- October 21, 2022
- Posted by: EARSC
- Category: EOcafe
Thursday 27th October 2022
16:00-17:00 CEST
Outreach is a key part of a portfolio of marketing tools. Outreach is defined (in Wikipedia) as “the activity of providing services to any population that might not otherwise have access to those services”. In the space sector, outreach is considered more as a promotional activity linked to raising awareness which is one before any sales or user uptake occur. Join us in this EOcafe to understand how important outreach is and how it can help companies increase their business.
After the launch of Landsat in 1971, the first and most important civil application was about images. The ability to see every corner of our planet from above was new and fascinating. Newspapers and Television (this was before the age of the Internet!) showed pictures of remote landscapes as well as more familiar places seen from a new angle.
In the 1980’s SPOT offered clearer pictures, with better resolution and showing more detail which reinforced the interest of the public to see places not previously seen. This interest became saturated and faded towards the end of the decade. The outreach to the general population dwindled.
50 years later the cycle has fully turned; except this time the media is only part of the wider picture. Accompanying global stories such as scenes of disasters both natural and man-made and supporting the story linked to climate change, the media are again using imagery from satellites to help them tell the news story. We shall hear more of this in the EOcafe but look beyond the media themselves to their customers who are citizens everywhere. This form of outreach is of significant importance for the sector and for sustaining the investments which are being made whether from public or private sources. Noting that for those investing in the sector, raising the awareness of the general public improves the perspective of the sector and hence its attractiveness for investment funds.
But the media is not the only story in town! The EO sector is creating fantastic products and services which are offered to a wide range of customers. Communicating the capabilities offered and benefits generated by these is a critical part of their marketing activity. In our recent project FIRE, the industry-led Forum for Innovation and Research in European Earth Observation we took the approach to engage seven EO evangelists charged with using their expert communication skills to promote the use of EO in different ways.
In this EOCafe our host Geoff Sawyer (EARSC Strategic Advisor and former Secretary General) will be in conversation with two expert communicators: Stephane Ourevitch (Copernicus EU Community Manager), with extensive experience in the sector and recently on communications as an outreach activity to promote the sector and particularly Copernicus and Ilias Pechlivanidis (the Agriculture EO Evangelists) who will share his experience being one of the first EO Evangelists, what made it a success and what lessons have already been learned.
Some of the key topics which they will be addressing during this EOcafe are:
- In what ways was Copernicus’s data used by the media?
- What are the real benefits of exposing media to EO images?
- Being an EO Evangelist, what are the lessons learned and success stories?
- How can companies benefit from outreach activities?
Registration: The webinar is open to ALL. Registration is free but compulsory. Please click on the following link to register.
Registration link
Please note this is a virtual event!
EOcafe is part of a series of EARSC meetings that offer timely, relevant, and practical information on a broad variety of topics related to the EO sector. Join us every two weeks to discuss and network while enjoying a cup of coffee with friends.
IMPORTANT NOTES!!!
- The use of a video camera is not mandatory but is encouraged to facilitate better interaction among the attendees and the guest speaker(s).
- The EOcafe will stay open after 17:00 in case our guests want to continue the discussion.
- By registering for this event, you accept the terms and conditions (https://earsc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/EARSC_Events_GDPR.pdf).
If you have any questions, and/or you want to know more about the EOcafe, and/or you want to share an idea about a future EOcafe, please contact Natassa (Natassa.Antoniou@earsc.org).
