1. One month before meeting:
First news release. Use in co-op newsletter or statewide publication. Include brief background on meeting-theme, anticipated attendance, principal speaker, etc.

2. Three weeks before meeting:
Second news release. Send to local newspaper, and radio and TV stations; statewide publication; use in co-op newsletter. Enlarge on information included in first release. Include photos of special speakers and entertainment; perhaps a picture of last year's meeting-crowd shots, contest winners, entertainers, prizes awarded. In co- op newsletter, give instructions on how to get to meeting place, parking facilities, and perhaps a sketch of the flow of traffic within meeting area. Note location of registration tables, stage, exhibit area, etc. Include special instructions for meals.

3. Two weeks before meeting:
Send releases to local newspapers, and to radio and TV stations. In addition to straight news items, place advertisements with local media. Be sure your material reaches weekly papers in time for their next publishing date. Schedule releases so weekly papers will not be scooped by dailies. Place posters or signs in co-op office and delivery trucks.

4. One week before meeting:
Make a personal visit to local editors and radio and TV broadcasters to remind them of meeting; invite them to cover it. Discuss importance of cooperative to the community, members, and employees active in civic affairs, historical background of the cooperative, and board meeting highlights. Arrange for photographic coverage of meeting.

5. One day before meeting:
Place signs or banners and guide arrows leading to meeting area. Renew invitation to key press people.

6. The day of the meeting:
Have ready for distribution to all news media, copies of key speeches, reports, biographies of board candidates, background notes on important visitors, guests, and the like. Prepare copies of important resolutions that develop during meeting.

7. The day after the meeting:
Prepare follow up material for local media and co-op publication. Give highlights of meeting--co-op progress reports, newly elected directors, winners of contests, size of attendance. Include feature angles-member coming longest distance, oldest member attending, and the like. Have selection of photos to cover major points of story.

Talks by Association Officials

Two questions must be decided: Who is to speak? What subjects are to be covered? The number of speakers is limited by the warning not to load the program with association officers to the exclusion of other features.

If several officers are to speak, they should get together to plan the subject matter that each is to cover. Some points may be so important that they deserve mention by every speaker. Many others will bore the listeners if repeated in detail. Furthermore, it is embarrassing to the second speaker to discover that part of the subject has been covered by the first.

If boundaries between subjects are clearly defined, two speakers talking 20 minutes each will probably hold the attention of listeners better than one speaker talking for 40 minutes. An unusually effective speaker may warrant an exception.