Last month, Magfest gave us a brilliant opportunity to update the Scottish magazine publishing industry on our progress, and invite people to support us through being an International Magazine Centre Ambassador or Friend (find out more on our Support page). If you missed it, we’ve been:
- working with Drew Wylie Projects to conduct a robust feasibility study for the International Magazine Centre, which returned very positive results
- gathering support from key partners like Edinburgh Napier University, the National Library of Scotland and Marketing Edinburgh, as well as the incredible Scottish magazine publishing industry – thank you to everyone who has supported us so far
- looking at the impact the International Magazine Centre could have on PPA members, on the wider publishing community and on new publishers – both locally and internationally
- speaking to senior publishers in Berlin, at EMMA and FIPP meetings (the international trade body for magazine publishers), with additional presentations in Amsterdam and Paris planned for November.
- working on a new template for the promotion of magazines internationally, rolling Magfest out to other cities and using it as a tool to connect with international publishers, beginning with Magfest Ireland, and with discussions begun for Magfest Africa.
Our strategy now is to spread the word to build partnerships far and wide, so we’re delighted to be recruiting International Magazine Centre Ambassadors to work with us (find out more on our Support page) and, this week, we’re preparing for our first Ambassadors Workshop, deciding what we’re asking of people, what are key priorities are and how we’ll make it happen.
And in the meantime, we’re preparing to speak at FIPP Insider events in Amsterdam and Paris in November – our first chance to speak to a larger international audience – join us there if you can!