In early August 2011 the Publishing Expo steering committee for the 2012 edition of the show met, gathered and deliberated the format of the Publishing Expo’s leading conference programme.
Joining our industry-setting panel were:
Julia Hutchison, CEO of the APA
Ben Greenish, MD of Spectator owners Press Holdings Media Group
Dominic Jacquesson, Digital consultant
Neil Thackray of Media Briefing.com
Michael Collins of iPublishing consultants
Graham Duffill of the Digital Publishing Company
Ross Sturley of Chartlane and World Architecture news
Duncan Tickell, MD of Magicalia
Kathi Hall, Head of Editorial at Story publishing
John Welsh, Digital director at UBM Live
Jeremy Leslie of Magculture
Nicola Rowe, the Director of circulation and member services at the PPA
Among the topics causing many a beetled brow among these publishing heavyweights were:
• The integration of print and online publishing strategies
• The convergence of content platforms
• The proliferation of media ownership amongst non-traditional media brands
• Whether the digital world is sidelining design
• The search for new and meaningful business models
• The balance between consumer and B2B strategies
• Cost models and the cost base of content generation
• Audience measurement
• Revenue growth through product development
• The globalisation – and balancing localisation – of brands
• Finding the best way or combination of ways to deliver content among the many options
• The discovery of the ‘truly digital’ publishing business, as opposed to traditional media with a bit of online attached
• The changing subscription picture in the face of multiple content delivery platforms
• Apps vs e-books
• Integration, re-definition and re-skilling of publishing roles – editorial, design, marketing
• The changing relationship with the audience
• Communities and trust; who now trusts the media? Is it only brands that can be trusted
• With the ease of audience tracking, do we deliver content specifically targeted to what our communities want, or give them what we want to give them?
• What, really, is content? Are we entertainers or service providers?
• How can we create an app that makes money?
• Have publishers woken up to the attractions of gaming and ‘gamification’?
And on and on, and round and round. There’s much more to come where that came from, but as you can see there is already a fabulous feast of ideas, issue and debates to get our teeth into. We would love it if our respected visitor base could send any more suggestions that might occur to you at PE2012seminars@ubm.com. I’m determined that the 2012 edition of the industry’s best respected seminar programme will be the best yet!
Aidan Walker
Director, Publishing Expo Seminar Programme
Andy Oakes, Publisher New Media Age....Geoff Hall, Publisher Print Media Management....Jacquie Duckworth, Commercial Director, Top Sante....Jan Smoothy, Circulation Director, Angel Business....Iain Cartlidge, Publisher Incisive Media....Lucy Kane, Publisher, Time & Leisure....Jess Burney, Subscriptions Director, BBC Worldwide...Reid Holland, Circulation & Subscriptions Director, Hacheette Filipacchi UK Ltd....Richard Sacre, IT Manager, John Brown Publishing....Sean Briggs, Group Publishing Systems Manager, The National Magazine Company....Aporva Baxi, Director, Dixonbaxi....Colin McHenry, Group Art Director, Centaur.... John Walters, Editor, Eye Magazine....Jon Butterworth, Art Editor, Camouflage....Lynda Relph-Knight, Editor, Design Week....Mark Lesbirel, Publisher, CreativeMatch....Matt Willey, Director, Studio 8....Jennifer Moseley, Director, JMM.... Anthony Ray, Director, Stingray Research....Barney Cox, Executive Editor, Haymarket Print Group....Hazel Isaacs, Business Development Director, COMAG....James Burnay, Publisher, Dennis Publishing Ltd.... James Evelegh, Publisher, InPublishing....Jeremy Mason, Director, Revenue Science....Jodi O’Connor, Content Systems Manager, Haymarket Publishing....Kevin Madden, General Manager, Dennis Publishing....Lisa Marie Mills, Account Director, Redwood Publishing....Mike Soutar, Chief Executive, Shortlist Media Ltd....Ross Sturley, Principal, Chart Lane....Stuart White, Group Production Manager, Haymarket Consumer Media...Patrick Myles, Art Director, Blueprint, Simon Dixon, Director, Dixonbaxi...Violetta Boxill, Art Director, Icon Magazine....Adam Waddell, Publisher, Top Gear, BBC....Andy Cowles, Creative Director, IPC Media, Andrew Wilson, Managing Director, Unity Print & Publishing