Publishing events continue to establish an industry foothold, as best practices are refined and perfected
Upward of 60% of our Mequoda Members have integrated publishing events into their multiplatform strategy. One online media company we work with generates more than half of its revenue with sessions produced by a 25-person staff. And audiences keep growing. Clearly, live, in-person, interactive offerings are a successful tactic for digital magazines and a preferred product for consumers. But with more and more publishers experimenting with them, improved execution – with both attendee experience and sponsor ROI – is paramount.
Our friends at Folio: cover new trends in publishing events with a series of recent articles.
Maker Media and Barnes & Noble Produce In-Store Events
Maker Media, publisher of Make: magazine and producer of Maker Faire, is partnering with Barnes & Noble to bring a series of micro-events to the bookstore, potentially boosting sales for both, Folio: reports.
“The marketing efforts are very holistic, straddling local and national engagement with driving support from the corporate Barnes & Noble team, including Stephanie Fryling, VP Newsstand and Kathleen Campisano, VP of Toy and Game,” Maker Media said in a statement.
“We’re activating the program at the local level to reflect the needs and wants of those communities, but also promoting the event through our national network of Makers, Maker Faires and our digital properties.”
1105 Media Set to Debut Niche Event
1105 Media Inc.’s Public Sector Media Group will launch ACQUIRE in June of 16 to entice federal agencies looking for improved program design and administration. The company expects 7,000 registrations and 300 exhibitors, with as many as 100 training sessions planned, according to Folio:.
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How Bonnier Matches Motivated Buyers Up With Motivated Sellers
Speaking of registrations, how does Bonnier do so well with actionable conferences? Folio: looks into the publisher’s success.
“We feel like a competency we have is to not just identify audience. We’re also uniquely positioned to connect multiple customer groups – our audience to our clients, and build a relationship between the two. You’re going to have a much different conversation as a boat salesman, for example, with someone who’s in the market to buy, or who’s in market but just has a brand affinity, or someone else who has no brand affinity,” Bonnier Vice President of Brand Strategies Matt Hickman told Bill Mickey.
“People are loading up the SUV with the kids and driving an hour [to the event]. You’re not participating on the fringe, you’re way into it. We look at event audiences at the same level or higher value than print, but knowing how to activate them on the site and cherry picking the highest value audience out of all the noise is challenging. … They answer a few questions to see if they qualify, and if they do, we schedule their clinic time before the event starts. Their perception has already started to change in terms of brand affinity.”
Great American Media Group Buys SGC Titles, Publishing Events
In an all-cash assets deal, Scranton Gillette Communications has sold Big Grower Executive Summit, Plant Health Management Conferences, Greenhouse Product News, and Lawn & Garden Retailer to Great American Media Group, which will weave the publications and publishing events into their niche portfolio, Folio: reports.
Are you making progress on publishing events? What’s working for you? Let us know in the comments!
To read more about publishing events in the news, visit FolioMag.com.
