The amount of detail and preparation political campaign planners use in their projects can influence the campaign’s success, speakers said at an event hosted on Oct. 22 by The Patman Center for Civic and Political Engagement, part of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. 

Scott Pollard, vice president of global business operations for Burson, a public relations company, and Kevin Lindley, founder of Riverside Strategies, a legislative and public affairs consulting company, spoke at the event. Pollard discussed his work for the White House and the Clinton Foundation, while Lindley discussed his experience with grassroots engagement. 

The speakers, both deeply involved in Texas politics as campaign managers for many state representatives, spoke to a room of excited public affairs graduate students and other community members. 

Lindley, who served as campaign director for former Gov. Rick Perry, said local and statewide campaigns can be incredibly complex for those working in advance planning committees, which involves planning campaign events. 

“When you’re doing this on a campaign (that’s) not presidential, you wear every one of those hats,” Lindley said. “We’re the ones in charge of putting the event together.”

Pollard, who worked for the Texas Democratic Party, encouraged campaign managers and advance planners to pay attention to detail and keep every different factor in mind when planning events. Pollard said things have gone wrong on the campaign trail, referring to a moment when a candidate in his party campaign looked like they were standing in front of a circus tent instead of a large American flag. 

“They had this beautiful site, but it looked like a circus because it was just the red and white stripes,” Pollard said. “That’s all you could see.”

Pollard and Lindley discussed the current presidential race’s specific challenges and how the candidates have effectively utilized those in the advance planning committee.

Pollard said advance planners have to be very detail-oriented in large national elections to help maintain a good image. Planning played a crucial role in his previous three presidential campaigns, including contributions to former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns, he said.

“It’s all about the moment you create, like ‘Ladies and gentlemen, the next president,’” Pollard said.

Lindley said local TV broadcasts and social media can influence voters in the city. Events, if broadcasted well, can change the course of an election, he said.

 “If you think about somebody that lives in Hyde Park right now … we’re competing against soccer practice, and the run to the dry cleaners, and their job or maybe a bill that they haven’t gotten,” Lindley said. “We have very limited time to present our candidates in a compelling way.”