I was invited to a blogger “event” by Virtusio Public Relations (PR Firm of Research In Motion/BlackBerry in the PH) that featured the BlackBerry PlayBook. I was expecting your usual tech event in a hotel with several demo units, a product presentation, and photo opts. However it was nothing like that and I have to give them props for their creativity and innovation. They had several groups of bloggers in batches situated in different locations in Makati in different times of the day. I was assigned to M Cafe. Come call time we were picked up by… *drumroll* the BlackBerry PlayBook Bus!
What was inside the bus? Black leather sofas, a mounted LED TV, BlackBerry pillows, tons of junk food, and our gracious host – Oliver Pilgerstorfer, RIM Senior PR Manager for Southeast Asia. The bloggers got in and the bus started to roll. During the trip Oliver gave us a very intimate and up-close demo of the PlayBook. We even got our hands on it and tried out the features. The session was very candid and definitely fun as Oliver was able to adjust from answering lifestyle to hardcore tech questions.
Mounting activities like this isn’t easy. The logistics involved is a nightmare. Imagine coordinating, pacifying, and entertaining several groups simultaneously. Maintaining the schedule is key and that’s hard to do due to the unpredictable traffic here in the Philippines. It was also a bit hard for the bloggers to take decent photos because the bus kept on moving and the lighting inside wasn’t great.
Despite the minor glitches though the “event” was great. I had fun and the PR executive assigned to us (Dessa) was very accommodating. I totally loved the concept and I’m looking forward to seeing more fun blogger activities mounted by agencies and companies in the future.
By the way, it was great meeting tech bloggers! I met Vic from TechNoodling who’s doing such a great job with his video reviews.
PS: Click here to read my hands-on blog entry with the BlackBerry PlayBook
PS 2: Click here to join our BlackBerry Messenger themed USB drive (8GB) give-away
Good job indeed to RIM’s PR, Virtusio. I wanna meet Vic personally too. I’m a fan of both his tech reviews and awesome voice-over skill!
That is interesting indeed. I notice a lot of PR firms are upping the ante every time!