UBM Live has described its rebranding of its 2013 Publishing Expo event to the Publishing and Media Expo as a “no-brainer.”

Education producer and former editorial director Aiden Walker said that business models, management roles and definitions are changing in the sector.

“Brands are now just as much publishers as publishing companies, and in many ways more so, if audience numbers are a reliable guide,” he said. “At the other end of the spectrum, individuals in the equivalent of their back bedroom are also publishers and given some smart SEO and a following wind can also command audiences of unlikely size.

“One thing is clear, ‘media’ is the word that describes what we do. We aren’t a Media exhibition, however. We’re a publishing expo. But any meaningful reference to publishing carries the inherent idea of media. Hence, Publishing and Media Expo. No brainer.”

This year the show was held alongside the Technology For Marketing and Advertising (TFM&A) show. The co-located UBM media shows recorded healthy visitor rises, with Publishing Expo registering 5,753 people and TFM&A 11,342.

Event manager Jon Howell has been delighted with the reception of the rebrand announcement. “We have a continuous dialogue with our key partners and having discussed the potential rebranding at some length already, the idea has gone down extremely well, representing a natural move for the show while retaining the event’s core position at the heart of the publishing sector,” he said.

“Looking ahead to the 2013 event in February we are already engaging our visitors to shape the content programme and I’m very much looking forward to announcing the seminar sessions in the near future.”

New features introduced for 2013 will include a theatre dedicated to ‘publishing heroes’ alongside a ‘Top 20 movers and shakers’ shortlist, highlighting the most influential and innovative voices in publishing and media. The best and most ground-breaking front covers of the year will also be displayed in a new gallery feature on the show floor.

The show takes place at Earls Court 2 on 26 and 27 February 2013.
 
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