2008 MPA-IMAG Conference -Program Overview

May 16, 2008

5th Annual MPA-IMAG Independent Publishers Conference May 14-16, 2008 | Hotel Orrington | Evanston, IL

PROGRAM

Successful Multi-Media Publishing Strategies
Publishing online is so unlike publishing in print that we need new strategies and business models if we want to still have our jobs in five years.  Some publishers are developing their strategies through costly trial and error, throwing money into bad ideas. Others are learning proven strategies, executing them immediately and reaping the benefits.  The Mequoda Group has identified an online publishing strategy that works. Don Nicholas, President of Mequoda, along with independent publishers, will discuss the strategies for running a successful multi-media company.
Panelists include:  Phil Penny, President, Belvoir Publishing; David McKee, CEO, DRG; and Bryan Welch, Publisher and Editorial Director, Ogden Publications, Inc.

From Print to Digital
Designed to help magazine publishers better understand the unique challenges and opportunities within the digital arena. This session will cover the latest technology and terminology so you can successfully extend your magazine brand beyond print and into digital. Learn how to make good decisions about all things technical. Cia Romano, officially known as the Internet Guru and Web consultant to many companies, large and small, will discuss the technical, financial, and strategic considerations when building web sites with rich layers of community. Her team, Kyle Kulakowski, Jon Allured and Laure Koenes, will also lead web site critiques during breakout sessions.

Handling the Inevitable: CHANGE
If there is any constant in business today it is CHANGE and how to manage change. In this session, consultant John Sheehy will demonstrate how to deal with the organizational, staffing and businesses issues in businesses undergoing changes, often prompted by outside, unpredictable forces.

Carbon-Footprinting A Magazine
Global warming may be the greatest challenge of our time. It’s changing our landscapes, our weather patterns, our economies, and the planet our children will inherit. With scientists’ predictions seeming to worsen on an almost monthly basis, it’s no surprise that sustainable business practices have become a hot topic in the markets and communities that AIM brands serve. With this in mind, Backpacker undertook a complete top-to-bottom energy audit this fall and winter, working with a leading climate analysis firm from the Bay Area. The goal: To determine the magazine’s carbon footprint and identify opportunities for smart reductions. This unprecedented effort is now complete, and this report will offer an inside look at the process, the key findings, what changes Backerpacker has identified, and potential opportunities for other AIM properties.  Presenters:  Jonathan Dorn, Editor-in-Chief, Backpacker and Michel Gelobter, Founder and CEO, Cooler.

Consumer Marketing Practices for Independent Publishers
Circulation remains the most important, manageable and predictable revenue source for independent publishers. This session will explore best business practices and successful campaigns from of panel of independents, moderated by Greg Jones, President, Granite Bay Media, Inc. Panelists include:  Laura Simkins, VP, Consumer Marketing, 8020 Publishing and Robert Acquaye, Circulation Director, Johnson Publishing Co., Inc.

News from the Capitol...
Rita Cohen, Senior Vice President of Legislative and Regulatory Policy at MPA, will address legislative and postal issues that could impact your consumer marketing and digital practices.

Optimizing Advertising Sales: Print and Online
Different companies organize differently when selling print and online advertising.  Some companies fully integrate sales department; some keep them separate and others follow a hybrid form.  We will explore different print/web sales organization models and examine with case studies and real-world examples.  Moderator:  Daniel M. Ambrose, Managing Director, ambro.com Panelists are Madeleine Buckingham, COO/CFO, Mother Jones Magazine; Bradford Fayfield, Owner/Founder, Storm Mountain Publishing; Jeff Paro, President & CEO, InterMedia Outdoors Inc.

Marketing Your Brand in Today's Digital World
360 marketing refers to the ability to use all aspects of Web 2.0—including blogs, SEO and SEM, widgets, etc—to announce, launch, market and measure a product introduction. This session will offer practical advice about how to make the web an intimate part of your marketing campaign. Matt Dickman, Vice President Digital Media, Fleishman-Hillard.

Big Ideas on a Modest Budget
Larger publishers often invest heavily in research, technology and product testing—and independent publishers can learn from their successes (and failures). This session will focus on what a number of major publishers have learned in the last five years—about content management systems, digital magazines, SEO, digital insertion orders, to name a few—that could be helpful to the independents.  Panelists:  Dave Bovenschulte, formerly TV Guide; John Thomas, Online Editor, Playboy.com; Marta Worhle, formerly Hachette Filipacchi Media, US

Living with PE
During the last few years there has been increased investment of Private Equity firms in magazines. And there has been particular interest in taking stakes in or buying independent magazines. This panel will explore the reasons behind this trend. We will hear from publishers and owners about the effects of the investment on the operating climate and life with PE.  Moderator:  Andrew Clurman, Group Publisher and COO, Active Interest Media, Inc.  Panelists include: Peter Gudmundsson, CEO, Beckett Media;  Clay Hall, CEO, Aspire Media, LLC. and Jeff Paro, President & CEO, InterMedia Outdoors Inc.

Utne Independent Press Awards
For 19 years running, Utne Reader has tapped their library of over 1,500 publications to find the very best of the alternative and independent press. Join Publisher Bryan Welch and Editor in Chief David Schimke as they recognize this year’s winners of the Utne Independent Press Awards, chosen from 111 nominees in 15 categories of excellence.

Past attendees have included:

Active Interest Media, Inc | Cook's Illustrated | Bark Magazine | BUST | Dwell | Guideposts | Hallmark Publishing | Harvard Business Review | Interweave Press | iVillage Parenting Network | Kalmbach Publishing | Latina Media Ventures, LLC | Morris Communications | Mother Jones | Ogden Publishing, Inc. | Paper Magazine | Plenty | St. Louis Magazine | Storm Mountain Publishing | String Letter Publishing | The New Republic | Time Out New York | The Taunton Press | Vogue Knitting | Working Mother Media | Yoga Journal | and many more...

Sponsors include: