The Access Point: Food and Drink

Watch out for the changing of seasons in New York. The start of leaves turning on what trees you can glimpse between the skyscrapers summons the smell of pumpkin spice lattes, the sound of pencils sharpening and for some – the wincing memory of atomic wedgies.

For others, like us in the PR industry, fall isn't really about the plaid shirts and the corn mazes; it's all about dusting off our inner extrovert and sharpening our networking skills in order to build and strengthen our relationship with the media.

Late September not only brought thousands of students across the city already yearning for June, but also an epic happy hour hosted by Access Communications’ New York office. We took over one of NYU’s favorite hangouts, kicked out the freshmen and celebrated the end of summer in style – with a few cocktails, great company and lots of laughs.

Dow Jones, NBC News, New York Times, LAPTOP Magazine, Fast Company, Wall Street Journal, Techlicious, CBS Interactive, AOL Daily Finance, Accounting Technology, UGO and PR Week were among the media in attendance we were able to greet with bright, shiny apples – err, martinis. We touched base on trends, traded gossip, heard what was in their publication’s pipeline and got the chance to dish about what our client roster has planned for this fall. By the time we were through, they were untying the friendship bracelets their BFFs made them in summer camp, and dusting off a seat for us next to them on the bus.

We also had some great giveaways from our clients to share (no, not a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper or Handi-Snack for the ride home) but a basket of gin – including the new Beefeater 24 – and bottles from Plymouth – as well as a collection of video games from 2K.

All in all, we made teacher proud and started the school year off right. We set the bar for future events, strengthened some old relationships and started some new ones. We’re looking forward to a season full of cover stories and placements that elicit gold stars and a prime spot on the refrigerator. Let’s face it – at this rate, we’re headed to the front of the class…and hopefully avoiding any atomic wedgies along the way.

-- Yasmeen Salahuddin

The reborn E3 of 2009 marked a return to the booming, bustling style of the show’s heyday, and the spirit of the revitalized event was evident in the energy and enthusiasm of the 41,000 attendees. And while the hundreds of games on display in elaborate booths (often promoted by celebrities and attractive booth models) are the main focus of the week’s festivities, the chance to meet face-to-face and share a pint with distant colleagues, old friends and new contacts is surely one of the best parts of E3.

On Wednesday evening, June 3rd, the Access Gaming Practice hosted a mixer at the Moroccan-themed Hotel Figueroa, where top members of the gaming and consumer press rubbed elbows and reminisced with executives and game designers from some of the industry’s top publishers and development studios. Writers and editors from outlets like the New York Times, Kotaku and GamePro shared stories and enjoyed drinks and taquitos with the folks from Disney Interactive Studios, SEGA, 2K Games and 2K Boston (famed creators of the original BioShock) while the Access Gaming Practice team mingled with old friends and forged new relationships.

It’s hard to overestimate the value of these rare, casual, face-to-face meetings between press, publishers and PR professionals. Too often, busy schedules and crushing deadlines can cause the relationships between media and the PR people who pitch and assist them to devolve into cold, “just business” associations – which ultimately hamper the opportunities for inventive games journalism. Events like the Access Gaming Practice mixers offer a fun and informal way for people on both sides of games journalism to learn about the people they work with, but rarely get to see (mostly without the burden of media being pitched or PR folks being prodded for secret information). When media and PR people get to know each other (which games they are playing these day, what they’re looking forward to most, and even who they’re rooting for in the NBA finals) a professional bond is formed that allows both sides to be more creative and ambitious in their collaborations.

The Access Gaming Practice will continue to host our media mixers at E3 and other industry events like GDC, so look for your invitation. We’re always eager to talk about games and enjoy making new friends – especially when food and drink are involved.