Standing out when everyone is talking about the same thing

Last week's Gastech brought much of the global energy industry together in Bangkok. As always with a major event, there was no shortage of announcements, interviews, panel discussions and commentary competing for attention. But that volume of activity creates a communications challenge: how do you stand out when so many companies are talking about the same things? Energy security, LNG, hydrogen, low-carbon fuels, infrastructure investment and decarbonisation all generate plenty of discussion. Simply having something to say about a major industry theme does not necessarily give journalists a reason to listen.

The companies that cut through tend to have something more specific. That might be a project reaching an important milestone, new evidence from a commercial deployment, a strong position on a question the industry is debating, or an executive who can explain what is changing in a market and why it matters. Technical detail can be particularly valuable. Energy-sector journalists generally know the broad trends already. What they need from companies is information that adds to their understanding: what is working, where the barriers remain, what projects are demonstrating and what is changing commercially.

There is also a temptation around major events to concentrate communications activity into a very short window. Companies spend months preparing announcements, thought leadership and interview programmes, only for everything to compete for attention during the same few days. An event such as Gastech can create the conversation, but it does not have to define the communications timetable. Some of the strongest opportunities can come afterwards, when the themes discussed at the event become the starting point for more detailed articles, interviews and commentary that explore where a company genuinely has expertise.

Instead of asking, "What can we announce at Gastech?", the more useful question may be: "What do we want people to remember us for after Gastech?" That is where sustained thought leadership becomes valuable. One announcement might create visibility for a day, but consistently contributing something useful to an industry conversation is what builds a position that journalists and other stakeholders begin to recognise.