E-News : November 17, 2009
ABM’s L.A. Regional Program Sweeps into Southern California TOMORROW
Members: Last chance to reserve your FREE seat!
Tomorrow morning, ABM will kick off its second annual L.A. Regional Program, tailored for industry professionals on the West Coast. Join us and network with your b-to-b media peers in Southern California; learn how to create online marketing and social media strategies from an industry expert; and participate in an interactive session on total audience measurement ... all at no cost to ABM members!
Tomorrow’s program will feature a keynote address from Michael Weisfeld, senior online marketing strategist at BusinessOnLine, as well as a comprehensive presentation of a developmental research project aimed at providing media brands with total audience measurement across all channels of the brand.
Click here to view the full agenda and speaker line-up, or to register.
ABM’s L.A. Regional Program is sponsored by Aequor Technologies, BtoB magazine, Magnify.net, ON24, and Publishers Press.
It’s Never Too Early to Start Thinking About
Your 2010 Sales Promotion Awards Entry …
We’re keeping ABM’s Sales Promotion Awards top-of-mind by showcasing a 2009 winner in E-news each week. We hope you’ll learn from these winners as you prepare your submissions for next year’s competition.
Advertising Specialty Institute
The Electronic Marketing Kit
Brand Media Kit – Digital Interactive Format
Tune in here to watch on-demand highlights from the 2009 Achievement Awards ceremony as well as exclusive interviews with Kevin Arsham, partner and communications planning director at MediaCom, and ABM Media Marketing Committee Chair Glenn Laudenslager, marketing director at Reed Exhibitions, who both discussed the importance of strong promotional materials and shared some advice for media companies looking to implement more creative efforts.
The Sales Promotion Awards (formerly the Media Kit Awards) were revamped this year by ABM’s Media Marketing Committee to reflect a new focus on the entire suite of promotional and collateral materials that support all sales efforts. New categories were added to include e-mail promotion, flyers and brochures. The Sales Promotion Awards program is part of the ABM Achievement Awards, which also honor the best in business media circulation, human resources and custom media.
Stay tuned to E-news for updates on the 2010 Sales Promotion Awards.
Top Media Moves
Publishers Press announced two new partnerships that will support the company's content management and distribution initiative: Publishers Press has partnered with Mark Logic as its content repository, and Atex/Temis for content enrichment.
Connotate announced “Developer Edition,” a new addition to the Agent Community GEN2 platform that extends the offering to the developer community.
Dow Jones & Co. announced a new release of Dow Jones Companies & Executives Sales, an information product designed to help b-to-b sales and marketing teams keep up to date on the companies they call on.
Northstar Travel Media announced that Thomas Cintorino has been appointed Executive VP, Digital Media.
'What ABM Means to Me'
American Business Media is working harder than ever to enhance the value proposition of your membership, and we’re constantly encouraged by positive feedback from our members.
Here in E-news each week will be a member testimonial which reflects how individual members view the ABM value proposition.
“Working on the Editorial Committee helps me to keep up with what my peers are doing, gives me a place to test ideas, and allows all of us to be vigilant about our core values in a time of interesting change.”
- Aric Press, Editor in Chief, The American Lawyer
Click here to follow ABM on Twitter!
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Job of the Week
In addition to the “Job of the Week” highlighted in each issue of E-news, ABM has recently expanded its online job board to better reach out to the membership and media community with quality career opportunities. Powered by mediabistro.com, the site is updated constantly with openings across the country and enables you to search by industry and location. So what are you waiting for … Click here to begin your search!
Committee Watch
Entrepreneurial Committee: November 17, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST, ABM Headquarters
Production/Manufacturing Technology Committee: November 18, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST, ABM Headquarters
Digital Media Council: December 3, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST, ABM Headquarters
Finance Committee: December 3, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST, ABM Headquarters
ABM’s New Strategic Plan, Dues Structure
Significantly Enhance Value Proposition During Challenging Times
Tomorrow’s your chance to learn more and ask questions during free webcast
During ABM’s 2009 Executive Forum earlier this month, Bill Pollak, CEO of ALM and chairman of ABM’s Strategic Planning Committee, unveiled the Association’s new strategic plan, which positions ABM to lead an industry undergoing dramatic transformation and place itself at the center of a new b-to-b ecosystem.
Pollak will further explore the plan and discuss how its initiatives affect the membership during a free webcast, tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 PM EST, streaming live from the ABM Headquarters. Click here to register, and learn exactly how your company will benefit from the plan’s new initiatives and enhanced value proposition.
As the only association focused on the integrated business media model and the various operating functions of the b-to-b company, ABM’s unique nature allows it to adopt a leadership role and act as a catalyst for change in today’s challenging business environment.
The new plan is based upon four major pillars – Networking & Education, Government Policy & Industry Standards, Research to Know, and Research to Show – as well as the internal Association issue of membership retention and development.
ABM members have ranked the first pillar, Networking & Education, as their top priority. To dramatically improve the event experience for members, ABM will partner with key associations to strengthen content and will expand the reach of its events via regional programs and digital delivery.
Because ABM members are faced with a host of new concerns in Washington, the Association’s leadership role in influencing governmental policy on industry issues is more critical now than ever before. Therefore, ABM will lead the development of b-to-b industry standards and policies, build coalitions to address issues confronting the industry, and enhance its early warning system to better identify critical legislative initiatives.
Historically, ABM has delivered seminal research to help its members grow their businesses (“research to know”). This position, as the indispensable source for real-time business intelligence, will be reinforced as ABM develops a systemic approach for members to utilize the Association as a conduit to business expertise. This approach includes the restructuring of Business Information Network (BIN) Reports to reflect the totality of the b-to-b market and the revitalization of ABM’s Committees & Councils to share and disseminate best practices.
The final pillar, on Research to Show, supports ABM’s goal of validating the power of the broadening integrated b-to-b media platform. ABM will develop a collaborative research process, continuing to produce powerful tools for members’ sales forces that enable them to communicate research to marketers and agencies.
In restructuring its Committees & Councils, BIN Reports and Neal Awards competition, ABM has already begun executing its new strategic plan, which will ensure the life of the Association in order to help members grow their revenues and profits.
ABM also unveiled a new dues structure, which reflects today’s economic realities. Providing significant reductions for ABM’s media members, the new structure reduces both the minimum and maximum (or cap) rates previously established. It utilizes a band approach, organizing members into an array of bands based on their b-to-b revenues, which provides significant relief from the previous rate of $1.20 in dues per $1,000.00 in revenue.
Members will be individually notified of the new dues structure this month for planning purposes, while new rates will go into effect on January 1, 2010.
By bringing rates down and increasing services, the Association is confident that its enhanced value proposition will continue to grow the membership.
ABM Delivers Business Intelligence Directly to Membership
Webcasts, regional programs provide opportunities for networking, education
ABM’s new strategic plan, which was unveiled at the Executive Forum earlier this month, has positioned the Association to lead today’s transforming b-to-b industry and to place itself at the center of the b-to-b ecosystem. ABM has already begun to carry out its leadership role under the four pillars of the plan – Networking & Education, Government Policy & Industry Standards, Research to Know and Research to Show.
ABM members have ranked Networking & Education as their top priority, and the Association has responded by expanding the reach of its events to deliver business intelligence directly to members via webcasts and regional programs.
Among the programs ABM has already produced, and those upcoming this year and beyond, include:
- Social Media Webinar – The first in a series of digital media webinars, streamed live from the ABM Headquarters, featured an engaging and interactive presentation by Andrew Davis, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Tippingpoint Labs, who shared his six keys to social media success. Highlights from the webinar are now available for on-demand viewing on the ABM Video Network at www.AmericanBusinessMedia.com.
- Media & Marketing Advisory Councils Meeting, “Creating a Win-Win-Win Situation for Better Measurement of B2B Advertising” – During the latest meeting of ABM’s Media & Marketing Advisory Councils and ABM media members, Pat LaPointe, managing director of MarketingNPV, shared his perspective on how the marketer, agency and media company can better work together to measure the impact of b-to-b advertising. The meeting and in-depth discussion was streamed live for ABM members, and highlights will be available soon on the ABM Video Network.
- Strategic Plan Webinar – This Wednesday, November 18, Bill Pollak, CEO of ALM and chair of ABM’s Strategic Planning Committee, will discuss ABM’s new strategic plan and dues structure, as well as answer member questions, during a FREE live webinar. Click here to register now.
- Regional Programs – Beginning with its second annual Los Angeles Regional Program tomorrow, ABM is bringing the latest information on important industry issues to YOUR neighborhood, all at no cost to ABM members. Upcoming programs are planned for the following cities in 2010: Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco and Boston. Click here for dates and more information.
Executive Forum Video, Speaker Presentations and Photo Gallery Now Available!
With a fresh and engaging agenda and an all-new line-up of industry thought leaders, ABM’s Executive Forum provided takeaway solutions and strategies for the approximately 200 b-to-b professionals in attendance. Missed the Forum, or just want to experience it again? Well, you can continue to engage in the content from this year’s conference in a variety of ways:
- Video from the Executive Forum is now available for on-demand viewing, thanks to our friends at TV Worldwide. Click here to watch all archived sessions, as well as interviews with speakers and attendees.
- You can follow along with the speaker presentation decks (available here) as you watch the video.
- View photo highlights from the event in the new Executive Forum Photo Gallery, available here (all photos by Rohanna Mertens).
Then, don’t forget to save the date for ABM’s Annual Conference, May 2-4, 2010 at the Charleston Place Hotel in Charleston, SC. Stay tuned to E-news for updates.
Case Study:
Virtual Trade Shows Address Audience Needs, Build Magazine Readership
ABM continues to enhance its series of case studies, showcasing the strategies b-to-b media companies are utilizing to achieve their objectives. The latest addition explores how Futures Magazine Group's I-Trade Shows have met audience needs while boosting engagement and building magazine readership.
Objective
Futures Magazine Group serves a highly-skilled audience of individual traders, who constantly seek new products and services, trading strategies and networking opportunities. Futures sought to meet these needs while recognizing the fact that traders are scattered around the globe and prefer not to leave their trading desks and the markets to attend physical trade shows.
Strategy
Futures launched a series of “I-Trade Shows,” which allow traders to learn from expert presentations and keynote addresses, shop for products and services, and exchange ideas with their peers from all over the world, all at no cost and without leaving their desks. “The educational portion is an important tool as we have real traders who generously provide in-depth strategies and trading tips attendees can implement instantly,” said Ginger Szala, Futures’ group editorial director. Powered by InXpo’s technology, the virtual events attract high-quality speakers, exhibitors and sponsors, which provides for a highly-interactive experience.
Results
In comparing the publication’s December 2008 I-Trade Show with its May 2009 show, attendance increased by 39%; attendees increased the amount of time spent interacting with exhibitors by 25%; and attendees spent more time engaging with each other, with average one-on-one chat lengths increasing by 119%. And through an integrated promotional approach, Szala added, the success of Futures’ virtual events continues to build the magazine’s readership.
56th Annual Neal Awards Call for Entries Deadline Less Than Three Weeks Away … Enter Now!
Editors, there’s less than three weeks left to submit your best editorial work for the chance to be honored with one of the b-to-b industry’s most prestigious awards. Submissions are due by December 4 … Click here to get started on the online entry process now.
As you prepare your submissions, click here to listen to Jan Tuchman, editor in chief of Engineering News-Record and chair of ABM’s Editorial Committee, discuss this year’s 11 new categories and the importance of entering the competition.
This year marks a new age for the Neal Awards, and we encourage you to enter and become part of Neal Awards history, celebrating your publication’s excellence in the midst of a changing industry.
And don’t forget to mark your calendars now for the annual luncheon on March 11, 2010 in New York City. Stay tuned to E-news for the venue announcement!
Share Your Best B-to-B Videos with ABM’s New Video Network Community
As you may be aware, ABM recently partnered with video publishing platform Magnify.net in order to build a more robust Video Network community and, among other things, showcase how b-to-b media companies are effectively serving their audiences and advertisers through online video.
As a first step, ABM unveiled its enhanced homepage video player at www.AmericanBusinessMedia.com, where viewers can now rate and comment on videos as well as send to a friend, link to, embed, and much more.
Next, ABM announced its new and improved ABM Video Library at video.americanbusinessmedia.com. Not only have the Association’s videos been uploaded and organized, but ABM member videos produced for the public domain have also been included and sorted by format or topic.
Though we have already started gathering your videos from public-sharing sites, we now invite you to directly submit any additional videos you'd like to share, using Magnify’s fast and convenient uploading process here.
We look forward to receiving your submissions, and we hope you’ll enjoy ABM’s new engaging and educational online video experience.
ABM’s New Compensation Study to be Unveiled Next Week
Recognizing the importance of compensation and benefits data to its members, ABM is proud to announce that the results of its 2010 Compensation Survey, conducted by Towers Perrin, will be unveiled next week. Towers Perrin utilized information from the 2007 and 2009 surveys and, importantly, its recently-conducted 2010 pulse study in compiling the report.
This new study sets the tone for the variety of forward-looking ABM research and resources to come, so be on the lookout next week and utilize this data in planning and evaluating your 2010 compensation structure.
Contact Mark Rothman for more information.
Drive Your Bottom Line with New ABM Resources, Member Discounts
Adhering to its new strategic plan, which, among other things, emphasizes the importance of industry research and intelligence, ABM is continuing to create synergies with other organizations that will benefit the business media/information community. As a result, ABM members now have cheaper (or free!) access to must-have industry resources from leading organizations like CEIR, Outsell and Vital Business Media.
ABM ‘Vital Guide’ Explores Digital Media Trends
Through a new partnership with Vital Business Media’s eMedia Vitals, an online publication covering e-media strategies, ABM is proud to deliver the “ABM Vital Guide,” a weekly e-newsletter containing high-quality, actionable content on the hottest digital media trends affecting the b-to-b industry.
Each week, the ABM Vital Guide tackles one specific digital media trend or product with the potential to dramatically influence members’ digital revenues. Previous editions have thoroughly covered such issues as content aggregation, community-based media, online event models and subscription management. Click here to view the latest ABM Vital Guide on E-mail Newsletters, or contact Jenna Lisanti to subscribe.
ABM Offers Member Discount on ALL Outsell Research
As an ABM member, you are now entitled to a 20% discount on all must-read industry reports from leading research and advisory firm Outsell, Inc. Not only will the member discount offer savings on your purchases, but the data and analyses from Outsell will provide must-have advice and essential actions for b-to-b publishers and information providers looking to create revenue opportunities, attract new buyers and achieve competitive advantage.
The Outsell Store houses hundreds of recent research studies delivering fact-based recommendations about markets, companies and trends in the information industry. Click here to enter the Outsell Store, and enter promotional code 101209 during checkout to receive your ABM member discount.
Members, Have You Requested Your Free CEIR Research Yet?
ABM has recently partnered with the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) to provide members with important, timely information on the powerful world of face-to-face … all at no cost. The variety of free CEIR research available for ABM members includes:
- How Digital Marketing Affects Exhibition and Event Performance
- Looking Past the Recession: Exhibition Strategies for the Interim
- The Cost Effectiveness of Exhibition Participation
- The Power of Exhibitions in the 21st Century
and more!
Contact Kate Patton with your request(s), and the research will be sent to you directly.
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