Since 1951, ACE has been the only trade body that spans both the newspaper and magazine industry, bringing together professionals involved with the distribution and circulation of the UK’s printed word. As a not-for-profit organisation, ACE functions now as it did then, on the principles of fellowship, friendship, and the open exchange of ideas between members. However, over the past year the ACE Governing Committee has been hard at work to further grow the value that ACE offers the industry, and to also make it more inclusive and relevant for new members.
“James Beardow: Chief Operating Officer for ACE says: ‘If you don’t know much about ACE, it is very much the association for the whole supply chain involved in newspapers and magazines in the UK and around the world. That means everyone from the marketeers, printers, pre-press teams, circulation departments, magazine distributors, digital publishers, subscriptions teams, wholesalers, haulers, distributors, and retailers. If you are involved in these sectors… ACE exists for you.”Attending and participating in ACE’s events allows people at all levels within the industry the opportunity to connect, build cohesive networks and friendships that helps drive the industry forward. Our newspaper and magazine awards recognize the best talent within the industry and provide a platform for innovation, excellence, talent, and young achievers to be recognized by colleagues, competitors, and business leaders alike. ACE provides opportunities where the industry can network, celebrate, and further educate talent.
Behind the scenes over the past 12 months ACE has undergone several significant changes, he adds. ‘The Governing Committee, which previously comprised of a small group of volunteer members, has grown significantly to 14 active members. We have invited key business leaders from additional publishers, services, and sectors within the industry so that they too have a voice in the direction that ACE takes, and they in turn are actively promoting ACE within their businesses. Most of all we have been reviewing our events, educational programs and more, so ACE can return additional business value to the industry.
Our industry education program, EMPOWER offers emerging talent within the newspaper and magazine community a unique, unvarnished and holistic view of the supply chain, from the birth of editorial content right through to the end consumer. It really is a unique experience. While Empower has been running successfully for ten years, in 2019 we took the opportunity to radically update and enhance the program so that the content is even more aligned with the initiatives and conditions in the industry.
We have increased the number of modules that delegates experience over the course of the 12 week program and changed the focus of the content and sessions to be more about individual awareness, learning and personal development. New modules offer delegates the chance to learn and experience focus group sessions, editorial meetings, news brands and news strategies sessions, incorporating alternative revenue models, media landscape insight sessions and much more.
Not only does the delegate learn the full picture of the supply chain, the course serves to build new cross-industry networks and friendships, culminating in delegates being divided into syndicate teams to prepare a formal presentation that is briefed to tackle a specific industry challenge or opportunity. This year, delegates will be looking to create their own publications, considering all the required variables from concepts and content planning to a hypothetical launch.
At the heart of developing the new-look Empower program is Mylene Sylvestre, Publishing Director at Guardian News and Media, a member of the ACE Governing Committee and Chair of the ACE Education Committee.
“She says: ‘It’s been a great honour and an absolute pleasure to work on the Empower program this year looking at enhancing an already rich and enthralling offering. I’m very much looking forward to working with all our partners and delegates for 2020.’ Empower has a few remaining places on the October 2020 course priced at £1,950 (pp), and if you would like to send a member of your business contact admin@acecirculation.com”
Amid the COVID Virus, the ACE team has provided a series of newsletters to the membership with useful articles, tips, and interviews to support people whilst they work from home. On the 14th May ACE is providing a free webinar hosted by Tiffany St James entitled ‘Energise and enhance your online meetings’ which provides training on getting the best from Zoom meetings and other online presentation tools. https://www.acecirculation.com/events/
Over the past year, ACE has also been actively looking to provide more value to the subscription community. Through the introduction of a subscriptions-focused committee chaired by Sharon Todd, Acquisition Director at Future, ACE has been able to offer open access training and idea sharing via seminars. In December 2019, the first in a series of subscriptions-focused events was successfully launched, oversubscribed in terms of attendees within a couple of hours.
A further session is now planned for later in the year to cope with the additional demand. Full details are on the ACE website Inspire Subscriptions Workshop
ACE is very much your association, its completely free to be a member and it allows you to connect with the wider industry. To receive your newsletter, and ongoing information on events, education and training sessions, visit: https://www.acecirculation.com/register/