It has been a while for most of us to be at a big in-person event. What we often forget is that not only will we hear the speakers in their keynote or session, but we will also have access to them at other times. That’s just one more great reason to attend BIMS 2023, Feb. 23-24 in Orlando. As a coming attraction, here are 7 pieces of advice from BIMS speaker interviews over the last couple years.
You can see all the BIMS speakers here, the agenda here, and register here. Our early-bird deadline (Nov. 18) is approaching fast!
Keep communication lines open. When we interviewed Endeavor Business Media CEO Chris Ferrell back in 2020, he said he tries to “call a handful of [staff] each week that I don’t normally talk to and ask where the company could be supporting them more and what they might need. My direct reports I talk to every week, of course. But we’re doing that throughout the organization, making sure people are not falling through the cracks [during that challenging time] and people are getting the support they need.” It will be interesting to hear if Ferrell and Endeavor have continued that style now that the pandemic has eased—and with the key acquisitions they’ve made.
Be authentic. This is not a check box; it’s something you have a passion for, Elizabeth Green, CEO of Brief Media, told us in June, explaining how she got involved with Mission Rabies. “It wasn’t a big strategic process; it was much more organic and serendipitous.” A discussion led to a partnership. “Partnering with a not-for-profit was among the best things we ever did.” Take a step back from “we are making a difference” to look at the overall impact your commitment is having—on staff, company growth, retention, recruitment, she said. “We’re not seeing the Great Resignation at Brief Media,” Green added. “The younger generation is demanding [this type of action] in the workplace.”
Green will also sit on that Outlook 2023 Panel.
What customer problem are you solving? “One thing we launched was a presentation center,” Kevin Turpin, president, National Journal, told us once, explaining that by talking to their customers they discovered a huge need. “They were being asked to explain Washington in more detail. They knew the content but needed a workable format. We’re actually very good at that. Take what happened in midterm elections and create a 40-page sllde deck out of it. We’re still doing that for board meetings of Fortune 500 companies.”
Turpin will speak on The Future of Work in B2B Media
Listen to your staff/members. Bibiana Campos Seijo, editor-in-chief and VP of C&EN Media Group, American Chemical Society, gave credit to her team for their Trailblazers program, which highlights rising ACS members from under-represented communities. It happened because the magazine staff felt it was important to do—not because she told them it needed to be done. In addition, the ACS inclusivity guide was developed by a committee of volunteers. Because people felt strongly about getting it done, they were able to do it.
Campos Seijo will speak at a session titled, Content as Product: How Editorial Leaders Are an Often Untapped Source of Great Ideas
Get the proper tools to help diversify. “Our mission is to provide overall leadership and guidance to the broadcasting industry,” said Michelle Duke, president of the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation and NAB chief diversity officer. “This means providing leadership management tools, skills, training and resources to all broadcasters so that they can realize the benefits of making their workforces more diverse and inclusive.”
Duke will lead the session, Talent and DEI and Their Essential Role in Your Growth
Plan some “boutique” events. “We feel that events have really segmented into two categories: trade shows and niche boutique events,” John Lerner, CEO of Breaking Media, told us. “Each market will support 1-2 large trade shows, but I have heard many marketers are still evaluating ROI beyond the #1 show in their market. The highly focused boutique events offer an opportunity for more networking, and we feel these fit well with highly targeted digital media.”
Lerner will speak on The B2B Digital Advertising Surge – Will it Continue?
Reinvent this wheel. “There are huge benefits for publishers in diversifying revenue streams and exploring alternative avenues,” Elizabeth Deeming, SVP, B2B division, Future, told FIPP earlier this year. “At Future, we created a Future Wheel; the wheel is made up of our different monetization streams—from print, advertising, video production, to e-commerce. The wheel illustrates Future’s holistic approach to diversification. It also ensures that no one monetization model is dominant and has led to a stronger business model as market changes in one area will have less of an impact as we have other monetization streams to rely upon.”
Deeming wil speak with Lerner on The B2B Digital Advertising Surge – Will it Continue?
It’s interesting that the 2022 Gold EXCEL Award Winner for Best New Innovation (C&EN’s How to Sell Your Science: The Art of Science Communication) focused on reaching audiences—given that our Editorial Council meeting this week also focused on getting our words out to our audience. As usual with any American Chemical Society product, there’s a lot to learn from how they did it.
John Lerner: The conversations with our customers regarding 2023 are focused on ROI and strategic hyper-targeting. There is obvious trepidation about the economy, but at the same time, many feel this is an opportunity to gain market share. Just as digital focused on ROI was an efficient way to market during the pandemic, we feel that this trend will continue moving forward as marketers can see the results of their digital media spend in real-time or close to that.