BIMS offers a deep dive into the “media multiverse,” with expert-led sessions that cover advanced strategies in audience engagement, tech innovation, and revenue expansion. Attendees will learn how to successfully operate within this multifaceted world, with tactical takeaways that can be applied immediately to grow your business.
Schedule
Registration opens at 1:00 pm
- The BIMS Sales-Revenue Accelerator
- AI: An Operational-Efficiency Force Multiplier
The Preconference Workshops are free to members.
There’s no higher media priority than revenue. But salespeople face challenges they’re often unprepared for. In this deep-dive session, we’ll cover: Ad and sponsor sales, sales management, sales-related tools, paywall selling, forecasting and more. Our presenters, John French and Jim Elliott, will use role-playing to showcase sales challenges and solutions. A panel of judges will provide commentary, and our attendees will actively participate. We’re pretty sure you’ve never been involved in an exciting format like this. It won’t be boring. You’ll learn:
- Techniques for selling across channels, including print, digital, marketing services and events.
- How to create more accurate pipelines and forecast reports.
- How to use AI in sales efforts.
- Post-COVID sales strategies.
- Mastering tech tools like the CRM.
Speakers:
Jim Elliott, President, James G. Elliott Co.
John French, CEO, Owner, French LLC
Media organizations are deploying artificial intelligence across the enterprise to streamline work processes. Data processing that used to take hours can be done by AI in less than a minute. Content producers and marketers use AI to speed up processes and refine audience insights. Hear three leaders take you through what they’re doing, what’s next, and how you can apply their findings at your organization. You’ll learn:
- To identify where AI can make the most impact in the shortest time.
- Lessons learned about what you should—and should not—do.
- How to mine and enrich data using AI.
- Opportunities in back-office automation, business analytics, customer service, sales support and more.
Speakers:
Kerri Hatt, Editor-in-Chief, EMS1, Lexipol Media Group
AnneMarie Wills, Co-Founder and CEO, Leverage Lab, LLC
Dillon Roulet, COO, Co-Founder, Edisource
Roberta Muller, Senior Vice President, Northstar Travel Group
Richard Murphy, CEO, Alliance for Audited Media
Welcome reception in the French Quarter Balcony Room
All attendees, speakers and sponsors are welcome to the registration desk for important conference materials and updates.
Start the day off at breakfast with the most important B2B publishing network.
Welcome remarks and conference kick off from:
Chris Mohr, President, SIIA
Tony Silber, Managing Director, SIIA Media
Social platforms have revolutionized how media companies acquire and engage audiences. Hear directly from social media giant Meta about how to leverage your products to further build your brands, as well as the platform’s policy landscape for the year ahead.
You’ll learn:
- How to leverage social media to further your brand and audience.
- Meta’s perspective on the role and identity of B2B and vertical B2C media.
Speaker:
Brad Weltman, Director, Public Policy, Facebook
Forging Partnerships with LLMs: What You Need to Know
Many media brands are signing up for content partnerships with OpenAI and other Large Language Model companies. The goal is to enhance the value for both sides to media consumers, and to expand their reach as well. Hear the pros and cons of such deals from those who’ve done it. You’ll learn:
• Why many media organizations have done deals with AI companies.
• Typical terms—what’s in the agreement and what’s not.
• Pricing models.
Speakers:
Michael Le Du, Chief Operating Officer, Entrepreneur Media LLC
Ariel Soiffer, Partner, WilmerHale
Paul Gerbino, President, Creative Licensing International
From the Frontlines: Fresh New Research on Media Planning and Ad Spending
Advertisers focus more on the bottom of the funnel and expect ROI and leads. Search and social spending continue to grow, and retail advertising is ascendent. Media planners are stretched thin, lacking time to assess options and goals. Sit in for the findings of the fifth survey of media planners and buyers, co-produced by the James G. Elliott Co., AdWanted SRDS, and Readex Research. You’ll learn:
- The impact of AI on planners and buyers.
- What marketers expect from their campaigns.
- Where content marketing, marketing services, events, and more fit in the mix
Speaker:
James G. Elliott, President, James G. Elliott Co.
Modernizing the Full Funnel, Customer-Journey Model
The traditional ad-sales funnel model goes from awareness, to consideration, preference and intent. Media operators must provide platforms for clients around marketing services, niche events, lead-gen, education, and more. Hear how and why you should make this happen, and how not to find yourself in a race to the bottom of the funnel. You’ll learn:
- The shortcomings in the traditional model.
- Collaborating on new ways to press the advantages of full-funnel marketing.
- Why lead-gen without brand recognition produces fewer valuable leads.
- The role technology platforms fill.
Speaker:
Ron Spink, CEO, IRONMARKETS
Leveraging In-person Engagement: Extending Your Brands into New Events
In-person events are back in-force, and demand remains high even while competition gets more intense. The big opportunity today is to extend strong brands into new events: trade shows, conferences, hosted-buyer, festivals and more. Hear case studies in success. You’ll learn:
How to identify opportunities where there is demand for a new in-person event.
How to leverage your digital to test ideas before launching in-person.
How to zero in on the right format and scope of a niche event.
Why leveraging in-person brand extensions enhances everything you’re doing.
Speakers:
Nancy Drapeau, Vice President of Research, CEIR
Brian Cuthbert, Group Vice President, Diversified Communications
Enjoy this mid-day break, lunching with old and new friends.
Sit in our annual CEO Panel, featuring four CEO innovators, as they discuss their priorities, pain points and anticipated trends for the year. You’ll learn:
· How this group of executives defines itself today.
· How that definition informs its priorities.
· Areas where the industry needs to get stronger.
Speakers:
Matt Reilly, CEO, Fusable
KC Crain, CEO, Crain Communications
Diane Schwartz, CEO, Ragan Communications
Amanda Darman-Allen, Senior Vice President, B2B, Future
Dive in to an interactive discussion during a series of roundtables.
M&A Outlook 2025
M&A activity is an accurate window into the state of B2B media, revealing how buyers look not just at the sector overall, but the assets they value most. Sit in on an expert panel where we examine the deal drivers in 2025. You’ll learn:
- Valuations compared to prior periods.
- Why PE Investments are extending beyond the three-to-five-year exit.
- An assessment of the 2025 pipeline.
- The impact of external forces, like interest rates and the strength of the economy.
- What to know if you’re thinking about selling your company.
Moderator:
Wilma Jordan, CEO, North America, JEGI Clarity
Addressing Attrition Among Small Print-Only Advertisers
Print remains among the top revenue sources for B2B media. But reports suggest steady attrition among smaller advertisers—and that they’re not transferring their spend to digital channels. Hear strategies for addressing this dynamic from those who’ve done it. You’ll learn:
- How to find out where budgets are going.
- Why some marketers have stopped spending with print brands.
- Digital sales pitches that resonate with smaller advertisers.
- The product mix and the outcomes they’re looking for.
Speaker:
Kylie Hirko, Executive Vice President, Transportation, City Services, Healthcare & Dental, Endeavor Business Media
Driving More and Better MQLs to Sales Teams
Marketers place a huge premium on campaign ROI, which is usually measured in qualified leads. But even when quality leads are produced and vetted by the marketing team, getting them to the sales team—or directly to the client—can be a challenge. In this session, you’ll learn:
- How to mitigate delays and distractions.
- Where you can streamline workflows.
- Technologies that can break logjams.
Speaker:
Alexi Khajavi, President, Hospitality, Travel & Wellness, Questex
Converting Trade Show Exhibitors Into Year-Round Multichannel Buyers
In some markets, even very successful ones, show producers report that it can be difficult to convert sponsors and exhibitors into making full-year, multichannel digital-marketing investments. Hear from two show operators why that reluctance exists and how they’ve overcome it. You’ll learn:
- The need to educate marketers, especially at the senior levels.
- How to create media packages that are more likely to appeal to event marketers.
- Why the essential synergy between the annual event and 365-day exposure needs to be emphasized.
- Ways of presenting proof of ROI.
Speakers:
George Jackson, Executive Producer and Host, GovExec TV
Protecting Your Business With a “Moat”
It’s a great metaphor, and it involves protecting your brand(s) from any number of disruptions: Unexpected competitors, poor execution, technology shortcomings, and more. Hear two strategic thinkers define their moats and help you approach how to build yours. You’ll learn:
- How SWOT analysis can help identify vulnerabilities.
- How to find points of differentiation that help construct a moat.
- How to correctly read early warning signs.
- Getting the workforce to watch for shifting dynamics, internal or external.
Speakers:
Michael Rotella, Head of Product, Guideposts
John Whelan, President, CyberRisk Alliance
Moderator:
Jennifer, Schivas, CEO, 67 Bricks Ltd.
Finding, Training and Keeping the Next Generation of Top Sales Talent
Media salespeople juggle different channels, different technologies, different objectives, different KPIs, different ways of measuring ROI, and different brands, all simultaneously. Learn how to build the ideal profile of a successful seller, then find and keep them as they drive growth and innovation. You’ll learn:
- How to map the characteristics of a great seller.
- How to win talent wars.
- Creative approaches to WFH and in-person meetings.
- How to create innovative training programs.
- New ways to approach
- compensation, training and job satisfaction.
Speakers:
Veebha Mehta, Chief Operating Officer, Crain Communications
Constance Sayers, Chief Revenue Officer, GovExec, President, GovExec 360
Greg Watt, President/CEO, WATT Global Media
Existential Threat: AI’s Impact on SEO and Web Traffic
Google and other platforms now offer AI-generated summaries at the top of search results. If a search produces all the information being sought without clicking through to a link, it potentially represents a catastrophic loss of traffic. Hear strategies needed to successfully respond in the ongoing battle for audience engagement. You’ll learn:
- The scope and immediacy of the situation.
- How it totally upends years of SEO planning and spending.
- Three different approaches for muting the impact.
Speaker:
Brian VanHeuverswyn, Chief Operating Officer, Active Interest Media
Building Events That Scale
Scalable events not only amplify impact but also engage more stakeholders, foster enhanced collaboration, and maximize ROI. Join a discussion of essential strategies and best practices for planning and executing exponential event growth that can be applied in all markets. You’ll learn:
- How to employ efficient frameworks to create engaging experiences.
- How to establish sustainable practices to create a dynamic that resonates with audiences.
- The elements that ensure lasting impact and significant value.
- How to seamlessly blend innovation, technology, and strategic planning to scale events.
Speaker:
Rafael Cardoso, President, Human Capital Institute, A Divison of Simplify Compliance
B2B and B2C media companies have nearly identical business models, but they sometimes have surprisingly varied strategies for addressing similar challenges. There are plenty of valuable things to learn from the differences. Hear four leading executives, representing B2B and B2C, tell their stories. You’ll learn:
- How to leverage scale.
- What each side can learn from the other’s event marketing and production strategies.
- Better ways to accelerate audience engagement.
- New kinds of advertising strategies.
Speakers:
Eric Hoffman, Chief Executive Officer, Hoffman Media, LLC
John Temple, President and CEO, Guideposts
Join us at the BIMS Big Easy Bash – an exclusive event where relaxation meets networking!
Take advantage of this opportunity to unwind, mingle with peers and prospects, and enjoy a delicious dinner in a captivating setting.
Registration opens at 7:00 am. Stop by the registration desk for updates and information.
Coffee, croissants and conversation. Join friends and peers as we kick off the second full day of BIMS.
Welcome to the second full day of BIMS.
Innovation is the lifeblood of media, and startups are the engine of innovation. Hear how two media companies have rethought the business model and changed the dynamics of their markets as a result.
You’ll learn:
- How our speakers identified opportunities for disruption, and then built a business.
- How to establish a process for rethinking your business model.
- Ways to disrupt your own business and not find yourself disrupted.
- Required investment strategies for your shift in strategy.
Speaker:
Joe Newton, Managing Director and Founder, Trending Now
Private-Equity: Helping Power Up Media Success
One of the most common forms of media ownership in both B2B and niche B2C is private-equity. In this session, hear what PE firms look for in a potential acquisition, and the specific components of a media business they value most. You’ll learn:
- What PE finds attractive about media businesses.
- PE ownership’s growth expectations, and what they measure.
- The effect of macroeconomics, including interest rates.
- Optimal conditions for how and when PE firms look to exit.
Speakers:
Rob Schneider, President, Lexipol Media Group
Stephen Master, Managing Director, GTCR
Andy Clurman, CEO, Active Interest Media
Jim TenBroek, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Growth Catalyst Partners
Case Studies and KPIs For Optimizing Subscriber Acquisition and Engagement
Messaging strategies and subscription pricing techniques are becoming more precise and effective. All kinds of tech-dependent data points go into establishing engagement criteria, including visitor frequency, cost per acquisition, cost per conversion, keywords, lookalikes, lifetime value, churn, and more. Hear two brand leaders share case studies and their formulas for ranking audiences. You’ll learn:
- How to get prospects to experience your content.
- The tech tools needed to refine messaging and offers
- Ways to differentiate between casual visitors and those with more potential.
- How to manage costs while maximizing subscriptions and tamping down on churn.
Speakers:
Hannah Glover, Editor-in-Chief, FT Specialist US
Andy Willmott, Vice President, Editorial Product Development, FT Specialist, a Financial Times company
The Attention Economy: How Deepening Engagement Diversifies Revenues
Media companies face an advertising squeeze, as more budgets move to large programmatic companies and small influencers. Growing audience influence is an effective countermeasure, strengthening advertiser interest in podcasts and video, and increasing ad performance. You’ll learn:
- How Farm Journal measures media consumption across audio, video, and written content.
- How it uses this knowledge to increase audience loyalty.
- How that provides better avenues to event and paid subscription revenue.
Speakers:
Jennifer Richter, Vice President/Digital, Farm Journal
Todd Peterson, Senior Vice President/Audience, Farm Journal
A New Blueprint for Supercharging Attendee Marketing
Marketing teams are stretched thinner than ever, the event universe is more crowded, and pricing events is a delicate balance. By leveraging tech-based approaches and data-driven insights, organizations can craft compelling messages that drive deeper connections with greater impact. Hear the latest strategies and tools for more effective event marketing. You’ll learn:
- How to harness data analytics for more personalized content.
- The value of cross-channel integration to create targeted campaigns.
- How to engage audiences more effectively.
Speaker:
Annie Bruce, Senior Director, Event Marketing, GovExec
Sit in for a review of the trends and proposals affecting media operators, including privacy regulations, data protection, AI, copyright, Congressional activities, cyber-security, content policy, DEI and more. You’ll learn:
- The latest legislative developments.
- The state of current and potential litigation affecting the media.
- The sense of the Congress on a broad array of topics.
- How SIIA is putting its resources, which can’t be duplicated elsewhere, to work on the industry’s behalf.
Speaker:
Paul Lekas, Senior Vice President, Policy, SIIA
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