Sunday, May 31, 2009

The existence of Magazines Week is reason enough to celebrate

This is Magazines Week in Toronto, with two conferences -- Magnet, run by Magazines Canada and its partners and Magazines University, run by Canadian Business Press. As a result, there are something like 75 different seminars over the space of a week, addressing issues that are of interest to people in the magazine business.

In many cases, our Canadian colleagues are talking of issues ranging from single copy circulation to management, design, markeing, digital publishing and such. In some cases, we're going to hear American experts tell us what to do, or at least what they're doing.

It's an intense, fact-filled, opinion-filled week and many publishers, editors and other magazine people come away from it immersed in ideas for making their businesses better or doing their jobs better. That, in fact, is what professional development events like these are all about -- the pursuit of excellence.

The whole week is full of the measures of that excellence, starting with the KRW Awards for b2b magazines, the Harvey Southam award for lifetime achievement, continuing with the Circulation Management Association's marketer of the year and the Magazines Canada national and regional volunteers of the year, capped with the National Magazine Awards, where the creators of our magazines' content are honoured for their work and where we honour fleeting and lifetime achievements.

What questions will people be asking in the corridors and the reception areas and the coffee rooms and bars? Here's my guesses:
  • Who's in trouble because of the recessionary downturn in advertising?
  • Are we through the worst of it?
  • What's working for you? How are you doing?
  • What is Heritage up to and how will the Canada Periodical Fund shake out?
  • What are the successful models for digital publishing? Are there any?
  • What about that Canadian Writers Group and will it bring rates up?
  • Where can I get a good martini?
You may have your own suggestions for likely topics. Whatever... the resilience, robustness and collegiality of this Canadian industry is evident everywhere you'll go this week.

Which by itself is something to celebrate.

3 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

There are also awards from PWAC and CAA. On Thursday night PWAC will be giving out its long-term membership pins, 5 Regional Volunteer awards, a humour writing award and its highest achievement award - the Larry Jackson award for exceptional service. We will also announce the nominees for Editor of the Year, which we will present on Friday at the Industry Awards Luncheon. CAA also has their own awards that they will present.

12:55 am  
Anonymous Kim said...

And don't forget the Magazines Canada Workflow Symposium at Ryerson University tomorrow for all the art/production/techie types.

http://magazinescanada.ca/events.php?cat=events&nID=101

12:41 pm  
Blogger Anicka said...

And in another sign that "it's awards week!", the Canadian Society of Magazine Editors will be hosting its awards dinner on Wednesday night. The awards include Editor of the Year, Best Front of Book, and new this year: Best Website.

3:08 pm  

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