what is a press conference 
a press conference is an event organized to officially distribute information and answer questions from the media press conferences are also announced in response to specific public relations issues corporate press conferences are generally led by the company s executive management press liaison or communications officer given limited resources particularly during a time of quarterly or annual earnings it may be difficult to attract major media attention unless a company has a truly unique or newsworthy announcement to share press conferences are held by corporations and other businesses politicians and other government officials understanding a press conferencepress conferences are held by companies or individuals and are attended by the media during the event one or more speakers may address those attending reporters may then be able to ask questions before a press conference takes place a company may issue a press release outlining the nature of the event at times these are issued well in advance of the conference a company has the opportunity to present a news story in its most favorable light by inviting the press to special events in other cases lesser known companies may want to increase their stature in the media by making it easier for news agencies to cover company events by gaining favorable media exposure companies are able to gain greater brand recognition and authority in the market usually at a much lower cost than would be required for a widespread advertising campaign press conferences are also called news conferences when there is no official statement or no questions allowed the event is called a photo op 