Organising an International Press Trip to Launch Carrier’s New AquaSnap® 61AQ Heat Pump

Challenge

Towards the end of 2024, our client Carrier asked for our support in organising a press trip to its centre of excellence in Montluel, just outside Lyon in France. The European Communications Director wanted to invite journalists from the UK, Benelux and Germany to France for the unveiling of its latest innovation, the AquaSnap® 61AQ heat pump.

It was the first time in a while that Carrier had organised a product launch with journalists and wanted to coincide the visit with an insightful tour around its manufacturing and research and development facilities.

PRG was tasked with organising the trip, from identifying and inviting key journalists from the UK, to arranging accommodation for 22 people and creating a 19-page press kit to support the new product launch.

Solution

PRG worked closely with Carrier to organise a highly effective press trip that would generate strong media engagement and lasting editorial coverage. This included:

Identifying and inviting key media: We selected and invited leading journalists from key HVAC trade publications including CIBSE Journal, Elemental, Heat Pumps Today and Modern Building Services.

Travel arrangements: We handled all the travel arrangements from the UK, including flights and Eurostar, as well as transfers and accommodation.

Event coordination: We helped Carrier define the itinerary to ensure that the two-day event was carefully structured to offer an insightful and engaging experience for the trade journalists.

The first day consisted of travel to Lyon and then a three-course evening meal followed by drinks so that the Carrier team and journalists from across the UK, Germany and Benelux would network.

The second day started with taxis to Montluel where we were welcomed for coffee and presentations from senior Carrier experts to give an overview of Carrier’s strategy and how the new 61AQ is set to revolutionise heating.

The journalists were then given an in-depth tour of Carrier’s research and testing facility and after lunch toured the manufacturing facility to see Carrier’s impressive production line. The tour concluded with the unveiling of the AquaSnap® 61AQ heat pump and an opportunity to take part in a Q&A session with Carrier’s country Managing Directors.

Press kit creation: Integral to the success of the event was PRG’s creation of a 19-page press kit which was distributed to each journalist on the day of the event.

Key content PRG crafted for the press kit included the product launch press release, translated into the relevant languages; a question and answer-style interview with one of Carrier’s product specialists; and a thought-leadership article by-lined to Carrier’s EMEA strategy director about how the new heat pump will help customers push forward with decarbonisation.

The press kit also included a product fact sheet, an infographic, additional quotes from key spokespeople, short bios about each person, and additional information about Carrier’s Montluel facility. PRG’s in-house design studio then designed the press kit to reflect Carrier’s recently updated brand style.

Result

The press trip was hugely successful and helped raise awareness about Carrier’s new AquaSnap® 61AQ heat pump as a cutting-edge solution in the HVAC market.

There was strong engagement from the 16 journalists who attended, each of them gaining first-hand insights into Carrier’s innovation and manufacturing capabilities. This provided a solid foundation for media collaboration, with the product press release generating over 15 pieces of coverage in the UK alone in just the first week.

PRG’s attendance at the press trip also helped further strengthen our relationship with key HVAC journalists in the UK.