August 27, 2025
To highlight its largest-ever line-up of new products, our client Trex Company wanted to do something special. Instead of a broad-stroke press announcement, the outdoor living leader invited key trade media to its facilities in Winchester, Va., to experience the innovations firsthand.
The response was extremely positive – and immediate. Within weeks, we coordinated onsite visits with groups of editors from five publishing houses representing 14 media titles. Each visit was customized to cater to the different outlets, editorial attendees and audiences served. Editors got to not only see and interact with the new products but also had the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes with members of the Trex product team to see how they are made.
Preparation and Visit Timeline
To ensure we reached our media contacts before they began working on their spring outdoor living coverage, we scheduled our first visits in mid-December, with a second round of visits in mid-January. Executing these highly personalized events involved arranging flights, ground transportation, hotel stays, dinners and “welcome bags” with goodies from around the Winchester region.
Once our media guests arrived, we spent a day and a half with each group. Customized itineraries included:
- Dinner on the first night to connect more casually;
- A tour of Trex University, the educational training center for dealers, distributors and TrexPro contractors;
- A presentation by the Trex product development team about the brand’s newest innovations;
- Hand-on demonstrations that allowed visitors to personally experience the products;
- Access to company executives for one-on-one interviews;
- A review of Trex’s rich history complete with colorful anecdotes from a long-time Trex employee;
- And tours of the Trex decking and railing manufacturing facilities.
Short Term Payoff
This investment of time and personal connection paid off. As a result of these visits, Trex received coverage in nearly every publication, including Deck Specialist, LBM Journal and Qualified Remodeler. Others posted about their visits on social media, earning nice organic exposure for Trex.
Long Term Reward
One of the best parts of the entire experience was the chance to strengthen rapport with both our client contacts and influential members of the media. I had the opportunity to go beyond the typical pitch emails and news releases and deepen my relationships with the people I work with week after week. The face-to-face conversations allowed us all to connect more personally, building trust and understanding that goes far beyond the latest headlines from Trex.
Since these visits, I have nurtured strong relationships with my client’s top trade media publications, have had more candid and productive conversations with them, and have become a much more valuable resource to them and to my client. When it comes down to it, meaningful relationships are built not just through emails and press releases, but through human connection.