| Monday, May 18 | | |
| OPENING REMARKS | 2:45-3pm | |
| Shelly Crowley, CRMA President and Cate Sanderson, CRMA Executive Director | | |
| KEYNOTE: FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOUR AUDIENCE with Samir “Mr. Magazine™” Husni | 3-3:45pm | KEYNOTE |
| In the midst of all the rapid changes taking place in the magazine and magazine media industry, publishers and editors are bombarded by options and platforms to deliver their created and curated content to ever-changing customers. The message to editors and publishers is to not fall in love with the platforms, but rather fall in love with your customers and create an everlasting relationship with them rather than a one-night stand or love affair. Husni delivers what he believes are the 10 common sense steps necessary to thrive in this ever-changing magazine media environment. | | |
| THE COMPONENTS OF VIRTUAL SUCCESS | 4-4:45pm | EVENTS/MARKETING |
| Thinking about translating an in-person event to an online experience? Do you need a sellable creative digital video series? Hear from three CRMA members as they share what they’re doing to engage their audience online. Learn about relevant platforms, out-of-the-box ways to deliver content and how to get readers to participate. Panelists: Kelly Olson and Danille Gartenmayer of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine and Emily Knight of Boston Magazine | | |
| GOOGLE ANALYTICS MASTER CLASS | 4-4:45pm | AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT |
| What you can track and how to help fuel your audience insights. What should magazines be looking at aside from pageviews and time on page? Which metrics are valid and which are just noise? Key tips and tricks to jazz up your GA. Speaker: Empirical Path | | |
| RE-IGNITING THE POST-COVID SALES CONVERSATION | 5-6pm | SALES TRACK |
| COVID-19 was devastating for most local and regional business owners. So, how do we as sales pros sympathize, but get back to that much-needed marketing conversation? Ad sales coach Ryan Dohrn will share 7 ways to reignite the conversation with style, ideas, and realistic expectations. From explaining the “marketing bump” to email templates to perfect call times, come prepared to laugh and learn from a guy that has touched over half a billion dollars in ad sales over his 30-year career. | | |
| THE CRISIS ISSUES | 5-6pm | EDITORIAL TRACK |
| Hear from CRMA Editors how they created new content in print and online to serve a city in crisis. Moderated by Michael Schaffer of Washingtonian. | | |
| Tuesday, May 19 | | |
| KEYNOTE: CONSUMER INSIGHTS AND INNOVATION STRATEGIES IN AN INCREASINGLY DIGITAL WORLD with Jake Meyers | 3-4pm | KEYNOTE |
| In today’s increasingly digital world, the decision-making process occurs in a consumers life in ways never before imagined. From smartphones to social media, Alexa, Goggle Home, and artificial intelligence, the digital landscape is evolving more rapidly that ever before. This keynote focuses on ways to compete–and WIN–consumer attention in 2020 and beyond. Learn how brands can create the right Human:Digital balance to delight their audience and stand out in the consumer journey. Learn why consumers expect different interactions with you depending on where they are in the buying cycle, how specific events trigger them into a buying mode, and how you can use this information to maximize your effectiveness in influencing their decision-making throughout. | | |
| MAINTAINING A STRONG BRAND DURING THE PANDEMIC | 4-4:45pm | EVENTS/MARKETING |
| Staying top-of-mind is important and challenging, especially now. Learn about pinpointed specific strategies to connect with your community and uphold brand position in a relevant, timely way. Panelists: Carrie Horn of 5280, Dayle Duggins of 417 Magazine Carly Mann of D Magazine, and Christy Davis of Honolulu Magazine. | | |
| COVER TALK | 4-4:45pm | DESIGN TRACK |
| Art Directors talk about the process of producing powerful covers, from using the ideal image to dynamic cover lines. They share their successes and their flops. Panelists and audience share their stories and designs. | | |
| DIGITAL SALES MASTERS CLASS | 5-6pm | SALES TRACK |
| Learn best practices to make sure digital display campaigns are worth the effort, including minimums, packages, and contracts. Get tips to identify what content is right for your brand and how to overcome challenges of client retention. Also learn how to use video advertising to help boost revenue and engagement. Speakers: Ed Brzozowski of Milwaukee Magazine and Karen Martinelli of Today Media | | |
| ROLE OF THE NEWSLETTER | 5-6pm | DIGITAL TRACK |
| Traditional newsletters used to be a link dump pushing people to the site, now we’re seeing the launch of major newsletters as a standalone product (i.e., The Skimm, Morning Brew). How is your newsletter strategy adapting to the current reader trends and interests? Hear from other CRMA publications and others on what makes their newsletter strategy tick. Andrea Bott and Audrey Congelton of 5280, moderated by Ashley Mulder of Twenty-First Digital | | |
| Wednesday, May 20 | | |
| TOUR THE TRADE SHOW AND WIN CASH PRIZES- details TBA | 2-2:45pm | |
| HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC CHANGED THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE, PLAN AND EXECUTE? (joint session with Editorial and Design) | 3-3:45pm | EDITORIAL+DESIGN |
| In this time of crisis, regional magazines are rethinking their editorial content and visuals in order to be sensitive to what is going on in their community. Summer edit and select food features planned a year ago are no longer viable due to social distancing. The focus on digital content has increased. The art and editorial team are working remotely. The whole office dynamic has changed. Panelists and audience members discuss how they are dealing with it all. | | |
| FACES ROUNDTABLE | 3-3:45pm | SALES +EVENTS/MARKETING |
| With a lot of revenue riding on FACES, let’s meet and have a informal roundtable discussion. Hear about creative new categories are driving revenue and discuss how FACES change for your company in 2020. Moderated by Mike Martinelli of Today Media | | |
| BUILDING AUDIENCE LOYALTY AND A PAYWALL | 4-4:45pm | AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT |
| In today’s business landscape, publishers are looking to diversify revenue in any way they can. One of those is by charging for content online. Join us for a discussion about what it takes to build a paywall on your site, the most important metrics to watch for, and how to get going. | | |
| MARKETING BEST IN SHOW | 5-6pm | EVENTS/MARKETING |
| The best ideas in a time when we’re all trying to navigate uncharted waters. From creative online video series to extending the life of video content to engaging contesting. Hear from CRMA members with winning ideas. Panelists: Macaulay Hammond of San Antonio Magazine, Jeanell Luquette of New Orleans Magazine, Lauren Himle of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine and Amanda Brown of Baltimore Magazine. | | |
| TOP 10 STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL SELLING NOW | 5-6pm | SALES TRACK |
| Dave Mattson, CEO of Sandler Training, will lead an interactive session that will address 3 key areas of selling: how to get in front of the right people, how to be more efficient/effective once you’re there and how to keep your customer happy while protecting and growing your book of business. Speaker: David Mattson, CEO of Sandler Training | | |
| MAKING MORE WITH LESS | 5-6pm | EDITORIAL TRACK |
| Budgets are getting squeezed across the industry. What have people learned about smart ways to navigate a tighter budget environment? What do we know about philanthropic or other outside sources of funding? What kind of tricks have people used to stretch their editorial dollars? | | |
| Thursday, May 21 | | |
| TOUR THE TRADE SHOW AND WIN CASH PRIZES- details TBA | 2-2:45pm | |
| BIG IDEAS ON A SMALL BUDGET | 3-3:45pm | DESIGN TRACK |
| A tight art budget doesn’t mean compromising on creativity. There are many creative design solutions to explore that do not break the budget. Everything from manipulating stock imagery to creative all-type solutions. Panelists and audience members discuss ways that they achieved this goal in an efficient and fun way. | | |
| PAID AND ORGANIC SOCIAL MEDIA | 4-4:45pm | AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT |
| Tips, trends and best practices to get your stories high in search results, as well as recent changes in SEO mindset and search engine algorithms. Plus do’s and don’ts of headline writing. Speakers: Melissa Chowning of Twenty-First Digital and Tom McGrath of Philadelphia Magazine | | |
| SPONSORED CONTENT | 4-4:45pm | DIGITAL TRACK |
| What makes for good content? Hear from markets that do it well. Learn about the pros and cons, as well as placement, labeling practices and more. Speakers: Anne Taulane of Philadelphia and Boston Magazines and Lisa Rounds of Studio MSP/Mpls.St.Paul Magazine | | |
| THE NEED FOR SPEED | 5-6pm | EDITORIAL TRACK |
| We’re at a time when ground is shifting under our feet, and news is moving just as fast. But many magazines are accustomed to working and planning months ahead. How do you get staff comfortable with waiting until late in the game to make key decisions about what will appear in print? How do you push staff to treat the website as a place that needs to break news, or at least react to breaking news? How do you use a crystal ball to predict what will work down the line? And how do you do all of this in a way that doesn’t lead to errors and omissions? | | |
| THE NEW SALES JOURNEY: HOW TO GET FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING | 5-6pm | SALES TRACK |
| Many of us have forgotten that the 2008-9 was a terrible time in the media industry. Advertisers were cancelling campaigns and companies conducted massive layoffs. This was temporary. The market changed, media changed and so did revenues! Media sales reps all over the country are suddenly out of their comfort zone and the programs that were tried and true are not selling at the rate the were just a few months ago. Learn how to how to adapt to this temporary new economy, how to stop doing the same things that aren’t working now, how to start new conversations that strengthen relationships with your advertisers and how to get your confidence back! Just because the future is uncertain does not mean it’s negative. Speaker: Heather Monahan of the Confidence Creator | | |
| CRMA LIVE STREAMING AWARDS CEREMONY | 6:30-8pm | AWARDS |