By bringing together a diverse group of high-level speakers and industry experts from across Europe and the print value chain, Magazine Seminar 2018 helped to shape the future of the magazine market. Intergraf and Smithers event was supported by the European Magazine Media Association (EMMA), the European Rotogravure Association (ERA) and the Nordic Offset Printing Association (NOPA). It was sponsored by manroland web systems.

As well as the seminar, participants attended a welcome cocktail, conference dinner and visit to the European Commission. The Commission also welcomed delegates to Brussels, with a commencement speech given by Anna Herold, Head of Unit at DG CONNECT (Audiovisual & Media Services Policy) and former Cabinet Member of Günther Oettinger when he was European Commissioner responsible for Digital Economy and Society.

Participants in Magazine Seminar 2018 took away an exclusive copy of Smithers European Magazine Market Report, which presented key industry statistics. Among other data, the report highlighted what is already known to those working in this industry: that the magazine market as a whole is in decline. However, “just a bit of the print market is gone; the niche stuff is still there”, explained James Hewes, President and CEO of FIPP, the network for global media. The market was still €8.3 billion in 2017 and continues to offer exciting opportunities for companies that are able to evolve and improve their offer during this period of flux.

The Economist Magazine, one of the industry’s foremost success stories, was presented as a case study by Nicolas Sennegon, Executive Vice-President and Chief Revenue Officer at The Economist Group. He highlighted the importance of strong content and brand – be that in print or on other platforms – suggesting that “we now need to put print as a part of the portfolio, not at the core”. Collin Müller, Head of Strategic Development at Hubert Burda Media, Germany’s largest magazine publisher, elaborated that “magazines are not the product – the content is”.

Smithers European Magazine Market Report will soon be made available to all seminar participants and Intergraf members. The final report will include a round-up of the seminar’s conclusions, as well as the results of a SWOT Analysis carried out at the event. This exercise outlined strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats within the sector. Contact Intergraf for more information or to order this report.

Testimonials from Magazine Seminar 2018:

“Excellent seminar that featured speakers from different parts of the business. I gained an insight on the printed magazine market and some of the strategies that major actors are following to remain successful in a challenging sector. Well done!”

“Great speakers, good and encouraging insights in terms of the benefits of digital for print media; and a perfect networking opportunity with the print world across Europe in a professional and enjoyable setting. Great experience, I´ll be back!”

“I thought that the whole event was so well organised. Everything went very smoothly and this is to do with how well the Intergraf team look after you and ensure that every detail is thought of. The mix of diverse speakers at the event was also great.”

Notes to Editor:

Photographs from the Magazine Seminar 2018 

Intergraf, the European Federation for Print & Digital Communication, represents 21 national printing federations in 19 countries. Intergraf’s central task is to represent and advocate for the interests of the printing and digital communication industry, working with European Union to support the sector’s competitiveness through lobbying, information-sharing and networking. For more information, please visit www.intergraf.eu 

Shaping the Future of Print is an annual event series co-organised by Intergraf and Smithers. The event brings together professionals and high-level experts and speakers from the printing and related industries to focus on niche areas of the industry. As well as magazines, past events have dealt with book printing and direct mail.

For more information, please contact:

Alison Grace

Communications Officer at Intergraf

Email:  agrace@intergtaf.eu

Tel: +32 (0) 2 230 86 46

Julie Bostock

Marketing Manager at Smithers 

Email  jbostock@smithers.com

Tel: +44 (0) 1372 802 035