Tight money is at the root of joint NMAs and KRWs, says Canadian Business Press
Money, or the shortage of it, is the principal reason for the shared evening between the Kenneth R. Wilson awards for b2b press and the National Magazine Awards, according to Jim Hall, a board member of the Canadian Business Press, which is co-producing the awards with Magazines Canada. He told Masthead that the unaccustomed alignment was based on financial considerations.
"We did have a reduction in funding, as most awards programs did, from the Department of Canadian Heritage. There is still funding, but they've cut back significantly in terms of awards programs," said Hall. "This looked like a reasonable approach from a financial perspective to co-stage the awards at the same time, and to do it in a very professional way."
Apparently when the KRWs and the Magazine Awards announced the joint schedule in April, some of their message did not get through to trade publishers. For instance that, while NMA attendees get a sit-down dinner, KRW attenders must pay for ticket if they want to join them following their own awards and a joint cocktail reception. But KRW ticket holders are invited to watch a simulcast of the NMAs on screen in the Round Room at the Carlu and join the Magawards people for dessert at no additional cost.
Hall said that the CBP is "in the process of developing new purposes and bylaws, with a new statement of purpose, and one of the key elements in the statement is education and the ongoing KRW awards." That involves a "very much expanded KRW" for 2013, integrating a full day of education, he added. The educational component could involve KRW judges offering their thoughts on submissions, said Hall.
"This is a transition year, and we hope it transitions to a dynamic platform," said Hall. "KRW is a super event, I've been going to it for 32 years, it's something I wouldn't miss."
Related posts:
- KRW b2b awards are playing 2nd fiddle, says publisher, and he's boycotting them
- Magazine awards programs will go back-to-back this year
- Magawards moving to Thursday night, sharing evening with Kenneth R. Wilson awards
Labels: awards, KRWs, National Magazine Awards
posted by D. B. Scott at
3:46 pm
2 Comments:
And boycotting the event is not going to help in the least. On the contrary.
Dear B2B Publishing Community,
The Kenneth R. Wilson Awards have been recognizing and celebrating excellence for 57 years and we believe that is too important a tradition to risk cancelling because of transitional changes in the industry.
There are four revenue streams for this program: entry fees, ticket sales, sponsorships and government/association funding. Transitional changes in the industry demanded a 35% reduction in the budget. If a breakeven scenario could not be accomplished, then the program stood to be cancelled until a sustainable financial model could be put into place.
After analyzing several budget scenarios, the best viable option was to host a ceremony and reception for the KRWs on the same day and venue as the NMAs. This decision resulted in the cost reductions necessary for the competition and event to take place. Understanding that this was a significant departure from previous years, we announced our intentions in January with the call for entries.
Nearly 100 judges, 25 event staff and many others have volunteered their time to make the 58th annual program possible. Many suppliers including the printer, venue, show producer, CNW, caterer, illustrator, and media partners have either donated and/or provided their services for in-kind. ABC, CCAB, Canada Post, CDS Global, CSME, OMDC and others have contributed cash. And more than 200 magazines have entered the competition—together these individuals and organizations are working to ensure the program’s success.
The Kenneth R. Wilson Awards are for the b2b industry by the b2b industry. This is a challenging year. Your participation is critical to the success and sustainability of the KRW Awards program. We urge you to attend the event, see firsthand what works, what doesn’t, fill in the questionnaires, give us your feedback, and/or join next year’s event planning committee. Working together, we can structure an event befitting of the Kenneth R. Wilson tradition and ensure its future for the years to come.
John W. Kerr
Chairman, Canadian Business Press
Co-chair, Kenneth R. Wilson Awards
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home