Magazine Day is an annual gathering of publishing and media executives to meet and network with members of the local advertising and marketing world. This year’s event was held at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Minneapolis and was sponsored by The MPA and Media Networks Inc. The gala hosted a number of the nation’s top publishers including Dow Jones, Conde Nast, Hearst, and Time Inc.
Attendance to Magazine Day would not be complete without a visit to the legendary magazine room, an all you can eat buffet of sorts, featuring hundreds of varieties of issues from across the full spectrum of trades and topics.
Attendees rolled into the room with suitcases and gym bags in arm, excited to grab any issue they could reach until they couldn’t carry anymore. Think of a milder form of “Black Friday,” without the Wal-Mart crowd running around in sweats and trainers. The room was a great incentive in itself to come out to the event, but luckily there was a lot on-hand to experience and enjoy. The luncheon kicked off with the annual Ad Fed and Ad2 awards celebration and new member nomination. 2011 Silver Star Award winner Lynne Robertson and Paul Foss Award winners Amanda Brinkman both were thrilled to receive such honors. To cap off the day, the incredible guest speaker, Kelly Leach, the Senior Vice President of Strategy at Dow Jones Company finished with her keynote address titled “Some Things Never Change: Quality and the Relationship with the Reader.” Ms. Leach addressed the crowd during lunch by beginning with her history with Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal. She is currently responsible for guiding business strategy for consumer and enterprise products across traditional and digital platforms. Before her current position she was responsible for SmartMoney magazine, The Wall Street Journal Radio Network, and oversaw the successful global launch of WSJ Magazine.
Eventually Ms. Leach spoke about what was on everyone’s mind, the state of publishing today. She acknowledged that the industry has been struggling to gain readers and “technology has been a destructive force. But on the other hand, technology has created opportunities” by means of delivery method on exciting new platforms including the iPad and other tablets. She spoke on how it is the editor’s responsibility to cultivate a relationship between magazines or newspapers and their readers. “Trust and mutual respect is crucial… relationships evolve over time it is the editor’s responsibility to continue to evolve the brand.” Ms. Leach also had strong words for those who may be on the dying side of the print industry, who have forsaken their readers and relationships, “their uninspired and boring content is killing themselves.” Overall, she believes that print industry is thriving and can continue to be successful if publishers can adapt to the changing market effectively. Who knows if she’s right, but with such an impressive background and history of success with every publishing career she’s been associated with, it’s tough to doubt her.
