10 digital media trends you cannot ignore

Digital Content & Media Summit

As traditional publishing transitions to digital content, whether web, mobile, social, video, data, events or communities, so the rules of the game are changing. Publishers need to look outside their own experience and industry and learn new skills from technology and entertainment businesses.

In the last two weeks, I have spoken to twenty media and technology innovators, who are all speaking at the forthcoming  SIIA Digital Content & Media Summit, taking place 23-25 Sept in London.

These are ten digital media trends that they are already exploiting and that publishers cannot ignore.
[Read more...]

Top B2B Publisher, Leading Media Analyst, and CEO of Global Trend Forecasting Company to Keynote Digital Content & Media Summit

The Digital Content & Media Summit on September 23-25 will feature keynotes from the CEOs of EMAP and WGSN and a leading industry analyst at Enders Analysis, along with presentations from media pioneers who are changing the world of digital content.

The Digital Content & Media Summit will be the premier event for digital media and publishing executives held at One Wimpole Street in London. The three-day conference will provide a global perspective on the 10 most pressing digital content and media challenges and trends. Topics will include new ways to charge for digital content, turning free users into paying customers, developing compelling mobile products, expanding media brands internationally, successful collaborative advertising, and more.

The conference will feature keynote presentations from the following industry leaders:

Natasha Christie-Miller, CEO, EMAP
As CEO of a traditional print B2B publisher with long established brands such as Architects Journal and Retail Week, Ms. Christie-Miller will explain how EMAP is transitioning to digital subscriptions and building a growth-driven business. Ms. Christie-Miller will also illustrate how EMAP has increased overall revenue and also introduce EMAP’s latest product developments.

Benedict Evans, Analyst, Enders Analysis
Enders Analysis provides a subscription research service covering the media, entertainment, mobile and fixed telecommunications industries in Europe with a focus on new technologies. Mr. Evans covers mobile platforms, digital media and electronic publishing as analyst for Enders Analysis. At the conference, Mr. Evans will discuss the revolutionary trends in media and examine how mobile and social are rapidly changing the media landscape.

Julie Harris, CEO, WGSN & Planet Retail
An extremely successful global data business, WGSN is driven by premium corporate subscriptions. Many publishers aspire to achieve that business model and Ms. Harris will draw on share WGSN’s strategy of growing the business in Asia and provide relevant lessons.

Other speakers scheduled to present include:
• Adrian Barrick, Chief Content Officer, UBM
• Tim Brooks, CEO BMJ Group
• Ben Heald, CEO, Sift
• Richard Londesborough, CEO, Business Monitor International
• Tony Macklin, Director of Product Development, Immediate Media
• Audra Martin, VP, Advertising & operations, The Economist
• Alex Martinez, CEO, Sigaria
• Colin Morrison, Non-Exec Director, Centaur, Travel Weekly
• Peter Phippen, Deputy Chairman, Immediate Media
• Andy Rice, MD Sport & Music, Future
• Julian Turner, CEO, Electric Word
• Martin Belson, MD Enterprise, Dennis Publishing

The Digital Content & Media Summit will also feature SIIA’s Previews Program, which showcases the next generation of digital content innovators. Several companies selected for the Previews Program will present throughout the conference.


Carolyn Morgan has launched, acquired, grown & sold specialist media businesses in print, web and events. She launched the Specialist Media Show in 2010 and grew a community of ambitious publishers keen to grow their digital activity. SIIA acquired the Specialist Media Show in 2013 and Carolyn is now Programme Director for SIIA UK. Follow Carolyn on twitter at @siiauk.

DataContent Early-Bird Registration Ends Today: Save $300

At DataContent 2013, we will identify best practices and trends in Data Content and Publishing, providing you with an insider view of what is working and where things are heading so you can leverage data in your business to deliver new products and services to your customers.

Russell Perkins and the InfoCommerce Group have partnered with the SIIA to present DataContent 2013, October 15-17, in Philadelphia. Over two days, teams from media, publishing and information services companies will learn how to turn data into successful new data products.

Early-bird registration ends TODAY. To save $300 on your DataContent 2013 registration.
To register and receive your Early-bird Discount, please register at: www.siia.net/datacontent/2013/register.asp

For your convenience, here are other relevant links to learn about the event:

On behalf of everyone at the SIIA and the InfoCommerce Group, we hope to see you in October!

Previews: meet the finalists of the SIIA digital content innovation showcase

Digital Content & Media Summit

Who are the companies who are transforming the digital content world? The Previews programme was designed by SIIA, with the support of Newstex LLC, to uncover the latest new innovative businesses in digital content. Over the last few years many Previews alumni have gone on to great things.

For 2013 for the first time, the Previews programme has come to Europe, and the six shortlisted businesses will be showcased at the SIIA Digital Content & Media Summit. 

Here’s a sneak peek at the six finalists who will be presenting on 24 September in London: [Read more...]

How to grow your live events: 21 ideas for publishers from SIIA UK Issue Brief

4 Sep Issue Brief live events

Live events are a growing, and lucrative, activity for publishers, and face to face is holding its own in spite of the growth of online networking. However, many markets are crowded, delegates are busy and cash-strapped, and sponsors and exhibitors can be demanding. Plus there is a cultural challenge for publishing teams making the transition to live events.

SIIA UK brought together a group of event organisers on 4 September to listen to the experiences of Optimus Education and Newtrade Publishing, and swap their tips on developing profitable live events. [Read more...]

Proving the reach and influence of your media brands

Total Audience Certificate

Many media brands started out as print publications, but now encompass a range of live events and digital media, covering web, mobile, social media, webinars, email newsletters and more. Advertising clients expect bespoke multi-channel solutions, but how can you prove the total reach of your media brands and the value and influence they have with a high quality audience?

ABC, the industry-owned body for media measurement in the UK, has developed two new certificates that are designed to help media owners prove the reach of their brands across multiple channels.  Alden Arnold of ABC explains how they work and what the industry reaction has been…

[Read more...]

Best practice in email subject lines for publishers: 2 billion emails analysed

Subject Lines that work

Reena Mistry of Adestra picks out the insights for publishers on winning subject lines from their analysis of over 2 billion emails.

“How many times have you spent hours (days?) carefully crafting an email, building in brilliant calls to action, and arranging your graphics “just so” only to tack on a subject line at the last minute, without much consideration to how it might affect your campaign? If you’re like many marketers, you’ve done it far too often. [Read more...]