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

Key Media-Industry Research: How Marketing Is Changing And What It Means For Media Companies

To kick off BIMS 2025, Plural Strategy CEO Jim Easton will present the firm’s latest research on the outlook for B2B marketing spend, and the evolving mix. Plural’s data will show how buyers engage with information, how it’s changing and what it means for B2B media. You’ll learn: 

• Why marketer behavior is changing rapidly.
• How media companies can take advantage.
• Which models will emerge as winners.

Speaker:

• Jim Easton, CEO, Plural Strategy

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.

Speakers: 

• Brad Weltman, Director, Public Policy, Facebook
• Dawn Baskin, Director, Industry Lead, 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

What Media Companies Can Learn From Digital Advertising Giants

Tech companies invented modern digital advertising, notably programmatic. Social platforms expanded its scope and reach. Hear from a veteran of Snapchat, Amazon, Yahoo, and Cheetah Mobile about untapped techniques and technologies media companies should deploy for increased innovation and more effective sales.

You’ll learn:

• How to exponentially expand a sales pipeline.
• How to create a long-tail SMB advertising strategy.
• The impact of an advanced tech-based AR system.
• How Amazon developed its search and performance-based ad business, including sponsored ads and remarketing.

Speakers:

• Chad Hinds, Senior Director of Business Development, Adaptive Investments
• Ryan Elliott, COO, The James G. Elliott Co.

Lead Gen Revenue Cheat Codes Guaranteed to Meet Client Demand

Clients are increasingly demanding “bottom-of-funnel” engagement with measurable results. This opportunity for publishers to expand their revenue can be hampered by the challenge of scaling lead generation, preserving database integrity, and meeting the needs of advertisers. Join a vibrant discussion that delves into overcoming challenges, educating markets, avoiding backend pitfalls, and forging effective partnerships. 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.

Speakers:

Ron Spink, CEO, IRONMARKETS

Jim Bagan, Vice President, BlackBox LG

Tom Rousseau, Principal, Alignment Advisors

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

Harnessing Generative AI and Data to Navigate a Volatile World

The rise of generative AI is transforming technology infrastructures, redefining investment strategies, driving datacenter and energy buildouts, and shifting corporates’ AI focus from hype to value. This is unfolding in a protectionist global economy with diverging regulatory approaches, while looser monetary policy raises hopes for a capital markets and M&A boom. How is a leading global financial data and intelligence business helping its clients navigate these challenges?

You’ll learn:

• How technology is disrupting traditional client-vendor relationships and shaping new partnerships between data originators, distributors and users.
• How large language models can generate highly differentiated insights and signals for market participants.
• About the capacity of genAI to radically alter the capture, structure and standardization of data at scale.

Moderator:

Steve Corrick, EVP, US Strategy, Practice Lead, Events, Collingwood

Speaker:

• Eric Hanselman, Chief Analyst, S&P Global Market Intelligence

Explore the latest trends in artificial intelligence and its transformative impact on the publishing industry. We’ll cover an overview of AI technologies and tools and share key statistics on AI adoption among publishers. Discover how Media Mate, Mirabel’s AI-powered media assistant, is helping publishers streamline their processes, optimize media analytics, and supercharge prospecting efforts. You’ll learn: 

• Practical uses for personalized content creation.
• How to automate audience segmentation.
• Valuable insights into how AI can empower your business. 

Speaker:

Kayla Walsh, Director of Consulting, Mirabel Technologies

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: 

KC Crain, CEO, Crain Communications

Diane Schwartz, CEO, Ragan Communications

Amanda Darman-Allen, Senior Vice President, B2B, Future

Dive into an interactive discussion during these roundtables:

• Streaming TV – Streaming TV has become a transformative force in digital marketing, offering businesses new opportunities to engage with consumers in a highly targeted and immersive way. As more viewers turn to streaming platforms, the potential for brands to leverage TV advertising in combination with digital campaigns is growing rapidly. According to DemandBase, “Running streaming TV and display campaigns together for your own campaigns could result in a 46% increase in traffic to your website and a 54% increase on clicks to your ads.” Join January Spring to discuss the powerful synergy between Streaming TV and digital advertising, and why streaming TV is an essential tool for driving both engagement and measurable business outcomes. (source: DemandBase)
• Sponsored Content Packages and Lead Gen – In today’s landscape, Sponsored Content Programshave become a powerful tool for brands looking to enhance engagement and generate high-quality leads. By blending valuable content with advertising, these packages create a seamless experience for the audience, leading to more meaningful interactions. Research shows, “Brand recall is 59% higher for Branded Content than other digital ads,” highlighting the effectiveness of this approach in building long-lasting brand awareness. When you pair this with first-party audience targeting, the program ties the value directly back to your publishing brand and audience. This roundtable will explore how sponsored content can be strategically leveraged for lead generation, discussing best practices, measurable outcomes, and ways to maximize ROI. (source: Adweek)

Moderators:

Charity Huff, CEO & Founder, January Spring

Mackenzie (Mac) Little, Director of Business Development

M&A, Executive Leadership and The Road Ahead, 2025

In this session, sit in for a revealing look at how buyers perceive the media sector and how leadership is the crucial ingredient in media success. Our expert panel will explore the qualities that drive innovation and growth, and how it ultimately results in a robust transaction. 

You’ll learn:

• Why PE Investments are extending beyond the three-to-five-year exit.
• An assessment of the 2025 pipeline.
• Deal drivers in 2025. 
• Characteristics of leaders who think creatively and step outside the existing footprint to find growth. 
• What to know if you’re thinking about selling your company.

Moderator: 

• Wilma Jordan, CEO, North America, JEGI Clarity

Speakers:

• Craig Fuller, CEO and Founder, FreightWaves
• Alicia Zhu, Vice President, Shamrock Capital
• Julia Senior, Partner, M/C Partner

Retaining Second-Tier Advertisers Using Cutting-Edge Business Development Approaches

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

Chris Ferrell, Co-Founder and CEO, 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:

• Paul Miller, CEO, Questex LLC

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.

Speaker:

• 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 three 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
• 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 Free, Managing Director and SVP of Digital Marketing, Eyeful 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

In this educational session, we’ll explore how advanced taxonomy and tagging can transform content monetization for B2B media companies. Learn how Hum’s Alchemist AI Taxonomy Builder creates custom, publisher-specific taxonomies and applies them to any form of content. Discover practical applications and gain insights to accelerate your revenue growth:

• Drive specialized events revenue by pinpointing trending topics from your taxonomy data. Launch hyper-focused, in-person or virtual events around these emerging content areas, including across brands, bundling sponsorships, targeted ad placements, and VIP ticketing to maximize revenue
• Build new, hyper-targeted sponsorship packages by matching sponsors with specific audience segments
• Offer personalized content bundles to corporate clients looking for training, thought leadership, or market intelligence
• Enhance lead-gen campaigns by tagging editorial and sponsored content with persona-specific topics
• Expand into data products and research by analyzing and sharing taxonomy-driven metrics on audience interests

Speakers:

John Challice, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Hum

Dustin Smith, Co-Founder and President, Hum

Is your organization ready to tackle a digital landscape where zero-click search results and the expectation for personalized content reshape audience behavior? Success now depends on connecting with audiences wherever they are, leveraging AI and advanced analytics to craft seamless, tailored experiences. In this session you will:

• Understand the challenges audience teams are facing today.
• Discover how you can use AI and audience data to shape your engagement and growth strategy.
• Learn some simple steps to help you get started.

Speaker:

Tony Napoleone, Vice President of Client Experience, Omeda

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
• Sara Wyant, Founder and Publisher, Agri-Pulse
• David Saabye, CEO, Golden Peak Media

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.