Western Region Azbee Awards Ceremony Is July 9

Want to hear how some regional ASBPE award winners created their winning pieces? Then come to this awards ceremony and educational session!

Confirmed award-winning speakers:

• Kristi Reimer, editor of Veterinary Economics, Advanstar in Lenexa, Kan.
  
  
• Geni Wren, editor and associate publisher of Bovine Veterinarian, Vance Publishing in Lenexa, Kan.

Date: Thursday, July 9, 2009

Time: Noon to 2:00 p.m.

Location:

JJ’s Restaurant,
910 W. 48th St. (2 blocks west of The Plaza)
Kansas City, Mo 64112
Map

Cost: $50 per person; $375 for a table of eight

For more information or to RSVP: Jeff Gelski, Kansas City chapter president, at (816) 756-1000, ext. 867, or email him at jgelski@sosland.com.

State of the Industry? Not All That Clear

The American Society for Business Publication Editors’ Kansas City chapter hosted a panel discussion April 7, The State of the B2B Industry, in which three key Kansas City-area B2B executives shared their opinions about the challenges facing trade magazines in 2009.

The speakers included:

• Donna Sanford, the publisher of EXPO Magazine
• Lisa Parks, senior vice president of digital operations at Penton Media
• Becky Turner Chapman, vice president and general manager of Advanstar Communications’ Veterinary Group.

The consensus? Well, unfortunately, there wasn’t a consensus on the state of the B2B industry; opinions varied greatly among this panel.

“The state of the publishing industry sucks,” said Sanford. And she sees the profession from three sides: as the publisher, editor, and sales person. “It’s changing in a dramatic way—we’re experiencing a seismic shift, especially in advertising. Print advertising is falling out of favor because advertisers want to see ROI and metrics.”

At EXPO Magazine, Sanford sells lead generation through downloadable white papers, Webinars, and sponsored online content—not traditional print advertising.

And Parks agreed. “We need to deliver information to our audience in ways that are not dependent on print advertising.”

Parks was optimistic about the current state of the industry. “There is good news for B2B publishers: we can provide what readers want, we offer a trusted source of information, and we don’t own the capital equipment required for print publishing, which makes this economy less risky for us.”

Parks is also optimistic about the future. “We’re using technology in ways we haven’t before—it’s an opportunity for us to succeed above others.” But she warns that her company is now being faced with competing against businesses developed specifically for online media, which has prompted her to consider Web-first thinking.

And Turner Chapman welcomed this transformational time for the industry. “There’s a lot of fun ahead!” she exclaimed. She explained that for B2B publishers, the fundamentals have not changed. The audiences’ needs have not changed, and advertisers still need to reach those audiences. The only thing that has shifted is the publishers’ ability to reach their audiences in different places.

For example, Turner Chapman described a print article idea her company generated in the early 1960s: teaching veterinarians how to design a veterinary hospital. By 1965, the company had launched a hospital design conference so its audience could learn directly from design experts. Throughout the next few decades, the company printed books and continued expanding its magazine coverage of this subject. Today, it’s covered online through web-only articles, interactive elements, message boards, and photo galleries at dvm360.com, the company’s web portal.

“It all started with a print idea and it grew up,” Turner Chapman said. And now if the editors publish a print article about the subject, they marry it with an online-only piece, which promotes a message board, and that message board refers back to a different print article. It’s this never-ending circle of content that allows the editors to reach their audience across all media.

What did these executives say was the most profitable part of their online business?

Sanford said it was webinars due to the high price point. Parks said e-newsletters and online advertising. And Turner Chapman mentioned dvm360.com and custom projects for advertisers; however, print publishing still represents the largest chunk of revenue overall.

So although none of these executives could see clearly in their crystal balls, they all agreed that the economy and other factors are presenting some real challenges to B2B publishers. But it’s up to us—the editors—to help identify creative ways to deliver our trusted content across all media.

Feb. 4 Happy Hour

K.C.-area B2B editors are encouraged to come take a break, relax, socialize and eat some FREE PIZZA on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at The Other Place in Old Overland Park (map) from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

What's the catch?
There isn't one. We want to give you a chance to unwind a bit and to socialize with your B2B colleagues.

What if your not an ASBPE member?
This event is open to all past meeting attendees and to those who haven't yet attended a meeting but are interested in learning more about the best B2B editors community in Kansas City.

Details
Pizza will be provided. All other food and drinks will be your responsibility. If you plan on attending, e-mail Spring Suptic at spring-dot-suptic-at-penton-dot-com or call 913-967-1644.

Now hiring

Editor – Sosland Publishing Co., the leading information provider for the food industry, has an immediate opening for a website editor. Primary responsibilities include writing and searching for industry-related news, rewriting, editing and filing stories to online communities with some writing for print magazines and newsletters. Familiarity with Word and WPS preferred. Recent grads considered. Journalism degree or experience required. Send resume and writing samples to HR Director, Sosland Publishing Co., 4800 Main, Ste. 100, KC, MO 64112 or email with attachments to HR@sosland.com. EOE

Winning awards starts with publisher

Winning awards begins at the top. The magazine publisher needs to believe that quality pays, believe in hiring good people and believe in hiring enough of them, said Rick Bush, editorial director of Transmission & Distribution World, based in Overland Park, Kan., and published by Penton.

Mr. Bush gave a presentation "Taking the Awards Process to the Next Level" at the Western Region Azbee awards banquet held July 23 at the Plaza III Restaurant in Kansas City, Mo., and run by the Kansas City chapter of the American Society of Business Publication Editors.

A sufficient staff will allow a publisher to let an editor loose to tackle big issues and create award-winning copy, Mr. Bush said. He gave an example of how Transmission & Distribution World was able to report from New Orleans on Hurricane Katrina's effects.

He added editors may invest in the future of a publication by investing the time to learn about the industry the publication covers.

"Find out what your readers would find out by themselves if they only had the time," Mr. Bush said.

Planning for an awards competition may start a year before entries are sent out, or when magazine personnel are creating editorial calendars. Magazine editors and publishers should know which categories they excel in, he said. For example, Transmission & Distribution World normally does well with stories in such categories as case histories, editorials and individual profiles. However, the mgazine rarely enters stories in the categories of how-to articles, feature series and government coverage.

The editors of Transmission & Distribution World are selective when entering awards. "We save a lot of money by entering only what we're proud of," Mr. Bush said.