SRI-CONNECT's community of 5,500+ SRI & corporate governance professionals is typically of great interest to the organisers of 'live, in-person' events on sustainable investment and/or corporate governance.
Instinctively, at SRI-CONNECT, we like the idea that discussion and research debate within the SRI/CG industry flows seamlessly between the online environment provided by SRI-CONNECT and live, in-person events around the world throughout the year.
Indeed we see, for SRI-CONNECT, a natural role in providing a bridge that ensures that the best ideas discussed at an asset owner conference in Canada in August are picked up and developed at an asset manager meeting in Germany in November.
Our ability to do this is, however, conditional on us setting a high standard for the quality of material that is posted on and distributed via SRI-CONNECT.
So, in response to questions from various event organisers, we have prepared a few bullet points to guide them on how & when SRI-CONNECT can be used to promote events and what is/isn't encouraged within our network.
Quality content => global profile
SRI-CONNECT will only feature and distribute material that contains investment-related research or thoughtful analysis or opinion about strategies and trends within the SRI/CG industry. (More guidance on the type of content that the site welcomes can be found here).
- Research reports or position papers - perhaps from conference speakers - can be posted in Market Buzz
- Op-Ed - perhaps from panellists - can be posted as blogposts
- Discussion threads - perhaps highlighting the themes from breakout sessions - can be raised in Discussion Groups
As ever, contributions to the site will be distributed according to the site's tagging system - such that they reach the members of the network who are most likely to be interested in them.
As ever, the more research-orientated the contribution or more engaging and challenging the industry analysis or insight, the more likely a contribution is to receive the added boost of being featured as an 'Editor's Pick' in our weekly research round-up.
Discreetly commercial
Of course, we recognise that everyone in the value chain needs to make money. For events, this typically requires organisers to:
- raise the profile of their sponsors and
- increase participant numbers.
This is fine with us - provided the commercial messages don't outweigh the analytical ones. Typically a byline that "Jenny Jones will expand upon these ideas at the forthcoming Climate Capital conference on 17 June sponsored by DEF Capital in Bogota" works well.
Is your audience in our network? Would your content interest them?
Members of the SRI-CONNECT community are (already or aspirationally) experienced participants in the SRI/CG research and investment process. It is best to think of them as having about four years’ experience of sustainable investment or corporate governance.
Typically, they will be interested in:
- Considered analysis of new information that enhances / builds on / challenges their existing view of a company, issue, sector or investment-relevant trend
- Considered evaluation of specific developments or trends within SRI/CG
- People: Because SRI-CONNECT is a professional community as well as a research distribution channel, we encourage pieces by and about individuals and their opinions … provided these are not promotional ‘puff’ pieces
'Pay to play'? Never | Cash for quality? Certainly
SRI-CONNECT distributes and promotes material based on its inherent quality and its relevance and likely interest to our audience.
Editorial decisions to distribute / promote work rests entirely on these criteria. We do not charge to distribute nor do we accept money to do so.
We will, however, be happy to introduce event organisers to analysts, writers, consultants and communications specialists who can raise the profile of events by producing content (research, op-ed, discussion themes etc) that meets our content standards and engages the SRI-CONNECT network.
Other notes
Media partnerships: Typically we don't do these. As we can't deliver the advertising / endorsement / marketing that is usually required.
SRI-CONNECT never sells or shares for any reason our mailing / contact lists and we cannot be paid to distribute event marketing material or to advertise events directly.
Support we can give
To highlight and support industry events, SRI-CONNECT can do a number of things:
- Post the event to the SRI Diary (for major conferences)
- Post the event in SRI-CONNECT's Market Buzz and distribute this via our weekly Research Round-up
- Distribute research or Op-Ed posted as buzzes or blogposts by event hosts or event participants
- Write our own Op-Ed (before or after) the event and distribute this
- Attend the event ourselves
- As a paying participant
- For free - typically in return for presenting or hosting a session or the whole event
- On a paid basis - as a presenter or session / event host
