The Day of our NYFW Event

While sitting here among my ocean of gift bags for New York Fashion Week, I am suddenly inspired to write a post. See, the thing is that many people only see the final result of fashion week and the events that go with it: they see the glossy images splattered across press the following day, the lavish descriptions of elite parties and runway shows and of course the clothing dictating what we all should wear in the coming seasons. What few people don't see are the 37 page briefing books for events, the 19 boxes of gift bags awaiting the messenger to sweep them away to MILK studios and the countless meetings, press releases, pitching and detail that take over the life of PR people in the coming weeks before a fashion week event. Whereas most PR people who are working in-house will only need to focus on one or two runway shows, yours truly is working on ten different menswear shows and two events--such is the game I play when working with an agency for a global client.


So here is what the day before our fashion week events looks like:



8am: Walk into the office at this ungodly hour (clearly not a morning person) and start putting together the daily monitor--a daily newsletter covering all press, competitor press and industry news from the past 24 hours. It is a seemingly easy task but when we send out a press release into the world and get over 400 press release pick-ups, it doesn't become that easy.


9am: Finish stuffing 150 gift bags for the upcoming fashion week parties then surround my desk with them and immediately plan on when a messenger can come dig me out and pick them up.


10am: Go through my massive inbox and send out fashion week invites to bloggers and editors; send thank you notes to editors who picked up my pitch and turned it into an excellent story and follow up on pitches to try and earn more press.


12pm: Run to Subway (I am not above those $5 foot long sandwiches, they last two days and are a great deal!) then come back and eat at my desk. (I try not to do this on beautiful days but during Fashion Week, let's be serious).


12:30pm: Finishing touches on the fashion week briefing book (our bible for everything from the press release to the floor plan of an event)


3:00pm: Team meeting to cover who will be doing what at the event.


4:00pm: Head over to MILK studios with the team and set up for the event


5:00pm: Celeb X arrives and the team preps him for the event with key media messages


6:00pm The event begins! (and so does the chaos; time to grab clipboards..(ipad?) and start checking in media and guests)


7:00pm: Event after party; Celeb X to pose in front of the step & repeat for press


9:30pm: Event ends, step and repeat break down


10pm: Dinner at a nearby restaurant while we celebrate a successful day one, scan Twitter and media coverage on our phones and get ready for the next two days.