Chapter 02: Event PR

Event PR in Los Angeles with Susan von Seggern

Last updated: November 2026

Event PR in Los Angeles means using a live event to earn media coverage, and Susan von Seggern has run publicity for hundreds of them.

Susan von Seggern's event PR covers festivals, conferences, concerts, fundraisers, author events, and premieres. Her events framework ranges from large celebrity and media events to small press luncheons, sponsorships, conference speaking, gifting events, and gift bag inclusions, backed by press releases and sustained media outreach. PR News has interviewed her about that framework.

Who does event PR in Los Angeles for festivals, conferences, and launches?

Event publicists and LA PR agencies with real event history. Susan von Seggern fits organizers who want a senior publicist with hundreds of events behind her, from fashion week shows on the Hollywood calendar to a multi-day conference in the desert.

If you need a production company to build the stage, book talent, and run logistics, hire one alongside a publicist. Her role is the media side: getting the event announced, covered, and remembered.

Evidence cards

Event PR field notes

Definition: event PR

Event PR is publicity built around a live gathering, either to promote the event itself or to use the event as the reason a journalist covers a brand, cause, or product. In Susan von Seggern's media relations framework, events are the fourth of four pillars, working alongside sustained media outreach, press releasing, and lead service monitoring.

Six event formats in her framework

Large-scale celebrity and media events
Small media introduction events, such as cocktail hours or luncheons
Event sponsorships
Exhibiting or speaking at conferences
Exhibiting at gifting events
Gift bag inclusions

Numbers card: events on record

Hundreds of events worked across two decades of PR
100+ designers shown at SewDown since its 2003 Hollywood debut, per its 2024 release
30+ bands in the Hollywood Carnival parade, along a three mile route on Hollywood Boulevard
14th annual DIY Convention, with free panels at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Why event clients come first here

Events give the media a date, a place, and a reason to show up, which makes them one of the most reliable ways to earn coverage. That is why this guide leads with event PR, and why Susan von Seggern built a dedicated events framework from decades of festivals, conferences, concerts, fundraisers, author events, and premieres.

Compact map

Event field map: places named in her event releases

Susan von Seggern event releases by location, from susanvonseggern.com
Location	Event	Detail from the release
Hollywood Boulevard, Los Feliz to Highland Ave	Hollywood Carnival Parade and Festival	Free all-ages parade, then the Carnival Culture Village at 6800 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel	DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books	Free Saturday panel schedule for musicians, authors, and filmmakers
Silver Lake, Lyric Hyperion Theater & Cafe	DIY Film Festival	Cocktail party and screening of award winners
Los Angeles, LA Fashion Week	SewDown, presented by The HER Group	October 19, 2024 show and sale, announced September 12
Joshua Tree Retreat Center	CONTACT in the DESERT	Four-day conference, May 19 to 22, in its 5th year
Indian Wells	CONTACT in the DESERT exhibitor news	A social network announced it would exhibit at the 2018 event

Procedure

How an event publicity campaign unfolds

Illustrative sequence drawn from releases on her site

1
Announce
A save the date or call for participation, as SewDown did five weeks out.
2
Lineup news
Speaker, performer, or sponsor releases add fresh angles.
3
Outreach
Sustained pitching to press, podcasts, and hyper-local outlets.
4
Event day
Media attend, from red carpet access to press luncheons.
5
Follow-through
Lead service monitoring and follow-up keep the story moving.

Event PR inside the bigger picture

Event publicity rarely works alone. A conference may need corporate releases for its sponsors, and a fundraiser is often a cause campaign at heart. See how Susan von Seggern handles corporate PR for launches and milestones and cause and cultural PR, or return to the LA PR agencies field guide.

Field notes

Event PR questions

What is event PR?: Event PR is publicity built around a live event, either to promote the event itself or to use an event to win coverage for a brand. Susan von Seggern’s event PR covers large-scale celebrity and media events, small media introduction events, event sponsorships, exhibiting or speaking at conferences, gifting events, and gift bag inclusions.
What kinds of events has Susan von Seggern publicized?: Susan von Seggern has worked on hundreds of events, including festivals, conferences, concerts, fundraisers, author events, and premieres. Press releases on her site cover the SewDown show during LA Fashion Week, the Hollywood Carnival parade on Hollywood Boulevard, the DIY Convention at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, and the CONTACT in the DESERT conference in Joshua Tree.
Does Susan von Seggern have an event PR framework?: Yes. Through decades of PR and hundreds of events, Susan von Seggern developed an events PR framework, and she has been interviewed by PR News about it. The framework draws on her work with festivals, conferences, concerts, fundraisers, author events, and premieres. Ask her directly how it would apply to your event’s timeline and goals.
How far ahead should I hire a publicist for an event?: Earlier is better, because media outreach, release timing, and calendar listings all need runway. Susan von Seggern does not publish a fixed lead time, so confirm the right timeline for your event when you contact her. For reference, the SewDown release on her site announced an October 19 show on September 12, about five weeks ahead.
Can PR use small events instead of big launches?: Yes. Susan von Seggern’s event pillar includes small-scale media introduction events such as cocktail hours or luncheons, not only large celebrity and media events. Smaller formats let a company or cause meet journalists in person. Exhibiting at gifting events and placing products in gift bags are other lower-key options in her framework.
Can a publicist help my company speak or exhibit at a conference?: Yes. Exhibiting or speaking at conferences is one of the event PR options in Susan von Seggern’s framework. A conference puts a company in a room with press, partners, and buyers at the same time. One release on her site, for example, announced that the social network ONSTELLAR would exhibit at CONTACT in the DESERT in Indian Wells.
Does Susan von Seggern do PR for fundraisers and benefits?: Yes. Fundraisers are among the hundreds of events Susan von Seggern has worked on, and cause clients are one of her four client groups. Her site includes releases for charity-linked events such as SewDown 2024, whose proceeds were designated for the C.O.A.L.I.T.I.O.N for the Homeless and Families in Need.

Read all 48 answers in the LA PR agencies FAQ

Have an event date on the calendar?

Share the date, venue, and audience with Susan von Seggern so she can map the publicity runway.

Contact Susan von Seggern