On April 4, the Catapulte team organized a "lobby day" at the French National Assembly for Edteq, an association of some 100 educational technology companies and NPOs. The delegation, made up of 12 Edteq members and directors, wandered the halls of the Assembly, meeting representatives of the government and the opposition.
Why organize a lobby day?
Very popular in the United States and more widely in the Anglo-Saxon world, the lobby days are a way of forging valuable links with elected officials and their political staff, and at the same time, getting a few messages across. In the world of government relations, there are many ways to make contact with elected officials. For some organizations, lobby day is sometimes a way of getting started somewhere, other times of consolidating established relationships. In Edteq's case, the organization needed to make itself known to the elected officials responsible for issues affecting their mission, to showcase the dynamism of its sector and, above all, to demonstrate its relevance to the recent debates surrounding digital education in schools. The bridges have been built, now it's a question of maintaining them.
Is it good for my organization?
Some ministers in the current government, as well as several members of parliament, are only in their first term of office, and often find themselves over-solicited by different groups in society. In such a context, it can be difficult to forge links with the political players and position your issues with them, especially when they don't feature prominently in the media. Organizing such a day of meetings puts your issues on the agenda and gives elected representatives and political staff a unique opportunity to meet your organization and assimilate the information you provide. But then again, it all depends on your subject, your objectives, as well as government reception and opposition to your messages so far. A good government relations strategy must be tailor-made. If you need help, you know who to call.
