One of the more interesting things about my job is the travel. People see myself or managing editor Jill traveling the world and staying at amazing hotels all for free. If we do these trips and the automaker pays, doesn't that mean we are obviously going to be biased towards their vehicle? Not one damn bit.
First, let's understand why these trips exist. Automakers need press on their new vehicles and with journalists spread out over the country, they had to come up with a solution. The solution is to not only host journalists at a location, but also bring in product specialists, marketing heads, engineers and company executives like VPs. Now, these VPs don't want to stay at the Days Inn and they don't want journalists to have any issues with their hotel.
This explains why every automaker picks high-end hotels. And it is hard to be biased towards one brand when all the brands do the events the same way. Besides, why would any journalist destroy their integrity in exchange for a free flight and hotel room. Our integrity is the only thing we have and if we break that trust with our audience, we are done.
Often, the engineers, public relations, marketing, etc... stay at a nearby lower-end hotel.
Now these events are work in more ways than one. It isn't like if I'm out of the office I have a whole team ready to cover for me. Jill and I try to coordinate so somebody is around for breaking news, but often we are both traveling.
I've spent many early mornings and late nights putting out videos or writing posts. You may have seen a few of these with the hotel background behind me.
The reason I have to do them in the early morning or late night is because I'm busy working all day at the event.
Here's a typical schedule:
Day 1: arrive in the afternoon, find the transportation to the hotel (often a driver in that brand's vehicle), arrive at hotel and have a few hours before dinner.
Dinner, drinks after if you want, then bed.
Day 2: breakfast at 7, presentation at 8, drive vehicle to either lunch spot swapping driving with a partner or drive to a location with multiple vehicles and do short drive loops. After lunch is mad dash to film, photo or get anything else needed then drive back to hotel. Arrive late afternoon with maybe an hour or two before dinner and drinks. Some people don't do the afternoon and instead get a direct transport to the airport to either fly home or to another event.
Day 3: transport to airport in the morning. Depending on flight, you may have time for breakfast or you may not. I've had 3 am transfers before.
All the meals are pre-planned and there is little to no free time to explore that location. I've been to a lot of places I've only seen through the truck window.
If you are lucky, you might get a half day or a full day to see things. This happened when I went with Toyota to Hawai'i. I actually had a full day off! That's the only trip this year that had a day off.
Often, like Jill's trip to Sweden or Spain, she spent more time in the air then she did on the ground.
The thing is these trips often mean we lose money. Sure, the hotel and airfare is paid for, but I'm not in the office, we don't get as many posts written or videos published. I also miss out on being home with my family.
Also, I have a long travel days. Where we live in Gering, there's one or two flights a day to Denver. I try to get one of these flights and connect to the main flight I need in Denver. This means I have long layovers like 3-4 hours long on the way out and on the way back. It is just what it is.
If I can't get one of those flights, I have a 3 to 3.5 hour drive to Denver, park the vehicle, ride the shuttle to the airport, security, etc...
Jill has it better being so close to Chicago O'Hare airport and that's part of the reason she does the bulk of travel for us.
Now why go on these trips? They are important in other ways.
First, we get our first impression of the vehicle and often those videos or posts eventually get views as the vehicle gets closer to being on sale.
Second, it is our only chance to talk with engineers, marketing or executives in a candid way. We can talk more freely over a drink or what not. When we do video interviews, those are much more rigid and very difficult to get scheduled. At an event, it is much easier to just talk.
Third, it is important to see colleagues and talk about the industry or the latest piece of technology they are using like a camera or a microphone. While most of us are on social media, many of us aren't and you only get to see the name behind the byline in person. I've met many of the top writers at all the known publications at events and it is fun to watch them work. I also know a lot of the automotive video channels on YouTube and I watch what they are using to shoot the videos with and how they prepare for their videos. All good stuff you can't get elsewhere. I've also hired a few people to write for us at events.
Wrapping this up, I find that most people who think I'm bought and paid for because I went to some event are either immature, don't understand the business or jealous. FOMO, the fear of missing out, is real and it happens to a lot of people in this business.
For me, I'd rather just stay home most of the time. Then I go and I learn a lot of new things, meet people and grudgingly admit the trip was worth it.
First, let's understand why these trips exist. Automakers need press on their new vehicles and with journalists spread out over the country, they had to come up with a solution. The solution is to not only host journalists at a location, but also bring in product specialists, marketing heads, engineers and company executives like VPs. Now, these VPs don't want to stay at the Days Inn and they don't want journalists to have any issues with their hotel.
This explains why every automaker picks high-end hotels. And it is hard to be biased towards one brand when all the brands do the events the same way. Besides, why would any journalist destroy their integrity in exchange for a free flight and hotel room. Our integrity is the only thing we have and if we break that trust with our audience, we are done.
Often, the engineers, public relations, marketing, etc... stay at a nearby lower-end hotel.
Now these events are work in more ways than one. It isn't like if I'm out of the office I have a whole team ready to cover for me. Jill and I try to coordinate so somebody is around for breaking news, but often we are both traveling.
I've spent many early mornings and late nights putting out videos or writing posts. You may have seen a few of these with the hotel background behind me.
The reason I have to do them in the early morning or late night is because I'm busy working all day at the event.
Here's a typical schedule:
Day 1: arrive in the afternoon, find the transportation to the hotel (often a driver in that brand's vehicle), arrive at hotel and have a few hours before dinner.
Dinner, drinks after if you want, then bed.
Day 2: breakfast at 7, presentation at 8, drive vehicle to either lunch spot swapping driving with a partner or drive to a location with multiple vehicles and do short drive loops. After lunch is mad dash to film, photo or get anything else needed then drive back to hotel. Arrive late afternoon with maybe an hour or two before dinner and drinks. Some people don't do the afternoon and instead get a direct transport to the airport to either fly home or to another event.
Day 3: transport to airport in the morning. Depending on flight, you may have time for breakfast or you may not. I've had 3 am transfers before.
All the meals are pre-planned and there is little to no free time to explore that location. I've been to a lot of places I've only seen through the truck window.
If you are lucky, you might get a half day or a full day to see things. This happened when I went with Toyota to Hawai'i. I actually had a full day off! That's the only trip this year that had a day off.
Often, like Jill's trip to Sweden or Spain, she spent more time in the air then she did on the ground.
The thing is these trips often mean we lose money. Sure, the hotel and airfare is paid for, but I'm not in the office, we don't get as many posts written or videos published. I also miss out on being home with my family.
Also, I have a long travel days. Where we live in Gering, there's one or two flights a day to Denver. I try to get one of these flights and connect to the main flight I need in Denver. This means I have long layovers like 3-4 hours long on the way out and on the way back. It is just what it is.
If I can't get one of those flights, I have a 3 to 3.5 hour drive to Denver, park the vehicle, ride the shuttle to the airport, security, etc...
Jill has it better being so close to Chicago O'Hare airport and that's part of the reason she does the bulk of travel for us.
Now why go on these trips? They are important in other ways.
First, we get our first impression of the vehicle and often those videos or posts eventually get views as the vehicle gets closer to being on sale.
Second, it is our only chance to talk with engineers, marketing or executives in a candid way. We can talk more freely over a drink or what not. When we do video interviews, those are much more rigid and very difficult to get scheduled. At an event, it is much easier to just talk.
Third, it is important to see colleagues and talk about the industry or the latest piece of technology they are using like a camera or a microphone. While most of us are on social media, many of us aren't and you only get to see the name behind the byline in person. I've met many of the top writers at all the known publications at events and it is fun to watch them work. I also know a lot of the automotive video channels on YouTube and I watch what they are using to shoot the videos with and how they prepare for their videos. All good stuff you can't get elsewhere. I've also hired a few people to write for us at events.
Wrapping this up, I find that most people who think I'm bought and paid for because I went to some event are either immature, don't understand the business or jealous. FOMO, the fear of missing out, is real and it happens to a lot of people in this business.
For me, I'd rather just stay home most of the time. Then I go and I learn a lot of new things, meet people and grudgingly admit the trip was worth it.
