For the first time since it opened its doors to b-to-b magazines last year, Magazines Canada is offering two events specifically aimed at business media. Taking place on Oct. 20 and 27 in Toronto and Montreal, respectively, these business media summits will feature panel discussions and major keynote speakers.   

Jonah Bloom

In Toronto, at One King St. W., Jonah Bloom, editor of Advertising Age, will deliver the keynote. Bloom has also worked for PRWeek, Campaign Media Business, PrintWeek and edited the HarperCollins book Top Companies in Marketing & Media.

In Montreal, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel (900 Rene Levesque Blvd. W.), the keynote speaker will be Ian Bedwell, director and creator of Mediastraat, a Netherlands-based media consultancy. Before Mediastraat, Bedwell worked as CEO of media and information company VNU Global Media.

According to Magazines Canada’s website, the business media summits are

Ian Bedwell

“designed to serve Magazines Canada's mission to provide Canada's business media professionals with the opportunities to cultivate collective business media strategies that work.”

Last year, the formerly consumer mags-only organization passed a bylaw at its annual meeting allowing b-to-b publications to join. The decision was partially based on Rogers Business Media’s request to join Magazines Canada after deciding not to renew its Canadian Business Press membership. Since then, there has been debate over which association can best represent b-to-b publications. The two organizations have been competing for members, as well as with their annual magazine conferences: Magazines Canada’s MagNet and CBP’s MagsU.