GOVERNMENT RELATIONS show off your company. Ask the scheduler if it’s okay for you to submit a press release to your local paper. If so, the scheduler may also provide the names of his or her local media contacts, so you can send them the press release as well. (A sample press release is provided at left.) Step 7: Day before your plant tour, review logistics. Get with your employees to confirm plans with the elected officials’ scheduler. Review the IBWA priority issue talking points (which you would have received when you let IBWA know about your scheduled tour). Think about the issue most affecting your business and how you can best explain it. Gather data about
your company to share with the elected official (e.g., number of employees, revenues/impact on local economy, unique or innovative onsite programs for employees, new production techniques, etc.). Don’t forget to take a moment to review your legislator’s biography—you may discover points of common interest to discuss along the tour. Step 8: Day of plant tour, speak up! Tell your elected representative how your business is doing and what you find to be your greatest challenges. Step 9: Day after plant tour, follow up. Send thank you letters to the elected official and others who participated. (See sample letter below.) If you take photos during the tour, please
email them to IBWA. We’d love to feature your photos in IBWA publications. Step 10: Keep in touch. Hosting a plant tour for a member of Congress is just the beginning of what can be a valuable and productive relationship. Maintain that relationship by communicating with him or her several times throughout the year. By staying in constant contact, you help to ensure that your legislator is up-to-date on important bottled water industry issues. For assistance with setting up and conducting a plant tour, contact IBWA Vice President of Government Relations Kristin Pearson Wilcox: kwilcox@bottledwater.org.
SAMPLE THANK YOU LETTER [DATE] The Honorable [NAME] U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515/20510 Dear Representative [NAME]: Thank you [AND STAFF NAME, IF APPROPRIATE] for visiting our plant on [DATE]. We were honored that you took the time to visit with us, and we hope it was as enjoyable for you as it was for all of us here at [COMPANY]. As we discussed, bottled water is on track to be the No. 1 packaged beverage by the end of the decade. The average person in the United States now consumes more than 35 gallons of bottled water per year, according to data from market research firm Beverage Marketing Corporation. That’s about 270 single-serve bottles—and more than twice as much as what people drank 15 years ago. And that number is only going to go up: By 2017, the average American is expected to drink almost 300 bottles annually. We encourage your support for health and environmental policies that allow Americans to have access to water in all forms and enable us to continue manufacturing here in [CITY, ST.]. [Add brief comment about impact of issue(s) to your company.] We appreciate your support, and we will stay in touch as relevant legislation progresses in Congress. We hope to see you again soon. Sincerely, [NAME] [COMPANY] cc: kwilcox@bottledwater.org
NOV/DEC 2015
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