE, this is not the case. 

Other options I've investigated? Get a Lebara mobile sim abroad and spend €8 on a top-up for a 1GB data pack. I'll be doing this next time. Data costs a lot. 

Now, when in Disneyland Paris - I usually stack up a few tweets. I vary between photo and text-only tweets reasonably often. Now, take photos on your phone often - then every so often post it. I actually posted my Place de Rémy stuff quite late on Sunday. Also, do take advantage of WiFi where possible. I posted a load of tweets on Saturday in King Ludwig's in Disney Village. 

Just plan your tweets a bit. And expect it to go all wrong. Because it will. 

In the parks

It's hard to get content. I always arrive home and look at my photos and regret not taking more. If you want to write about the castle, go with that in mind. But take photos of anything and everything relevant. You never know when you'll want to pull it out of your photobank. 

Oh, and have fun! You're on holiday. Put the camera away, put away your phone. You're in Europe's number one tourist destination - you need to enjoy it too! 

Press Event

Oh boy. Approaching this was brand new to me. I arrived knowing some of the biggest names in Disneyland Paris communities were going. How could I even get my word out amongst all these. I just didn't stress. Did I do the event right? Probably not. But I worked with what I had. I tweeted a bit, I took photos, I even made mental notes (which became paper notes a little later on) and I enjoyed the ride. 
My approach? Going into the day, I was going to voice record the presentation. This changed. I let others around me do that. I took out pen and paper and made notes. - And I didn't tweet. 
Arriving in La Place de Rémy, I wanted to tweet instantly. This didn't happen (Blame the network). Instead I posed in the group photo and then headed onto the ride. This first ride was sans photo, sans video. It was for me. I looked around, took it all in. I think this helped write my review. 
The dinner, again, I just enjoyed. I left photographing the restaurant until afterwards - and then I took photos of everything. Again, after the meal I photographed La Place de Rémy. Then did the ride.

What I did well?

I think my tweets went well. I spent enough time taking everything in meaning I can write decent reports. 

What can I change next time? 

Well, first of all we are assuming there will be a next time. This I doubt, it was an exceptional event. 

• Make a plan, then stick to it.  I improvised a lot. 
• Don't be timid. You want to say hello to somebody, or ask a question - just do it. (Easier said than done, I'm a reasonably timid person).
• Take more equipment, and yes - that does mean investing in more. 
• Stay closer to the parks. I was shattered by Sunday night - a Disney hotel would have allowed me to relax after the event much quicker.
• Don't rely on WiFi - but seek a hotel with much better WiFi. 
• Make a badge or something - stand out as DLP Town Square
• Photograph everything, and make videos too.
• Most importantly, do everything with your audience in mind. You have one, they have expectations on you when you've been invited to an event. Bring back what they want - not what you want. 

Top 5 tips for a good event:

1. You need to find friends - chatting to people will help you form an opinion, and they'll give you tips on things you may have missed. You are one person - two minds is better than one. 
2. Make an effort - Live-Tweets don't come naturally, especially in Disneyland Paris where little changes. But people just want to feel part of something, or that they are there. 
3. Answer Questions - People will ask your opinion. Answer it, you've been placed in this position because of your followers/audience. Treat them with respect. 
4. Pack everything you'll need. - Anticipate anything and everything. In hindsight, I wish I took my tripod. It's a press event, why didn't I try to anticipate it? I'll never know. 
5. Expect the Unexpected - So many variables. Mobile signal, cameras, phone chargers not working. Everything could go wrong. Some stuff did go wrong for me (Guess what?). 

But, all in all - it was a successful weekend. I met a lot of Disneyland Paris fansite friends, and I really hope I meet more in the future. The event was great fun, and ever since I've been on a bit of a comedown. I've been fortunate over the year to have made some great friends, I count all my followers as friends and I would be delighted to meet them all - donc, à la prochaine!