@VirgoPub

The View From Our Window: Expanding Audience Engagement to Better Their Businesses

As part of our changing model of content creation and delivery to better align with the evolving business needs and demands of our core market audiences, VIRGO and the Business Solutions Network are proud to launch the Inside Self-Storage Store, the world’s first on-demand, online market for insight and education for the self-storage industry. The ISS Store will be a central hub for self-storage facility owners and operators to obtain cutting-edge information and educational resources, including guidebooks, digital magazines, educational videos and webinars, training courses and exclusive offers on self-storage services from several leading business partners.

Through this diverse products mix, independent owner-operators, multi-facility owners and even REITs will be able to leverage premium content focusing on facility operation, development, construction, finance, real estate, legal issues, marketing, technology, and important trends and market data. The scope of the ISS Store is unprecedented in the storage industry, but the changing dynamics within the marketplace require us to think aggressively and creatively about how to better serve our audience.

The ISS Store’s launch will coincide with the Inside Self-Storage World Expo on March 14-16 in Las Vegas. The concept will enable it to fit nicely within our other brand properties—including the print magazine, primary website, Self-Storage Talk forum, Self-Storage Training Institute and live events—and serve as a central distribution point for critical information, education resources and business services, all available on demand at the touch of a button.

A younger demographic of facility owner-operators is emerging as aging independents, now in their 60s and 70s, hand the reigns of the family business over to their children to run. These new owner-operators are technologically savvy, constantly plugged-in online and used to having information at their fingertips. They are going to run their businesses differently than traditional methods. We’re at the cusp of that right now. Through the online store, ISS will be able to provide the types of information and method of delivery that this new owner demographic will embrace and use to gain a competitive advantage.

All self-storage owners need powerful, innovative strategies to create a positive impact on their customers and revenue. To help with that endeavor, one of the real highlights of the ISS Store will be industry market intelligence from Cushman & Wakefield, a leading real estate and consulting firm, that draws on 20 years of historical and current industry, market and property-specific data. The data stems from the work Charles Ray Wilson started in 1992, when he founded Self Storage Data Services. Ray’s work remains the only comprehensive source for real-time performance benchmarking and research reports in the business. He partnered with Cushman & Wakefield last June, and we are excited to partner with them to deliver this treasure trove of intelligence to investors and self-storage businesses of all sizes.

This is the market research data that previously has been proprietary and subscribed to by Wall Street analysts and major institutional investors. The playing field for acquiring and leveraging market research will now be level. Data includes statistics on supply and demand, rental rates, occupancy levels, concessions and rental income from private and publicly owned facilities compiled from a nationwide sampling of more than 50,000 facilities and 1 million storage units. Through these reports, facility owners will be able to get a better gauge on their local markets and gain a sharper perspective on the national picture.

The time has never been better or more important for self-storage owners to make more informed decisions regarding their businesses, and the ISS Store’s market data reports, as well as other business services from leading vendor partners, will help operators do just that.

Another key component to the ISS Store will be its ability to act as a promotional extension of our live education events. Select webinars and expo education sessions will be available after events occur as either downloadable videos or audio files. Having these products available will enable us to expand the engagement opportunities with our audience and increase their educational choices. In a nutshell, we are expanding the ISS brand to be more relevant and convenient, 24/7.

Of course, archived videos and webinars are no substitute for the benefits that can be gained from being present at a live event. The core audience that attends the ISS World Expo, for example, enjoys the many networking opportunities, roundtable discussions and interaction with vendors and other operators to learn what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. They want to be able to attend a session live and ask questions at the end. But now we have the opportunity to provide to owners, managers and investors who may not be able to travel or attend all the sessions they want to download a meaningful report or watch an educational session to help them better their business.

The ISS Store will expand the opportunities for self-storage owners and operators to become more informed, educated and competitive. We want them to build their businesses stronger and stronger. To do that, we will continue to think of the most convenient and best ways to develop and deliver cutting-edge, premium content to assist them run and grow their self-storage facilities effectively.

Troy Bix
Group Publisher, Business Solutions Network

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The Choice Generation

As I sit down to write this, I find myself in the midst of a life-changing moment. In the next few weeks, maybe days, or even hours, I am going to be a Dad again! At almost 43 this time, it’s going to be more than just a new, exhilarating chapter in my life, it’s likely going to involve regular visits to the gym, just so I can keep up with her (LOL)! So as I was pedaling the elliptical yesterday morning, I started to think about the world that my daughter, Marisa Ava, will be entering; and I started to think about The Choice Generation.

We live in a world filled with choices. From fast food to grocery stores, from brick and mortar to online businesses, from satellite to cable television, from hardback books to the Kindle, from the iPhone to the Android to the Blackberry. Our world presents us with a constant stream of choices, and the next generation will have exponentially more than we can imagine – choices that haven’t even been invented yet.

For the marketers of the world, jockeying for the preferred choice position has become the great challenge. Turns out, I am one of those marketers, one of those who are trying to figure out the right formula to become the preferred choice. As I ponder the choices that will be presented to my daughter and her generation, I wonder if the marketers of the world are realizing that it’s not always about who spends the most money (though the presidential candidates will sure prove me wrong here), it’s really about the trust you must earn to be in that preferred position.

For the Choice Generation, the companies that focus their efforts on earning the trust of their audiences will be the ones who are chosen. Even more importantly, it will be the companies who respect the choices that their audiences have made who retain their preferred status and experience growth.

My marketing team and I spend a substantial part of our days thinking about the decisions that our audiences have to make, and the information they need to make them. We also think about all the ways they can get that information, what would make them choose us? And, if they did choose a VIRGO brand, what would their experience be? Our job is to position our brands in the right place, at the right time, so that the information we are offering is within reach, when it is needed. To accomplish this, we are constantly reviewing the behavioral patterns of our audience, watching how they click on our emails, analyzing what they are clicking on our websites, looking at the time they spend on our sites, and whether they are spending that time on a mobile device. We look at the type of content they are viewing and work to ensure more of that content is available. We work to avoid using cheesy discounts or iPad giveaways. Not because they aren’t fun or effective (at times), but because they don’t last, they do nothing to build trust. They only serve to span the gap until the next discount or giveaway. Is this such a radical view? I don’t think it is. I think when it comes time for the Choice Generation to make their choice, they will gravitate toward the brand or resource that most delivered on their promise (whatever it may be). And they will gravitate to those who delivered it consistently, while thinking more about their audience’s needs and less about their own. Our promise is to deliver useful content that helps our audience make the right decisions for their business. A very simple promise, but a very complex responsibility.

And so I ask you, are you thinking about your audience the same way? Are you really thinking about the next click they will make after seeing your email in their inbox? Or are you more interested in whether they simply “opened” the email? Are you thinking about the place they will be when they need that information, whether it’s at their desk, on their mobile device or at a live event? Will you be there? Will their experience bring them back to you, or will it take another discount or contest?

The Choice Generation is upon us, and their choices are becoming nearly infinite. How will your company stand out among them? And when it comes time for them to make their choice, why should they choose you?

Want to share your thoughts about the Choice Generation? We’d love to hear them. Tweet your comments or post on our Facebook page.

John Muehling
VP, Marketing

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View From Inside Our Window: Ch-ch-ch-changes

Change is what makes the world go round. It’s inevitable, it’s constant and it’s really all in how a person approaches it that defines who they are deep down. Some embrace it, some are trepidatious, yet eager, some go along begrudgingly and others just stick their head in the sand pretending it won’t actually happen. I’ve always felt that change is a great thing as long as it isn’t change for changes sake. If it ain’t broke, don’t dismantle it into a million pieces is my motto. But, when forces of nature come along that alter the current landscape; how things were done 10, 5, even 1 year ago aren’t quite as effectual as they were with previous systems. Just like with computer software, an ‘upgrade’ to your processes may be in order. You might not need an entire system overhaul, but a general review of how everything flows together and where improvements could be beneficial is not only showing openness to new possibilities, but smart business practice. Since taking on overseeing Media Operations a few months ago, I’ve had to look at our set-up and analyze how the Marketing Services team handles the steps in implementing the myriad digital programs that we have added to our repertoire over the last couple of years. One of the major changes that has been initiated is that the Marketing Services Program Manager team has been expanded to be more in line with our digital program expansion and they will be overseeing those programs for one Network each in order to do an even better job of fulfilling our clients’ as well as our own expectations of stellar customer service and program implementation. 

From our Solution Centers, Immersion Centers, Reports, Whitepapers, Digital Issues to our newest endeavors like the Natural Products INSIDER Ingredient Buying Center, and the Food Product Design Content Library, the Program Managers will be able to focus on the specific Network and aid in driving these programs to even further success.

By the time this is posted, this year’s Super Bowl champions will have been crowned. Which ever team it is that has triumphed, you can bet that a factor of that victory was due to their willingness to embrace the changes that were needed and incorporating them as a team. It’s what I look forward to it happening within our team and am already excited by the response I’ve been seeing.

Danielle Dunlap • Executive Director, Media Operations
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1620

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Leading with Passion

In 2011, I had the opportunity to serve as a judge in the "consumer enthusiast" category of the FOLIO: awards, honoring achievement in magazine content and design. The entries I evaluated were quite outside of my own "enthusiasms"—hunting, automobiles and crafting—but it was eye-opening to see the connection between these publications and their audiences. "How Squirrel Hunting Saved My Life in Vietnam" isn't something I would have looked for, but the article has stuck with me; I imagine a hunting enthusiast would have found that first-person account fascinating.

Personally, I was fortunate enough to find my way to a perfect crossroads—nutrition and journalism. My parents were always supportive of my desire to be a writer, and were into vitamins and organic foods way before they became today's multi-billion dollar industry. They encouraged me to look for a career that would be personally fulfilling, and had confidence I would succeed in whatever I put my mind to. Two quotes I'd like to share on that topic:

"If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting." – Katherine Hepburn

"My mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general, if you become a monk you’ll end up as the pope.' Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso." – Pablo Picasso

It's heartening to look at the other recent blogs from the VIRGO management team and see two pervasive themes. First, the emphasis on the importance of content; it's what drives us and what serves our industries. And second, the mention of "passion." Our teams are passionate about their industries and about success—personally, at a company level, and for our industry colleagues, friends and companies.

As the head of the content team in VIRGO's Health & Nutrition Network, I'm fortunate to work with really talented writers and editors who are really invested in our industry. They are developing content and delivering it in the right context for people on an information journey. Perhaps it's looking for optimized, evergreen content—organized by topic—in the Food Product Design Content Library; delving into the Economies of Outsourcing via Natural Products INSIDER's digital issue; or exploring the possibility of including stem cells in cosmeceutical products by reviewing a slide show on Inside Cosmeceuticals.

However, this passion crosses into all of our Networks. I checked in with the other content team leaders to get an idea of what they've launched recently that has resonated with their audience and yielded some passionate engagement. In the Business Solutions Network, Teri Lanza called out the Sounds of Storage podcast series, highlighting top experts in the self storage industry who are speaking at the upcoming Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Las Vegas, March 14 to 16, helping start the expo experience ahead of time. She also highlighted an in-depth report from Professional Door Dealer, "Turning Point in 2012: Will the Industry Veer Toward Prosperity, or Are Tougher Times Ahead?", offering industry-relevant data that reflects true trends in the business

From the Communications Network, Craig Galbraith cited the launch of Solution Centers on both Billing & OSS World and on Channel Partners for the amazing audience engagement they're yielding for the underwriters. The Next Generation Communications Service Provider Billing Resource Center in particular has generated tremendous traffic, indicating this content is filling a great need for this audience.

And from the Medical Network, Kelly Pyrek mentioned the fact that issues related to regulation and increased oversight by the federal sector are becoming of critical importance to infection preventionists, the target reader of Infection Control Today. As such, the 2012 Regulatory Update resonated with its audience of busy health care professionals who need pertinent information they can immediately apply into daily practice. Beginning as a cover story in the January print issue of ICT, the content was developed into a popular slide show that acts as an executive summary as well as a teaching tool for understanding the complexities of mandatory reporting, infectious disease exposure and regulation by FDA and OSHA.

It's an exciting time for those of us in the content field. There is so much information out there today; we're dedicated to helping our industries sort through the noise and find what they need, when they need it, to truly succeed and achieve. It means proactively watching the trends and the traffic, engaging with our audiences at every level, and being committed to the path we've chosen. I'll end with another quote, as I thought it was quite apt. Frank Sinatra once said, "Throughout my career, if I have done anything, I have paid attention to every note and every word I sing…If I cannot project this to a listener, I fail."

At VIRGO, we're paying attention to our words and our delivery. It's the passion we have in this quest that will bring success to us all.

Heather Granato • Group Editorial Director, Health & Nutrition Network
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1305

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A Matter of Focus

We are still in the first month of the New Year. New Year’s resolutions are still on our minds, fading—in and out of our focus. I think the word focus is the real key. When we create a resolution, our initial noble thoughts are intended to find a way to improve our lives. Then our normal everyday lives hit after the holidays, and our focus can slowly slip from our view. I was reminded of the resolution hype around me when I saw premier of The Revolution, a TV series following a contestant’s 5-month personal makeover in five days. It had interesting hosts with interesting tips, but my mind kept going back to "Gosh, I should be working on my own resolutions". Which maybe what was going on in everyone else’s mind, since the ratings dropped from low to cancel territory.

Here at VIRGO, we have realized that focus is a key element to success. We have created our 5-tenets: Content, Audience, Brands, Performance Marketing, and User Experience. We designed our logo to reflect these 5 elements, and remain concentrated on these items for our customers within each of our networks. As you can imagine, we operate at a high-level of efficiency. We don’t call our softball team the "Content Kings" for nothing. Who, by the way, won their last game by a landslide ... GO VIRGO!

Our networks: Health and Nutrition, Medical, Communications, and Business Solutions keep their attention on our core tenets. I also can relate this to you for a personal note. Imagine creating five core tenets for yourself, 5 personal beliefs that you can continually refer back to, and quickly jump back on track. That’s what a makes a resolution successful … finding a permanent way to follow your path. This is exactly what we do in our networks. In the business excitement of creating and building an amazing amount of current, engaging content for our readers, our networks touch back to our core tenets to ensure a superior customer experience.

“Our thoughts create our reality — where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go.” Peter McWilliam

In short…I believe that thoughts become things; and what we focus on, we get.

In our art department we have established four network art directors as leaders dedicated to focusing on the specific brands in their network. This type of specific focus lets them learn about the mission of each brand, as well as getting to know our clients, readers, users and attendees in depth. In addition, this creative overseeing ensures a cohesive brand for each product. This rounds-out our focus, adding to all the layers of VIRGO.

Focus…a key element of success. It’s like a little magic dust, add it and watch what happens.

Dolly Ahles • Executive Director, Art
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1103

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Investing In The Future

I won’t go so far as to quote a Whitney Houston song, but I do believe that if we want to hire excellent talent, we need to invest and take an active role in growing that talent. That's why I'm excited to announce that VIRGO has just launched our first formal internship program.

We've partnered with the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University to employ the brightest of their students for a semester-long editorial internship at VIRGO. Indeed, these students are smart―three are on the dean's list.

The basic idea is that the content teams in each of our networks (Health & Nutrition, Medical, Communications and Business Solutions) will work with one intern per semester. The interns will write news stories, in-depth articles, and blogs, conduct interviews, and edit, all to add value to our products and brands. This is not an internship where copying and fetching coffee are part of the expectations. We want to provide our interns with a real-world experience and knowledge-sharing opportunities as they prepare to embark upon their career paths.

It's our sincere hope that with the right leadership and mentoring, our interns will get a true feel for what being a member of the content team of a B2B media company is like and choose a career in the field that we are so passionate about here at VIRGO. With all that said, we are only a week into our inaugural semester, so let the games begin! Welcome Newlin, Isabelle and Hayden. We are happy to have you and are dedicated to making your time with us rewarding and fun!

We are close to filling our fourth position too, and hope this fourth intern will be as ready to learn as the rest of the VIRGO interns. Newlin, Isabelle, and Hayden are sophomores, which is quite early in their academic careers for taking on the added work of an internship. At VIRGO, we're glad to be a big part of their learning experience, especially at this integral time in their education. They're learning from us, and we're learning from them. For instance, one intern took a proud picture of the ID placard at her cube. For us, this is a reminder of how exciting a new career is, and of how rewarding it is to grow in a field. Do you remember what it was like to start your career? The butterflies, the excitement, the eagerness to excel? That's what we feel from our new hires. They're investing in their futures, and we're investing in them.

Heather Wood • Vice President of Human Resources
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1510

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The View from our Window: Content Is King

Everything we do at VIRGO is centered on our readers and the content they're seeking to guide their professional decision-making processes. In fact, we're so passionate about the principle that even our VIRGO softball team is aptly named the "Content Kings." We believe that by focusing on unique, high-quality content, we become a valued resource that our readers rely upon during their results-driven information journey.

When VIRGO first started more than 25 years ago, the only way for folks to get information about their industry was through printed magazines and the occasional industry tradeshow. A lot has happened in the last few decades, and our readers now participate in their information journey multiple times a day through multiple vehicles, including their smartphones and tablets.

Here in the Medical Network, we’re making changes that align with our audiences’ evolution of gathering information. In October, we announced that SurgiStrategies was moving to a new model in the New Year, including eight thematic digital issues and four accompanying print issues that support the long-view of a particular topic.  

That same month, we also announced the Renal Business Today launched RBT+, a series of thematic digital issues surrounding four of the most critical topics facing the kidney-care community in 2012.

As we start to see these thematic digital issues come to fruition, we’re excited about their success. Recently, SurgiStrategies launched its Legislation & Regulation thematic digital issue, discussing EHR technology, ICD-10 coding and other pertinent matters among the ambulatory surgical center community.

Renal Business Today recently made available its January RBT+ issue focusing on disaster preparedness. This topic continues to be an important one as natural disasters have the potential to wreak havoc on the dialysis community and their necessary treatments. As a precursor to the issue, Keith Chartier, publisher of RBT, began exploring some of the challenges related to disasters in this blog post. Whether it be a blog, online article, special report, or feature in a digital or print issue, all of these content portals work together to provide our customers with as much information as they want, when they want it.

The new content strategy in the Medical Network really gives our talented and knowledgeable content team an array of opportunities to dive deeper into the issues that are most important to our readers – fostering their information journey from beginning to end. We’re looking forward to a successful year ahead ... where content is king and our customers profit because of it!

Katherine Clements • Group Publisher, Medical Network
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1222

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Happy New Year!

As we head out of the holiday season, I can’t help but ponder our shopping habits. This time of year, when shopping is a part of everyone’s lives, whether you want to or not, whether you’ve been good or bad, our habits have changed. Technology is the driving force. Cyber Monday is just as important as Black Friday and we are all evolving along with it. I made more on-line purchases this season than in years prior and expect this trend to continue. In years past, on-line shopping was convenient because my family lives out of town. Now, add to that better pricing, time savings and no shipping burden – it’s a no brainer.

Technology is driving changes in all aspect of our lives. When I began with VIRGO, over 11 years ago, our event registration was cumbersome and slow. Long on-site registration lines plodded along. Registration terminals were not networked; badges were rudimentary and exhibitor lead retrieval was not in existence.

For three years now, VIRGO has been outsourcing our event registration process to an outside vendor. It has proven to be a great decision. The entire on-site registration experience dramatically improved. Attendee’s biggest concern is waiting in lines and the technology has all but eliminated them. I am proud to say it is the number one compliment we receive! The badge itself has greatly improved allowing our exhibitors to capture attendee contact information without the traditional passing of business cards.

Keeping up with technology can be expensive and time consuming but it is necessary to stay on track and lead with cutting edge advancements. I am excited to talk about our new initiatives for 2012!

Currently, bar-coded attendee confirmation must be printed and scanned at our on-site terminals to retrieve badges. We are updating the bar code readers to accommodate smart phone screens to read and print your badge. This will eliminate the need to print the confirmation supporting our green initiatives to go paperless.

We also are developing a quick register feature within our on-line registration process. Many attendees are repeat customers who engage with VIRGO throughout the year. This feature will allow them to skip a few steps of the on-line registration process by not asking for contact and demographic information we already have.

How you spend your time at our expo is important to us. We’re working to understand your on-site habits by tracking which event and sessions you attend, which allow us to engage with you in the future and speak specifically to what interests you!

We take the customer registration experience seriously and are continually making advances to offer you the best user interface to maximize your business investment.

Happy New Year! Cheers!

Dana Hicks • Vice President, Event Director
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1526

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Looking Ahead

Well, here we are with 2012 right around the corner. It will certainly be a monumental year for me personally, as my twin girls will graduate from high school and go off to college, an empty nest all at once.

At VIRGO, we are also heading for a monumental year, as we create the results-driven information journey that gives our customers (our readers, users and attendees) the information they need at each stage of their journey by aligning the content within the context of the delivery vehicle our customers will be engaging with and offering trustworthy guidance on the decisions they need to make—be that early in their decision-making process, while making a purchase decision, or following the decision when a product, service or ingredient is being used. By providing relevant content to our customers and consequently creating a high level of engagement, we are able to provide high quality leads to our clients (advertisers, sponsors, exhibitors and underwriters), serving as the filter between a highly qualified potential customer, and the clients that want to reach them.

I am so proud and thankful to be part of the VIRGO team. I am surrounded by innovative, driven and enthusiastic professionals, who are aligned to create this information journey for the benefit of our customers and clients. Whether it be the Editor working to obtain and articulate information relevant to our customers or the Account Director sharing detailed information about the various products that VIRGO can provide to meet our clients’ needs, VIRGO employees share a common goal and passion for their work.

Check out the new "What’s Hot" website launched in 2011 around our SupplySide West event. A “What’s Hot” website will be launched for SupplySide Marketplace as well, which will be held May 8 – 10, 2012 at an exciting new location, Javits Center in New York City.

The “What’s Hot” site will allow SupplySide participants to engage with the event pre-show, during the show and post-show and will feature Q&A’s from select show exhibitors, recommendations for “must-attend" educational sessions, and a live Twitter feed with up-to-the-minute show information. During SupplySide Marketplace, the site will include highlights from popular education sessions and workshops, live blogging from the content and executive team with updates from the show floor, and an insider’s look into what’s hot from the hundreds of suppliers exhibiting at the show.

SupplySide Marketplace attendees can visit the site after the event to view slide shows featuring exhibitors, education sessions and networking events, and for post-show recaps and highlights.

Visit our Channel Partners’ show website to find out ‘What’s New in 2012”. The Channel Partners Conference & Expo is the communications industry's only event designed exclusively for indirect sales organizations – agents, VARs, systems integrators, interconnects and consultants – focused on transforming their businesses to become converged solutions providers. Held twice a year, in Las Vegas and an alternate location, The Channel Partners Conference & Expo is earning praise from indirect sales partners and their suppliers as a one-of-a-kind, high-value networking and educational event for the channel community.

Our SurgiStrategies brand is making some changes to benefit our audience. In order to deliver content to its readers in the ways – and at the times – they wish to receive it, SurgiStrategies is changing to a quarterly thematic print model (February: Compliance Matters, May: Infection Matters, August: Money Matters, November: Management Matters). The remaining eight months will feature supporting content via online thematic digital issues structured around the industry’s hottest topics. The unique opportunities for SurgiStrategies’ marketing partners to connect with readers will increase dramatically, with a plethora of key positioning and branding programs to help sponsors capitalize on ROI.

A manifold increase in online opportunities allows SurgiStrategies to repeatedly engage its readers, nurturing them through a deeper content relationship than afforded by a traditional print magazine that’s mailed and possibly lost in the heap of similar offerings. Each month, numerous proprietary content offerings will be available to site users – allowing SurgiStrategies to bring in new readers, as well as catering to its existing audience. In essence, SurgiStrategies readers will be ushered through their decision-making process via the content provided. This builds a higher level of interaction and, in turn, more effective means in which to connect valued sponsors with their customers. With VIRGO’s focus on performance marketing, we ensure our audience has the opportunity to use each valued content asset to make informed purchasing decisions.

Look at all of the benefits offered with our new Inside Self-Storage membership. The Inside Self-Storage Membership Program brings together the best in industry informational resources as well as products and services to be successful in the self-storage business. We have hand-crafted the membership packages to meet the needs of self-storage owners as well as self-storage managers. With three package levels from which to choose, facility managers and owners can select the benefits that best meet their operational needs. Any level of professional in the business can benefit from the educational resources found in the Manager Pro package, while top-level decision-makers can receive extensive marketing and human resources benefits as part of the Business Marketing and Total Business packages. Packages include education, publications, insurance discounts, marketing services, human resources services and more. This membership program is brand new and will be a great benefit to our readers, users and attendees. Visit our FAQ page or contact Teri Lanza at tlanza@vpico.com or (480) 990-1101 x-1213 for more information.

A new year always brings new things and I am looking forward to all of the new things VIRGO will bring as we create our results-oriented information journey with our customers, clients and employees in 2012!

Kelly Ridley • Executive Vice President, CFO
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1015

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Happy Holidays

Time sure moves fast when you are having fun. The holidays are here, Christmas is just a few days away and 2012 is just around the corner, so I thought this would be a good time to go over some of major projects the web department worked on in 2011.

For VIRGO, content is king, everything starts with content, therefore the majority of our projects revolve around this core tenet:

Reports, Digital Issues, and White papers.
Reports, Digital Issues, and White papers were completely revamped to give users an easier way to get to the information that they need.

Solution Centers.
Solution Centers were created as micro-sites that aggregate different types of content, like white papers, case studies and videos. You can see some examples of this type of content here.

Content Libraries.
Content Libraries showcase feature content, in pdf format, organized into topics. We currently have libraries for Food Product Design, Infection Control Today, Renal Business Today and EndoNurse.

SupplySide Community.
In May of 2011, we launched SupplySide Community. The goal of this project was to create an environment, in a blog format, that enables attendees of SupplySide to connect with each other all year long. Stay tuned for more communities to be launched in 2012.

SupplySide Store.
The SupplySide Store was launched in November, 2011. SupplySide Store delivers the information attendees and exhibitors of SupplySide need, including: On-Demand Video of SupplySide Education Sessions, Training Workbooks from SupplySide Education Sessions and Special Industry Reports. We are expecting more of these types of stores to be launched in 2012 across our different industries.

Ingredient Buying Center.
Our newest addition, Ingredient Buying Centers, will aim to give users a way to download our most important Buyer's Guide data in pdf format. We are currently working on this project and we expect our first Ingredient Buying Center to be released in January 2012.

We are looking forward to 2012 with a lot of excitement, if 2011 is any indication of what is to come then I'm sure 2012 will be very exciting.

Happy holidays!!!

José Copado • Chief Developer
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1561

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Business, Competition and Our Information Strategy

"Everyone has a plan, until they get hit."

A master of language and thought, boxer Mike Tyson is not. Nevertheless, in his sole memorable phrase, Tyson successfully fingered the essence of competition. Like boxing, business is competition in which even the best plans must be forged, challenged and reforged in the withering heat of the marketplace. Success means adapting good plans to changing circumstances and mustering will, brains and information to overcome challenges and seize opportunities.

Telecommunications is a contact sport. Companies buy and sell one another, develop new services and business models, launch and fold at a dizzying speed. Consumers have choices and are quick to exercise their freedom to move to another if they are displeased here or find a more attractive offering there. In the channel, partners who are not systematically diversifying their services and reviewing their business models are also probably not sleeping well this holiday season.

Like boxing, telecom competition has rules, but the competitors are free to hit one another as hard and often as they can within those rules, which they do. Like boxing, competitive discipline rewards the strong and agile, and inflicts immediate pain on the weak and less agile.

The Communications Networks' three brands – Channel Partners, the network's heavyweight – and the two service provider brands – V2M and B/OSS – are an important source of the competitive, difference-making professional information our telecom readers and clients need to win the next round. Our mission is to provide the results-driven information that helps each reader and client stay on its toes today and stay on its feet for the full match.

Recent examples illustrate how we work to meet our audience's competitive needs.

B/OSS, for instance, late last month published a Digital Issue on "The End of Passive Network Management." As B/OSS Editor-in-Chief Tim McElligott puts it, "...managing the new network will both require and allow more aggressive analytic approaches – in other words, a whole new beginning for network management. The amount of data, the depth of data mining techniques and the superior intelligence of new analytics solutions will soon match the ‘wow factor' of smartphones and tablets as networks become self-healing and have the flexibility and intelligence to deliver bandwidth where and when it is needed."

V2M prowls the same service provider world as B/OSS – but out on the edge, where fortunes can be made and lost in a flicker, where the corporate digital giants and the OTT app developers drink from the same water holes, not always peacefully.

V2M last month published a Report on "Top Trends in 4G," the next big wave in wireless broadband, rolling onto a beach near you right now. V2M Editor-in-Chief Tara Seals summarized the challenge network operators face now in the V2M Opportunity Analysis: "As 4G is claiming global momentum...operators in 2012 will be faced with weighing their best strategic approaches for addressing several unavoidable, fundamental changes that are being driven into their businesses. Some are putting off such conversations and instead focusing on the nuts and bolts of the actual rollouts, which could be a crippling mistake in the long run."

Channel Partners is following the same strategy of coming to grips with the audience's decisive business issues. Late last month, Channel Partners published a Report on transformation. "A New Partner Model for New Times: A Special Report on Transformation" addresses this fundamental question: "Last spring I published a blog titled 'An Obituary for The Transactional Agent,' which struck a nerve with channel partners," explained Editor-in-Chief Khali Henderson. "While many readers agreed with the sentiment, some agents joked about their impending death. Perhaps they disagreed with my diagnosis of their deteriorating health, or perhaps their humor masked a bit of fear or at least uncertainty. Could, in fact, their current business style, which has served them very well for many years, be their undoing?"

In addition, next year Khali will expand the Peer-to-Peer dialog, long a part of our two annual events, into a year-long information-based interaction among the leading activists in the agent community. These discussions will result in specific work products that Channel Partners will provide to the entire channel ecosystem, and include an important face-to-face element at our events in 2012.

Competition is exhilarating and exhausting. In the telecom industry, there is no such thing as a casual competitor. Which brings me back to boxing for a second.

When Joe Frazier fought Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title in 1971, they fought on equal terms for 13 ferocious rounds. Late in the 14th round, Frazier landed a left hook and put Ali on his back. As the round ended, Ali got up before he could be counted out. Ali's right jaw was grotesquely deformed, as if he had suddenly had a baseball inserted in it, and obviously broken.

Broken, beaten, with no hope now of winning the match, Ali came out for the 15th and final round against a merciless Frazier. Ali survived the round, lost the decision, and was rushed to a hospital where he spent a well publicized day recovering. Frazier briefly celebrated his victory, and then quietly checked into another hospital where he spent five unpublicized days recovering.

Frazier had won the match. Had he won the competition? The two champions fought twice more trying to decide the question themselves.

Our telecom audiences are locked in competition less violent, not less intense. Information – along with brains and will – are essential elements to their success. Which is why our work is important, and our content strategy appropriate to the telecom markets we serve.

Larry Lannon • Group Publisher, Communications Network
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1424

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The Results-Driven Information Journey

Everything we do at VIRGO starts with content.

We then align that content to fit the information journey our customers (our readers, users and attendees) go through while making a purchasing decision. Our goal is to create a results-driven information journey that gives our customers the information they need at each stage of the journey while we also align that content with special advertising and sponsorship programs for our clients (advertisers, sponsors, exhibitors and underwriters) that has us serving as the filter between a highly qualified potential customer and the clients that want to reach them.

Sounds pretty straightforward and simple right? Well, even though it is very logical, the work behind it is quite complex.

Let's consider the different stages of a standard decision making process. Granted, the process is customized based on what is being purchased, is often not fully linear, and maps to the unique needs and management rhythms of any given company.

But in general this is what a customer's journey looks like:

1. Setting Strategy: At this point, our customers are very early in their decision making journey — they are thinking about the long term potential of what a purchase can mean for their business. It could be a new ingredient that a packaged goods company wants to integrate into a healthy product, or a new video offering a service provider wants to offer their customers, or even a new piece of dialysis equipment for a renal care center. In all cases, this is the moment when the decision makers are considering a new investment that could strategically enable the business to grow, shift or realign with the market and customers/patients they serve. We see our customers engaging with our magazines, attending our events, webinars and using our un-gated content on the websites when they are at this stage — but they may also look to our paid content (such as education sessions at our live events and on-demand video content in our stores).
2. Research and Immersion: At this stage, our customers are getting into their process, and looking for a depth of content that that can give them the details necessary to understand the impact of the purchase. They are looking for real world perspective and insight, along with good quantitative statistics and analytics. A customer at this stage of the journey is much more apt to register for, and download, gated, premium content because of the value it adds to their decision process. Further, they are often looking to engage with peers who have researched similar projects or investments, which frequently means engaging in social media or digital communities to gain perspective. We see our customers engaging with our analyst reports, thematic digital issues, events, content libraries, immersion centers and communities aggressively at this stage.
3. Evaluating Options: As the reader, user or attendee customer starts to analyze their potential options, they need to evaluate those options on an even playing field. At this point in the journey, they are looking for reviews of products, vendor/supplier data and product information, evaluating the stability of the sellers and examining the value of the goods they may purchase. To ensure they are looking at all possible options, they often do detailed searches online, spend a lot of time on vendor/provider websites and try to find third party data to validate suppliers' claims. Another issue here is R&D spends from the companies they are potentially buying from — so they can see how increased spends on research may have a direct correlation to the price they are willing to pay for the goods. Our customers at this point spend a lot of time with the buyers' guides, buying centers and solution centers we create for our clients. This is also a key time to attend an event or tradeshow because the buyers and influencers can see many options quickly and conveniently in one place.
4. Final Decision: As a customer nears the point of purchase, he or she has aligned their strategy with the research and options they have evaluated, and are often looking to validate their decision. They will look for case studies or customer reference material that shows the real world use or integration of an ingredient, product or solution that can be compared to their strategic scenario. Knowing all situations are different, they will also look for paid education content from thought leaders and practitioners in the market, as they look to solidify the decision and rationalize their choice. At this critical final stage in the journey, our customers count on our on demand video content that gives this level of validation, @work case studies we create for our clients, education sessions at our events and on our community sites where they can connect with their peers and our thought leaders.

Throughout this information journey, VIRGO offers deep content to help our reader, user and attendee customers get the results they are looking for. But we do not stop there. We also create highly integrated and customized programs for the vendors and suppliers we work with that serve the industries we work in—Health and Nutrition, Medical, Communications and Self Storage. We outline programs that enable our clients to have a presence throughout this journey via advertising, sponsorship, underwriting and exhibit space at our events.

Further, we offer lead nurturing and scoring programs that show the client exactly who has engaged with what information through their journey, so the client can follow up with them appropriately — enabling the best opportunity to be the supplier our reader, user and attendee customers choose when they make their all-important purchasing choices.

I would be very happy to help outline this for you in more detail if you are one of our customers (reader, user, attendee) or one of our clients (advertiser, sponsor, exhibitor or underwriter), and make sure that whichever side you work on, we can create a results-driven information journey that meets your needs and achieves your goals.

Drop me a line…let's talk this stuff through.

John Siefert • CEO
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1233

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The View Out Our Window: Thankful for Technology

It's not unusual to give thanks this time of year, and with Thanksgiving this Thursday, it seemed a good time to offer thanks for mobile technology and how its "Magic" has enhanced and made our lives easier. Not to get too geeky, but Wikipedia describes Magic in programming terms as code that handles complex tasks while hiding that complexity to present a simple interface. The example that comes immediately to mind is my Apple iPad and iPhone, which many of us at VIRGO use daily to help manage our complex responsibilities. These devices provide an easy-to-use interface; but, underneath the glass is an amazing technology that ties it all together. Honestly, at this point, I think if I forgot my iPhone at home, I'd need to turn around and get it—it's just that much a part of me. (Perhaps it's time for an intervention...)

VIRGO has embraced mobile technology with brands and sites including vision2mobile.com and mobilehealthcaretoday.com. Today's mobile technology has come a long way. If the mobile technology industry was a country, its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) would be 13th in the world. Analysts estimate mobile technology will see about $1.3 trillion in revenue this year. That is about 2 percent of the global GDP. I can remember a time when I was one of the first of my friends to have a cell phone; that version is now referred to as the brick, and you certainly weren't going to carry that puppy in your pocket. The only thing you could do with it was make a phone call. Mobile devices today can provide a multitude of applications with the touch of the finger. You can conference with the office, surf the web, play music, take pictures, record video and find your location with GPS. Or you can spend most of your time in Facebook like my kids.

The next innovation coming to mobile technology is the ability to use Mobile-Payment utilizing NFC (Near Field Communication). The idea is to allow for simplified transactions between two devices in proximity to each other, usually no more than a few centimeters away, to avoid cash, checks and to settle all debts, public as well as private, with your Smartphone. The public part seems pretty straight forward; the private is something altogether new. I'll give you an example. I don't carry a lot of cash; I don't think anyone really does these days. If I were out with some friends and needed to pay one of them back I would simply enter the amount on my phone and "bump" phones, effectively transfering the funds from my account to theirs. Google uses the Google Wallet on the Android and Apple has already submitted a patent application to use Mobile-Payment for the iPhone. Mobile-Payment transactions is reported to top 170 billion by 2015.

I'm curious, are you ready for Mobile-Payment? I put a quick poll together to find out.

Whether you're a technology lover like me, or simply someone who has found Angry Birds to be a great distraction while waiting for a meeting to begin, it's easy to appreciate how mobile devices have helped us integrate and streamline our responsibilities and enhance our communications. And now, give them thanks, turn them off (or put them on silent) and spend some time with your friends and family. Happy Thanksgiving!

John LyBarger • Information Technology Director
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

Twitter: @johnlybarger
LinkedIn: John Lybarger
O: 480.990.1101 ext 1404

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The View From Our Window: Evolving to Meet Our Audience's Needs

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen the business model in the self-storage industry evolve as the maturation of the business cycle has changed. While the industry has been in construction mode for several decades, it has now evolved to focus more on offering a quality and safe facility along with exceptional customer service.

There are thousands of self-storage operators who’ve built these fantastic facilities and now they’re in dire need of education and knowledge in how to run their businesses. They’re seeking information on legal issues, taxes, marketing, efficiencies and technology.

This is where the ISS brand comes into play. We can deliver the information to self-storage owners and operators so they will be better at what they do. We are the information franchise, the education franchise for the self-storage market. To meet our audience’s needs, we’re  changing our model from a vendor-based-type of education and exposure to focusing on owners and operators and being their education hub. This will include more international focus at our annual Las Vegas expo, promoting the ISS Membership program, additional online content including reports, whitepapers and slideshows, and a new legal seminar.

Rather than offering two tradeshows a year, the Inside Self-Storage World Expo will maintain it’s spring date in Las Vegas. With one show a year, we’ll be able to focus all our efforts on a national and international world expo. This will also enable us to offer more in-depth seminars, workshops and networking opportunities.

Part of our education emphasis going forward will be on two very important aspects of running a self-storage business: being efficient and embracing technology. Operators need to learn how to run their businesses more efficiently, to cut costs while still marketing and managing a successful facility. We’re showing them how to do this through articles and expo seminars.

Another key education component is new technology, which is vastly changing the way customers learn about and use self-storage. They’re going online and using social media to find self-storage so an online presence is a must for every operator. We’re teaching them how to take advantage of today’s technology including social media, kiosks, mobile marketing and online searches.

We emphasize these and many other topics in the ISS Membership program. Self-storage owners and managers now have the opportunity to get privileged information, resources and guidance though the ISS Membership program. Operators can choose from three tiers of packages: Manager Pro, Business Marketing or Total Business. Each tier offers unique information such as marketing and human resources assistance, ISS webinars, exclusive print and online products, and even an insurance coverage evaluation from one of today’s top insurance companies.

While the development side of the industry has slowed in America, the industry is experiencing growth in the international markets. Looking abroad to Europe, Asia, Canada, South America and Mexico, all of those international markets need a blueprint of what we have here in the States. Even though the cultures and languages vary, we can educate other countries on how they can parlay the U.S. industry’s success in their countries. We’ll do this by having a greater international influence at the ISS Expo with seminars and networking.

For example, the 2012 Vegas show will include the industry’s first-ever Spanish-speaking seminars. Going into 2013 and beyond, we’ll look at offering more seminars in different languages to better give the operators in those markets the education they need. Most importantly, we’ll invite vendors and owners and operators from those international markets to come to the show and share their stories and successes. This will allow U.S. vendors and operators to learn from international industry professionals as well. We’re going to invest in those markets to learn  how they do what they do.

In addition to the annual Vegas expo, we’re also launching a Legal Learning Roadshow with industry attorney Jeff Greenberger. Legal is the fastest growing seminar topic at our shows. The Roadshow will offer information on lien laws, divorce rights, death rights, tenant bankruptcy—all those sorts of things so we can keep the owners and operators out of court and make sure they’re abiding by the law and doing the right thing for their tenants. Jeff will provide the content and we’ll provide the marketing. We’ll do this three or four times in 2012 at select locations around the country, with the first stop in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Jan. 13. It’s basically another way to provide service of education on the legal side of self-storage for our readership.

Our audience is also clamoring for more online education. To meet this need, ISS will offer several new online products in 2012 including more slideshows, reports, whitepapers and image galleries. We’ll provide more information on construction case studies, advances in software and security and management topics—all designed to give owners and operators the tools and resources to run a better and more successful business.

Our online products are second to none with our number of page views and unique visitors. And it’s not just the ISS website that gains a lot of attention. The Self-Storage Talk forum is growing at a rapid pace. It just reached the 4,500-member mark and we expect it to gain even more traction in 2012. The forum is a great example of an ISS offering that really delivers. It’s a place where managers, owners, investors and vendors can talk online any time of day, any day on really anything storage related. Forum topics include securing your site, background checks, things they can do to become more efficient, lien sales and marketing ideas. It’s just exploding in the industry because this is an education-hungry crowd. They’re seeking ideas and new means to become better owners and operators and we’re providing those products and services.

At the end of the day, that’s our goal. We want to provide our audience with the education and ideas to help them be better owners and operators, which, in turn, will get them more customers. That’s really our job.

The goals for ISS in 2012 are many. Coming out of the box, we want to make the Legal Learning Roadshow a success by providing legal information to the owners and operators in specific  geographic areas. We plan to deliver the best ISS World Expo ever and deliver a more international base of customers for our vendors and provide the best education content to all of our attendees. Moving into the year, ISS is looking at how we can parlay the Roadshow to feature other relevant industry topics such as marketing, management training, security and software.

ISS will continue to evolve  as the industry and our audience’s needs evolve. We have our finger on the pulse of the industry. We’ll adapt and deliver what the industry needs as it goes through this business cycle. Our ultimate goal is to help our audience be successful.

Troy Bix • Group Publisher, Business Solutions Network
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1118

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The View From Our Window

Autumn has finally arrived in Arizona; a confirmation I received while sitting at my daughter's soccer game over the weekend, bundled up in a sweatshirt and long pants, and still chilled by the wind. Fall means a lot of things for Arizonans; a break from thermometer-busting temps, the changing of leaves in the high country, golf courses in their prime, the annual influx of seasonal visitors and the occasional smell of a burning fireplace. But for all of us, fall also means the beginning of that old familiar barrage of holiday marketing. It seems to start earlier every year; the television ads, billboards on the freeways, postcards and flyers in your mailbox and on your windshield at the mall, email in your inbox, and jingles on the radio...it's the most wonderful time of the year...or is it?

Many marketers sing a slightly different tune this time of year, goes a little like..."it's the most challenging time of the year". That's because this is the time of year when marketplace "noise" reaches its pinnacle and breaking through that noise becomes a far more difficult task. This challenge is shared by B2C and B2B marketers, as the noise doesn't stop when you walk into your office, it simply gets added to the noise business people navigate everyday (as my colleague Larry Lannon pointed out in his blog earlier this year). It can, however, present an extra challenge for the B2B marketers who have yet to discover the value of content and its importance to successful marketing.

We talk a lot about content here at VIRGO, and for good reason; we are an information distribution company, content is the lifeblood of what we do. Throughout the year, in just about every hour of every day, our editorial teams are producing fresh content, taking form in articles, blogs, special reports, digital issues, slideshows, educational materials, even video. Content gives our audiences a year-round reason to engage, enabling a rapport that virtually eliminates seasonally-based challenges, making us a valuable and trusted, on-demand resource.

So, what marketer do you know who doesn't love content? For B2B marketers, content is one of the two main ingredients of success (data being the other). For VIRGO marketing teams, content helps us nurture our B2B buyer audiences, helping them navigate their buying cycles and ultimately make better decisions for their businesses. This nurturing process knows no season, is not affected by the ebbs and flows of marketplace noise, and is part of a larger Demand Generation effort - the process of creating demand for a product or service through the delivery of consistent and relevant information. VIRGO Demand Generation programs take a slightly different approach, as the demand we are creating is for our content, not for a specific product or service. However, for our clients, who align themselves with this content, through one of our many underwriting opportunities, this process generates the leads they need to drive sales and growth.

So, what time of year is it for you and your business? Is it time for a marketing "ramp-up" in an effort to breakthrough the noise, or is it simply the end of another calendar year? More importantly, think about what time of year it is for your audiences, your customers, and your prospects. Is it the time of year when they experience a barrage of marketing from your company, looking for ways to earn more business? Or is it just another season, after which they may be a little heavier from the holiday feasts, a little happier from holiday cheer and a little more engaged because you stayed focused on providing them the resources they needed to better their business and left the noisemaking up to your competition?

John Muehling • VP, Marketing • Amateur Fly Fisherman
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1095

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The View From Your Window

What does a day in your work life look like? What are the questions and challenges that keep you up at night? What information or ideas would really help you? And where can you find those solutions? These are the questions that we ask ourselves all the time here at Virgo. Understanding the answers to these questions is how we focus everything we do on the needs of our audience. And by "our audience" I mean you.

From the lab-coated food scientist, to the overworked supply-chain manager, to the strategic-minded CEO to the visionary entrepreneur, our audience is made up of individuals. Each of you has different perspectives, different responsibilities, different informational needs, and different preferences for how you get the answers and solutions you want. As a truly cutting-edge information distribution company, we understand this, and we have built our entire strategy around it. We are committed to seeing your world from your window, and providing the resources you need to thrive in that world. It's very exciting stuff.

Over the past several months, I've spent a lot of time talking with people who read our magazines, attend our events, download our reports, sponsor our programs, speak at our shows, and supply goods and technologies to our industries. I've learned a lot about what a day in the life looks like for all of these individuals, and how we can make things that much better. I've shared our strategic thinking with these same people, and the incredible response confirms that we are on the right path. By putting you and your needs at the center of our content distribution strategy, we are changing the way that business-to-business media is done. In addition to better serving our audience, this approach is also better serving our advertisers, sponsors and exhibitors. We are offering more efficient, more strategic, and more accountable marketing solutions, and that is a good thing for everyone.

If you would like to learn more about our very unique approach, I'd like to talk about it with you. Our thinking is very innovative and might just change the way you think about business-to-business marketing, communications and strategy. I'd also like to learn more about the view from your window and hear your answers to the questions I posed a the beginning of this blog. What are things like in your professional world? And how can we best serve you and help you achieve your goals? The old model for information distribution was frequently a monologue, with the media deciding what information to send to you, when to send it, and how to send it. What we are doing here at Virgo is very much a dialogue, with listening to you being at least as important as speaking to you. Sound interesting? Drop me a line at jbenninger@vpico.com or call me at +1 (480) 990-1101 ext 1108 and let's talk about it.

Jon Benninger • VP, Business Development Health & Nutrition Network
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1108

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The View From a Window … in Las Vegas

Fifteen years ago, a group of forward-thinking nutrition industry executives gathered in Scottsdale, Arizona. While they had been attending much larger retail-focused trade events, this was something new—an event focused on the supply end of the industry. Buyers and sellers of nutritional ingredients made connections as they situated their companies to take full advantage of the late 1990s interest in dietary supplements, health foods and natural products. Earlier this month, from October 10 to 14, more than 9,700 executives from leading nutraceutical, food and beverage, and personal care companies convened at the Venetian and Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas for the 15th Annual SupplySide West. More than 1,300 booths, 100+ hours of educational opportunities, high-level networking and plenty of business connections delivered value to an industry that continues to grow, even in the face of economic recession.

Immediately before the show, I was meeting with our CEO, John Siefert, and my long-time friend and colleague Jon Benninger, the vice president of business development for our Health & Nutrition Network. We were discussing how to help our industry and customers grasp the fantastic opportunities ahead of them, and how we are positioning our content strategies to help them get there. It's a great exercise that we're applying across our networks at VIRGO to make the strongest possible connections with our industries.

For example, in the health and nutrition space, consider the various market drivers such as the aging Baby Boomers seeking ways to stay healthy and active; the health care crisis in the United States inspiring more preventive and do-it-yourself care; and the obesity epidemic feeding increases in related degenerative conditions (diabetes, heart disease) even among children. In looking at the market, it's apparent that consumers want healthier alternatives that will promote longevity, increase their sense of well-being and deliver results. It can be seen everywhere from McDonald's revamp of Happy Meals, to Dr. Weil's affiliation with Estee Lauder for the Origins brand, and into the expansion of GNC—the leading global retailer of dietary supplements—to 7,500 stores with plans to open larger format stores and extend its customer reach.

What's the common factor? Companies seeking out nutritional, multi-functional ingredients to develop these healthier products that meet consumer expectations. We offer these solutions through our brands:

• SupplySide is where ingredient and technology suppliers connect with formulators, marketers and manufacturers to discuss innovative offerings, new science and expanded product applications.
• Food Product Design delivers information food scientists and execs can use to develop new products with multiple functionalities.
• Natural Products INSIDER serves execs at dietary supplement manufacturing and marketing companies with the latest news, science, regulatory and market data to help them create products that offer consumers solutions.
• Inside Cosmeceuticals examines market trends, cosmeceutical ingredients and formulation strategies of interest to formulators and execs at cutting-edge personal care companies producing natural personal care and beauty-from-within finished goods.

As mentioned earlier, concerns about the future of the health care system are driving consumers to explore more preventive options. This doesn't mean only looking for information online, but increasingly turning to health care professionals—from naturopaths and dietitians to chiropractors and pharmacists—for information on a more holistic approach. Integrative Healthcare Insider is VIRGO's platform delivering those details to health care providers so they are equipped to answer consumers' questions.

As the group editorial director in the Health & Nutrition Network, I'm excited about how we are aligning our content with our audience's needs. I know my editorial counterparts in VIRGO's other Networks are equally pleased with how the focus on our five key tenets—Content, Audience, Brands, User Experience and Performance Marketing—is helping all of us focus our efforts to deliver the right information to the right people at the right time. The opportunities are there; I hope you'll be there with us.

Heather Granato • Group Editorial Director, Health & Nutrition Network
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1305

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The View From Our Window: At Our Fingertips

In my previous blog, I waxed nostalgically about the yesteryears of print production and how far we've come from there. Since that time, my role in the company has evolved and now encompasses overseeing all of our media operations. Obviously it's not just in the print arena that VIRGO has advanced itself and kept ourselves up to speed in this ever-changing world in which we live in. As the world of print has moved irrevocably towards digital media where content can update within minutes, it's no longer a ‘news-that's-fit-to-print' society, but a ‘news-that's-available-(literally) with-the-touch-of- a-fingertip' one. With the deluge of information that is floating out there, it's easy to miss certain stories or news that is relevant to your market, but with VIRGO's focus on our 5 tenets we have made great strides in bringing you the most important information you, as our audience, need for your market as well as you, our client, need to inform your market. One of the ways we are accomplishing that is through Marketing Services. VIRGO has created a series of customized products that engage our audience at different points along their decision making journey that include in-depth reports, thematic digital issues, webinars and custom content that we create for you.

With the recent passing of Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, I've been thinking over the great leaps in technology made just since the beginning of the new millennium. At the start of the 00's I didn't even own a cell phone; now I can't imagine life without my iPhone. I was shopping for a new computer monitor the other day and was convinced one of the models was broken because I kept touching the screen and nothing would happen. Of course after a couple of minutes of fruitless jabbing and muttering about said monitor's questionable technological ancestry, I looked down at the product description and realized that it wasn't one of those types of monitors and very casually moved along lest anyone catch me almost putting a fingernail through the poor thing. Though I doubt I'm not the only one that that's happened to (that's my story and I'm sticking to it), it just underscores how quickly technology is moving. Tablets were merely a wicked cool prop on Star Trek back in the early 90's (along with flat panel touch screens!), now they're revolutionizing computing as we know it. With more and more people jumping on the tablet bandwagon (I, for one, am very excited to see the Kindle Fire when it's released next month), it'll be fun to see how long before the next great technological invention comes down the pike.

Which reminds me, where's my flying car? I was promised flying cars.

Danielle Dunlap • Executive Director, Media Operations
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1620

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Change…Adapt, Avoid Assimilation

Change, it's about all I have on my mind lately. As I get older it slaps me in the face daily. As I look around me, I am constantly adapting... to the influx of news that bombards me from various forms of media; to an amazing onslaught of new technology; to "Wholly mackerel, what does 2012 hold for us?" I personally have been one who has always thought that change is good. Initially, I may not have thought so, but often, in retrospect, it pans out to be true. And maybe it's all a matter of my own positive perspective, but "what the hey", my perspective is what gets me though the day.

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change." – Charles Darwin

You might think I looked up this quote on the web for this very purpose. But in a very serendipitous way I knew that ‘change' was going to be the topic of my blog. Last Saturday afternoon, as I browsed though the movies on Netflix, I came across a movie called Hunter Prey. A seemingly low budget film that barely held my attention for the first 10 minutes, but it was Sci-fi, so I had to give it a chance. And there it was: Charles Darwin's quote right on the screen… yes the very thought that had been on my mind…change…and my topic for my blog. Isn't it funny how things work? And by the way, although I would not whole-heartedly recommend Hunter Prey, it did have some thought provoking dialog between the main characters, just in case you were curious.

So, wow, change…my VIRGO life has many avenues of change, and challenges me daily to adapt. Recently we were very excited to announce the release of the first mobile application for a VIRGO event! The SupplySide West mobile app is available for download for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry & HTML. This mobile app will help serve as an interactive planning tool for SupplySide West attendees and exhibitors, as well as a year-long reference of their show experience. This is very cool. The SupplySide West Show is this week, and as you can imagine with 1300+ booths, it is going to be something! Please be sure to check it out. Here's a sneak peek to see What's hot for the show.

In the vein of the latest technology, Mobile Healthcare Today has compiled a slide show on the most noteworthy of new tablets for the second half of 2011, giving our customer's the most up to date info.

Our Inside Self-Storage magazine has a new membership signup that offers our members valuable information to be more successful, and to help take their business to the next level. Yes, another advancement to benefit our customers.

And last, but not least, Vision2Mobile presented a slide show on the life of Steve Jobs. Ah, thank you Mr. Jobs for the Macintosh, and all the other wonderful innovations you have given us. Although I now work on a PC, there will always be a place in my heart for a Mac. It was my beloved student computer when I first learned desktop publishing. And I did chuckle in reviewing this slideshow when the Commodore 64 was mentioned. On it I learned an animation program, which in looking back that purchase would have been huge waste of money. But, I digress, may God bless Mr. Jobs and his family for their loss, and ours. And I will leave you with this thought from Steve Jobs…

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." [Steve Jobs, Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

Dolly Ahles • Executive Director, Art
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1103

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Content as a Self Fulfilling Filter (with a splash of performance marketing and social)

As I push nearly two decades of working in this business, I have seen the importance of "content'" come in and out of vogue when people think about the value of a media/information distribution company and its brands. I have also seen the rise of powerful social groups and networks feed this process where people go from reading a magazine or visiting a website, to asking the questions they want answered and link to an article in a social media platform. I think the new reality is somewhere in the middle,

I believe that one thing will remain constant: content will always be the best "filter" in determining if an audience is engaged or not.

Let me give you a couple of examples to this point:

One of our brands at VIRGO is called Infection Control Today. It focuses on the real and global issues of preventing infection within healthcare institutions. Read by doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners, ICT focuses on both the strategic and the practical approaches to infection prevention. In fact, we also do quantitative research, analyst reports, slide show presentations and more for our audience—all of which perform a specific task in helping this audience make the proper purchase and policy decisions for their environment.

This year we have seen incredible traffic and registration numbers on the site—with report downloads and slides show views in multiples of 10 thousand, not to mention our consistent article and news analysis traffic.

Why? Was it some incredible marketing promotion? No. Was it the newest craze in social media? No.

The reality is, our social media presence on LinkedIn and Twitter play a role, and we use performance marketing triggers to help folks find the content. But the decisive fact is that the content we create means something to this audience—and the audience has built a level of trust in our team/brand to help them through their important decisions. Content, therefore, served as the self fulfilling filter defining whether or not the audience is engaged.

Another example of this principle can be seen in our Health and Nutrition Network, with a new brand we launched this year called Integrative Healthcare Insider. IHI is focused on helping medical practitioners understand the evolving integrative space, as MDs and other practitioners look to natural supplements as an alternative to prescription drugs The site, which is primarily based on registration based premium content, has experienced a nice uptick since launch, without much traditional audience development.

Instead, we have focused on building partnerships with industry leading experts, providing them with a platform to share their perspective and content. Coupled with our unique content, this has created an impressive "organic" approach to driving our new database of readers/users. In fact, we recently launched a program with the vendor Pure Encapsulations which includes a whitepaper that reached its registration goals within weeks— instead of the months that we had originally anticipated.

Similar to ICT, but with a much newer brand, we have been using performance marketing triggers and some social media for Integrative Healthcare Insider. But the real reason for our growth is based on the content we are creating and organizing for this audience. So even with a new brand launch, content is the self fulfilling filter to ensure the right people are engaging, and that content is and will always be complemented by smart use of performance marketing and social network triggers.

After two decades working in this field, I am convinced that content always must be at the nucleus of our strategy. Great content is the great constant in the equation. Content engages the audience, and serves as the self fulfilling filter essential to defining engagement. Supported by performance marketing and social networks -- these new, powerful contemporary communications engines -- the impact of great content is multiplied.

I'd be happy to go deeper on this with you, if you'd like to discuss…just get me on Twitter @johnksiefert.

John Siefert • CEO
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1233

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The View Inside Our Window

As I sit at my desk preparing to write this blog, I suddenly realized that today is my 2nd anniversary with VIRGO.  Many people might think that celebrating two years at a company is trivial and not a big deal, but I am proud of my two years with VIRGO.

I have had the opportunity to be an integral part of the strategic team to help lead the Company in its evolution from a "publishing" company to an information distribution company.  In shepherding this transition, it is crystal clear that our employees are our greatest assets.  In a time where employees are expected to do more with less, our organization has also expected our employees to adapt to new leadership, a new vision, and new business models.  It is the ingenuity, drive, foresight and sheer determination of the people at VIRGO that have allowed the organization to come so far in such a short amount of time.  Obviously, all of the changes in such a short timeframe required some getting used to, but it seems like we are in the backward position of a slingshot right before you let it go and the ball takes off soaring across the field.  We are getting ready to propel forward as we see the networks, brands, events and products that our people have so tirelessly worked on over the past year gain momentum and flourish.

What an exciting time to be part of VIRGO!  I am glad to be part of this established, 25 year old, company as it reinvents itself and we continue to move through the various life cycle stages of an emerging company.  Not everyone has an opportunity during their career to be involved in organizational growth and evolution from the ground up.   I have seen and done a lot in two years and I can't wait to see what the future brings!

Heather L. Wood, SPHR • Vice President, Human Resources
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1510

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Time to be grateful

In light of the 10-year anniversary of September 11th, there have been many news programs, blogs and other outlets discussing the aftermath of the events. At every turn, someone is analyzing some aspect of the events and how it relates to the world we live in now. On National Public Radio  one morning, they were discussing everything from pop culture and films influenced by 9/11, to honoring those who paid the ultimate sacrifice as a first responder in their "Reflecting on Sept. 11, 2001" series. One of the bloggers I follow regularly was there when the first tower fell and shared a fascinating account of the impacts of the events on her life and how she completely changed her outlook after 9/11.

As with most Americans, I can remember exactly where I was that horrible morning. I was in college at the time, living with roommates in Tempe, Ariz. As the early riser, I heard of the events first via text message, then turned on the TV just in time to see the second plane hit the World Trade Center. 

I went to class numb, not knowing if our entire country was under attack or if the events were an accident. I remember sitting in my film class watching the news on the huge projection screens in the classroom. Although I didn't know any of the 2,819 people who lost their lives that day, it didn't take away from the sheer sorrow I felt for the victims and their families.

It's interesting that every day we get up, go to work and have no idea if things could change in an instant as they did for millions of people on Sept. 11, 2011. There are plenty of wise people who talk about the importance of living in the moment, but I think the events of 9/11 really underscored that for many of us. It's easy to take things for granted each day, but as we remember the tragedy of 9/11, it brings to the forefront the bigger questions in life: What is my purpose? What do I value most in life? What kind of legacy will I leave behind?

On this 10th anniversary of 9/11, I'm taking the time to be thankful, think about what's important to me, tell my family and friends how much I love them, and rededicate myself to living in the moment – grateful for each experience, opportunity and person I interact with along this journey.

As I reflect on all of the aspects of my life, I'm especially grateful to be a part of the VIRGO family. The people at VIRGO care about each other and create an environment that fosters innovation and productivity. We celebrate teamwork, in addition to personal successes. And it's easy to recognize our purpose for each of our brands and find value in the content we provide our audiences. The simplicity of finding purpose and joy in your work is rewarding.

The events of 9/11 changed our world forever. I hope the lasting impact on me is one of gratitude for the many blessings bestowed upon me each day.

Katherine Clements • Group Publisher, Medical Network
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1222

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The View out our Window: ROI – ROI – ROI

The acronym ROI (Return On Investment) is readily used in my professional and personal life. I often don't realize how much ROI affects my personal spending habits. Upon some reflection, whether I am filling my car with gas, grocery shopping, vacationing, eating out, or buying a car, I am concerned about my ROI. I love to analyze the value of my purchase and let frugal ROI thoughts steer me into making the purchase or not. Add in our nation's economic climate and my natural frugal tendencies intensity.

In the events department of VIRGO, we are submerged in ROI. Much of our day is spent capturing new exhibitors and attendees for our events and each of these people are making the decision to participate based on ROI. Attendees are more critical and choosier than ever before – it's a new economic climate and the requirement to show value is contingent to our continued success and growth. Gone are the days of build it and they will come.

In spite of this change, I have noticed expo's are attracting the strongest attendee audiences we have ever seen. Why? Because times are a bit more serious and attendees are there to get business done. They have stepped up their performance "game" at trade shows and we, as show producers, need to stay ahead of the curve.

From a content perspective, our education managers diligently pursue top-notch speakers, stay abreast of hot industry topics, and build out a curriculum that offers the best education and training our industries have to offer. It's not enough to offer a concurrent education program, content needs to include training, partnering and networking. Content is one of VIRGO's core values and we are paving new ground in our approach to expo education. Take a look at our upcoming fall trade show web sites to view our exciting education content offerings (SupplySide West 2011, Inside Self-Storage Fall 2011).

Our exhibitors are also more discriminating when making a decision to exhibit at our events. They are simply asking for and requiring better ROI than ever before. We are continuously working to offer them the strongest live event, serving as a gathering place for buyers and sellers of goods, products and services. We recently created positions, within VIRGO, to help us cultivate and attract our best buyers/attendees. We have committed to a year-round customer service program dedicated to educate premium attendees what our live event community can offer their businesses. This practice is helping us yield a very rich attendee base for our live events – a sponsorship is often not as easy as a well positioned banner for an exhibitor any longer! Our latest innovative sponsorship opportunities offer year-round attendee engagement; sponsorship benefits begin months before our live events and continue well past. Companies are looking for a longer, richer engagement with potential leads and we're committed to delivering what they need.

It's an ROI world, both personally and professionally. I'm ok with it!

Dana Hicks • Vice President, Event Director
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1526

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The View Inside Our Window: The Content Library – A Great New Resource for our Audience

I am really proud of the innovation at VIRGO and the desire to provide our readers, users and attendees with the content they want, in the context in which they choose to receive it. Content is the first of VIRGO's five key tenets; everything we do starts with the content we create for our audiences.

Our VIRGO Medical Network, along with our Web, Marketing Services, and Production and Art teams developed and recently launched a new resource for our audience: The Content Library. The Content Library is a collection of time-tested feature content organized into easy-to-navigate topics. Our users can access articles from our archives, complete the free online registration form and download any article in a PDF format, which they can then print, save or email. This new resource saves much needed time as our audience members face growing workloads. Rather than simply providing every article we have ever written, our editors have selected only "evergreen" content, those articles that are as useful to our audience today as they were when they were first published.

I always appreciate time-saving tools as I navigate through my decision-making responsibilities. Whenever I can access trusted information quickly, whenever I want to, I am extremely happy. I think back to my interning days in public accounting where I had the glorious task of updating the volumes of accounting manuals in 3-ring binders. Each day the mail would come with varying sizes of packages containing the 3-hole punched paper updates. You always had to make sure you started with the oldest update not yet filed, and perform the updates in sequence, taking out, replacing and adding the designated pages. Some binders would get extremely full making the task even more difficult. Loved getting my fingers pinched. But my task was nothing compared to that of the seasoned accountants who actually had to perform research by navigating these materials. And, what if an update wasn't promptly inserted in a binder?

VIRGO's easy-to-access content libraries are currently available for Infection Control Today, Renal Business Today and EndoNurse. Look for Content Libraries to roll out in VIRGO's other networks in the coming months.

In addition to providing value to our audience, our advertisers are able to sponsor topics in the content libraries and receive the leads as our users access the archived content to aid them in their decision-making process, whether that be early in the process, while making a purchase decision or following the decision when a product, service or ingredient is being used.

Look for continuing innovation as we focus on providing our readers, users and attendees with the content they want in the context in which they choose to receive it.

Kelly Ridley • Executive Vice President, CFO
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1015

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The View Out Our Window: The Human Experience

Over the last few years, the amount of content on the web has exploded. With the help of a search engine, everything is available to you with a few clicks of the mouse and a few keystrokes. However, more often than not, identical information on news items and events can be found on thousands of sites around the web. So how do you differentiate yourself from other publishers? Here are some ideas that have been floating around: Build communities, add gamification to your sites and build strong content.

Communities
As publishers of content, we sometimes rely too much on social media to try to foster our communities, not focusing enough on our actual visitors. Communities have a lot of benefits for publishers, they increase the number of page views, the amount of time spent on your site, etc. One way to build communities on your site would be to revamp or add to how comment systems normally operate. Comment systems usually allow people to share their thoughts on a piece of content, the problem is that it is not engaging enough. By the time someone approves your comment or someone replies to your comment, you probably already left the web page. What we need is a way to build those comments in real time.

Real time conversation streams or Chats can help solve those problems. On a piece of content that you determine to be very important, a real time chat is set for a specific date and time, providing engagement. People who are members of your site get to chat and discuss about a topic that is of interest to them, all at the same time, discussing.

Gamification
Another way to enhance the human experience and build communities would be to use gamification. Gamification does not mean to add games to your site, rather it means adding concepts of gamification to your site to increase engagement and collaboration.

One example of this would be to award customers with badges for onsite activities including watching videos, reading blog posts, writing reviews or posting comments. The idea is to turn visitors into engaged "gamers."

Gamification is getting a lot of traction nowadays and the evidence of this is a new start up called Badgeville whose objective is to add social gaming to websites. Here they are discussing their "Media and Publishing" solution.

Build a strong editorial point of view / content
Lastly, with so much content on the web, you can differentiate yourselves from other publishers by providing more point of view content or content only available on your sites. A great example of this is our current efforts with our new media products. We have digital issues, reports, solution centers and other media products that can only be found on our sites; users need to engage with us to download those pieces of content.

José Copado • Chief Developer
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1561

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Do You Know a Professional Who is Not Busy, Over-scheduled, Stretched? I Do Not.

I do not think there is a single professional or working person in North America with enough time to do everything he or she would like to do in the working day, no matter how long that day is. My neighbors—the two lawyers, the tavern owner, the two architects, the school cafeteria manager, the independent graphics design guy, the 8th grade science teacher, the admin, the guy marketing Italian beef products, the housing sub-contractor, the ER room nurse—are all running as fast as their churning legs will move. In the media business, we can assume our audience has less time to invest in our content than they once did or than we would prefer.

Besides being busy, what characterizes the audience for the Communications Network?

The Communications Network consists of three brands. Channel Partners focuses on the indirect sales channel in North America. B/OSS concentrates entirely on the global BSS/OSS community. Vision2Mobile (v2m) focuses on the intersection between mobility and video services. B/OSS and v2m both serve professionals employed by global communications service providers (CSPs). B/OSS' audience is exclusively a CSP audience, while v2m's audience also includes app developers and third parties, particularly the OTT (over-the-top) developers devoted to inventing cool new video services for the anywhere, anytime user. Channel Partners' audience consists of next generation partners who sell services someone else develops and provides them to the SMB market.

Five major characteristics tie this diverse audience together:

• Communications Services
• Technology
• Competition
• Rapid, Ongoing Change
• Personal incentive to Stay Educated—Knowledge Equals Success

The entire Network's audience is heavily invested in developing, provisioning and selling communications services of every conceivable description. Communications services all rely on technologies—many, many technologies, all in a constant state of rapid development. The entire communications industry is in a permanent state of intense competition. Even the most powerful companies are subject to effective competition from unexpected directions and can lose their grip in a matter of months. Conversely, new entrants can seize the high ground technologically, develop a powerful service differentiator, and become huge successes in a matter of months.

No one is ever secure. No idea can be ignored. The future is guaranteed to no one. Rewards are immense. The Communications Network's audience consists of high risk/high reward professionals.

In these conditions, the individual has a strong personal incentive to master the latest industry knowledge. A decade ago, that meant running a daily gauntlet of news and news alerts. Initially, our industry used the internet like a machine gun, shooting headlines and news at our audience. The internet machine gun sprayed news at record speeds, but the news was a mile wide and a millimeter deep. Like an oil spill in a wetland, "news" choked professional information ecosystems, which began dying for lack of meaningful "information."

We have put down our machine gun. Now we are using digital platforms to work with our audience to provide the in-depth information that they want, at a time convenient for them and on the device they prefer. This information helps them perform better at work and ensure that their companies stay on top of their competitive worlds. We are working with and for our audiences, not shooting cheap digital ammunition at them. We are providing professional information organized on three connected levels: insight, analysis and action. The goal is not just communications, but to create actionable business value for our audience and their companies.

Channel Partners, for instance, is entering the second round of its Cloud Convergence Council, an in-depth exploration of how the Cloud is revolutionizing the work of next generation partners. The Council is a partnership with The 2112 Group. Much of the information developed is information created by the leading thinkers on the Cloud for the Channel Partners audience. The Council creates a family of information pieces, including an in-depth Report that serves as the Council's centerpiece. Other pieces include research, stories, slide shows, blogs, whiteboard videos and thought leadership pieces, all around the Cloud.

B/OSS a few weeks ago created a special Report on service differentiation in the Cloud—a deep dive exploration of how the cloud model is affecting the BSS/OSS profession. Launched in early January 2011 around a premium content strategy, v2m recently published a Digital Issue on better broadband, a look at how the CSP industry is preparing for the next generation of services during a period of network transformation.

So let's recap: 1) time is precious and the Communications Network's audience is extremely busy, with little time to devote to, and none to waste, consuming information; and, 2) we are providing deeper forms of information than before. Therefore, 3) we are foolishly spitting into the wind.

The opposite is true. By providing in-depth information that affects personal and corporate performance, and by putting that information directly into the audience's workflow, we are using digital technology to ensure the time the audience devotes to our professional information is productive time. We have a strategy to ensure that the audience can make an informed selection of the in-depth pieces in which it invests its time. We call that our "content leverage strategy."

The strategy involves providing important pieces of the core information in smaller, easily digestible, valuable pieces that are built from, and refer to, the in-depth product. By blogging, creating slide shows and running articles based on these deeper dive pieces, we let the audience make a well informed choice about where to put its valuable time.

For instance, the v2m Digital Issue on better broadband is surrounded by a web of subordinate pieces, including a slide show and a webinar. Each in-depth piece is supported by these subordinate pieces. These subordinate pieces inform the audience about the central ideas in the deep dive pieces, and alert them to when and where the deep dive pieces will be available. The well informed audience can then engage with the deep dive pieces on their terms and to the depth that best suits them.

This is professional information for a professional audience delivered at a time and to a device of the audience's preference, directly in the audience's workflow. This strategy accounts for and accommodates the audience's busy daily environment, instead of defying or aggravating it.

This deepens the relationship between our three trusted brands and our audiences. We are engaging with the professional information, and the audience, on an entirely different level. We are developing in depth information with and for the audience, not shooting nouns and verbs at the audience. This different level of engagement creates a fundamentally different, and deeper, relationship with the audience. It is a more collaborative, better informed, more valuable relationship.

With this new strategy, we have adapted digital communications technologies and platforms to meet the needs of our professional audiences—not to just pile more data mindlessly but quickly at their feet. Insight, analysis, action: this is what the professional information ecosystem wants—not another digital oil slick.

Larry Lannon • Group Publisher, Communications Network
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1424

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Which Web are you? 1.0? 2.0? 3.0?

I will always find the internet and the web an incredibility fascinating thing—we all use it, but most of us don't really know what makes it work. Further, most of us have become so dependent on it for information, we use it to answer just about every question we have. Interestingly, this is true for both our personal and our professional lives. From checking movie times at the local theater to researching a major decision we are making at work, it has become the "it" thing to just about everything we do.

It's funny, cause I have heard many debates and critiques trying to define web 1.0, 2.0 and beyond—but they are generally just opinions. Now, of course, there are literal examples of web 2.0 technology, but I think the version of the web you subscribe to is much more about process and experience than it is about a certain type of technology. In my mind, web 1.0 was about web-based store fronts, web 2.0 was about engagement with people and communicating, and web 3.0 will become much more about listening and using information to help define what we do in our personal and professional lives.

For example, I am an avid user of Twitter—but I really don't "tweet" all that often, unless I find something that I think is important enough to share. In fact, I use Twitter much more as a learning and listening tool—through TweetDeck, I have my multiple searches up at any given time, and I use them to track the things that are most important to me. Realistically, I use it as my new "search engine" as it enables the search to come to me (err, ahh, maybe it is a "found engine" then :-)). Cheeky expressions aside, I do think Twitter enables a brand new dimension to the web—from on demand ‘searching,' to always on ‘finding', when it comes to the things I want to know about.

Let me put this into context. One of the largest markets we play in at VIRGO is the natural ingredients and products market, through our Health & Nutrition Network. The biggest brand we have in this space is called SupplySide, and we have created a whole series of extensions to this brand in the form of tradeshows, online communities, road shows and more. For @supplyside on Twitter, I have a constant search set up on the words "natural Ingredients," and I find a ton of interesting information and data that is being tweeted every day. From regulatory issues, to new ingredients entering the market, to new manufactured products using natural ingredients and more. It becomes a very useful way for the information to come to me, and for our Health & Nutrition Network to gage what is most important in the eyes of our audience. Based on listening and learning through this tool, we can then analyze what discussions make the most sense to launch in our community, which educational tracks make the most sense for our events and what topics deserve a deeper dive review through one of our SupplySide Reports.

As an example, just recently there was a bevy of controversy around "Lazy Cakes," which are melatonin enhanced brownies that many people have been using as a way to relax. The brownies have been called "all natural," but the claim has come into question with regulators in the market. We saw a number of tweets on this topic, and even saw a piece run in a major newspaper, so we started a discussion on the topic in our SupplySide community. The discussion generated a ton of engagement via commenting, and a lot of page views to the site. That really started with us listening through the web and tools like Twitter, and then creating an environment where people could connect on it through our community site. We then sent a few tweets to our followers letting them know we had a discussion going based on all the activity going on, and that drove more traffic and engagement to the site.

From my humble point of view, I think this is the future of the web—using it as a "found engine" vs. a "search engine" and paying specific attention to listening to what folks are concerned with. Then, translating that into something that lets people discuss, debate and define what it really means, and alerting them this is available via doing tweets of our own.

Sounds sort of web 3.0 to me.

John Siefert • CEO
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1233

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View to a Customer: Relationships Reign Supreme

I'm what you call "old school." This month marks my 20-year anniversary with VIRGO, and though a lot has changed in the publishing business since the early 90s, this holds true: If you want to succeed, you have to know your customers, and you have to provide stellar service.

As Group Publisher for the Business Solutions Network, a significant portion of my time is devoted to working directly with advertisers, exhibitors and sponsors of our websites, online communities, publications and tradeshows. When I joined VIRGO in 1991 to launch Inside Self-Storage magazine and expo, our offerings were simple: print ads and booth space. Now our sales menu is rich and diverse, including print and digital products that are often unfamiliar to customers.

The evolution of these products is swift, and sales representatives and their clients have to learn quickly. We have to understand how these options match customers' needs and what will really work best for each market. It's custom publishing, but accelerated. So our ability to sell is now intimately tied to our ability to educate customers and lead them to smart business decisions. But the essential component is and has always been service.

My customer-service philosophy begins with believing in the products I sell and the goals we, as a company, seek to accomplish for the markets we serve. But at the end of the day, it's about really knowing my customers, not just who they are in the workplace, but what truly makes them tick. Selling becomes a lot easier when you focus on building trust and integrity with your clients. In the midst of high-tech advances that change the way people communicate and the innovative products we create to serve our audience—solution centers, digital libraries, webinars, reports and more—we can't miss this most important element.

I like to know about my customers' families, their favorite sports teams, their hobbies, the charities they support, awards they've won. When you sit down, break bread and relax with these people, you get to see who they really are. You make that call on a Saturday afternoon to ask how they're doing, if little Johnny won his football game. Find out what they're going through in their lives. That's where the rubber meets the road. These are the moments that really hit home with customers and breed loyalty.

I don't care what tools you have in your sales arsenal—e-mail, Facebook, LinkedIn, Skype—the deal-maker can be the deal-breaker if you take your customers for granted. In this fast-paced era of technology and multi-media advertising, we can't afford to forget the personal touch. Listening to customers is the key. Find out what they need, and figure out a way to deliver it. They will give you all the answers if you just listen.

Today the Business Solutions Network still leads the pack in self-storage publishing while also supporting the burgeoning charter school sector and the door and access-control industry. ISS has expanded from a monthly magazine to a franchise that includes three supplement publications, an annual Factbook, two annual tradeshows, the Self-Storage Training Institute and the Self-Storage Talk online community. We've also just launched an all-new membership program, which will make facility operators more effective and competitive in their markets.

With our latest launch, Charter Schools Insider, there are a lot of unknowns, because we're entering a market that is extremely underserved. It's at the cusp of exploding. I'd like to see it go from a premier website and digital publication to a tradeshow that will better serve charter school educators, owners, operators, developers and investors. It's a feel-good endeavor as well, because we're going to help the nation's kids access a better education.

In all cases, whether we're proudly building on an established brand or nurturing a new one, personal time with customers is critical. I appreciate the avenues opened by new communication methods, but I still advocate old-school service strategies. Truly good service emerges from one-on-one interactions with customers, and it never goes out of style.

Troy Bix • Group Publisher, Business Solutions Network
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1118

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The View Out Our Window: Connecting with Social Networks

Hello, my name is John LyBarger and I am the Information Technology Director for VIRGO. I've had the privilege of working at VIRGO for over 12 years.

As I sat down to deliberate on the topic of this blog, I received a LinkedIn alert on my iPad that a discussion I follow had an update. As I was about to log into LinkedIn I could see that I also had updates waiting in Tweetdeck and Facebook. It became immediately apparent what my blog should be about.

With the popularity of mobile devices growing, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are a finger touch away. The saying goes "step one: admitting you have a problem." So yes, I have to admit "I am an iPhone junkie." I have my iPhone on me pretty much 24/7. If you happen to see me waiting for the elevator, in a store checkout or basically anywhere I have a few moments to spare, you will find me thumbing through my Facebook or Twitter groups, checking my email or logging into the office network to check on my systems. Even if you're not using these services yourselves or hearing about them through the media, your friends or colleagues, and yes, even your children will remind you each day of their existence.

As the use of Social Networks has grown over the past few years, the move to the business space was inevitable. Initially VIRGO blocked or prohibited Social Networks on our company network. Today our CEO John Siefert, who comes to VIRGO with a strong background in technology, has taken a stance of encouraging our employees to use Social Networking for business purposes and incorporating it into their working time. Driving this initiative is John Muehling our Audience Marketing Director. Under his oversight the presence of VIRGO in the Social Networks has exploded. We have Facebook groups, Twitter groups and LinkedIn groups for each of our brands bringing our customers together with the talented staff here at VIRGO and with each other.

In contrast to traditional marketing I find it intriguing that LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter connections have become members of our groups because they have searched us out and discovered our groups either through Google searches, browsing a story on one of our websites or by recommendations from other members or connections, not because they were spammed by email. By being part of these Social Networks, VIRGO is positioned to listen to what our groups are finding most relevant allowing us to provide our readers with information they care most about. Our readers then connect with colleagues who share similar interests, increasing our audience.

As the IT Director, I focus on how the technology of Social Networking will impact VIRGO. The addition of Social Networks wasn't without some challenges. A few of the challenges have been security, protection of intellectual property, interoperability of our systems and policies that cover appropriate usage, which all prompted an update to our AUP (Acceptable Usage Policy). We've been able to work through these challenges and incorporate additional measures in our network to protect our systems. As Social Networks add features and new third party applications arise we know that new security challenges will arise.

What will the next evolution of Social Networks bring? There have always been whispers of a merger? What would the name be, TwitFace or possibly FaceLinked? I know, not very creative! Let me know where you see the next evolution heading.

John LyBarger • Information Technology Director
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

Twitter: @johnlybarger
LinkedIn: John Lybarger
O: 480.990.1101 ext 1404

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The View Out Our Window: Innovation and Dedication

Since the first time I looked out VIRGO's window more than 15 years ago, our collective view has been one of innovation, optimism and dedication. The talent pool here at VIRGO is deep, and the spirit is strong. I think that's why we have done so well as a company through both the booms and the downturns. The amazing group of people here always seem to figure out what to do. And by that, I mean what to do for our company, our industries, our audiences, and our clients. It is this constant focus on innovation combined with our dedication to do what is best for all of our stakeholders that really makes this place special.

Here are some examples from the time I've been here that I think help describe the view from here.

At the first SupplySide trade show in Scottsdale in 1997 we had minutes until the doors opened to the exhibit hall. We were already scrambling as we had been since we announced we were doing the show…there was a lot riding on this. One of our original exhibitors and sponsors, Soft Gel Technologies, was running behind setting up their island booth (one of only 4 island booths at the first show). There were some cosmetic pieces not yet put into place, and the large television (before flat screens, by the way) meant for center of the booth was not yet in place. Peggy Jackson and I helped lift the TV into place, assemble a couple more of the essential pieces, and carted a few remaining pieces out the back door as our team was letting attendees in the front. This can-do spirit and dedication to help our clients and our industries with the heavy lifting is still alive and well.

I also remember in 2003 when there was a significant threat to the dietary supplement sector by some nasty legislation that would have gutted the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). This bill would have dramatically restricted consumer access to dietary supplements and truthful information about them. In addition to covering the situation and keeping industry informed, we actually helped to bring industry together around this critical issue. More than 130 industry members joined us in DC for an educational event co-sponsored by Cognis, Draco Natural Products, GNC, Natrol, New Hope Natural Media, NOW Foods and Reliance Vitamins; and supported by National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA), American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), Utah Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) and Citizens for Health (CFH). This was not a money-making venture, but rather one that brought industry together around a critical issue. This dedication to supporting our industries and the issues that affect them is still alive and well here at VIRGO.

Most recently, I think our efforts and investments to drive our business (and your businesses) forward deserve highlighting. For months now, we have been working on our content-driven strategies, re-examining the way we do things, and creating some incredible programs. You may have heard about some of them already. The most exciting part for me is that this content-in-context approach focuses on delivering key information to our audiences when they want it, how they want it. Perhaps a quick executive summary of an issue or situation is needed. Got it. A more in-depth report diving deeply into the issue? Got it. A webinar with thought leaders discussing the topic? Got it. An always-on industry discussion about the topic? Got it. And of course a culmination of these efforts at SupplySide West and SupplySide MarketPlace. Got it. This integrated, user-focused, content-focused approach bringing all of our different communication tools together is really exciting stuff. Be sure to talk to me or anyone on our team about how you can benefit from what we are doing. I think it will change the way you think about marketing and building your business.

As you look out your window toward the future, know that you have a team of people here at VIRGO who really care. We are always thinking about how we can drive business forward, our business and yours. We are always looking to the future and listening to what our audiences, clients and industries have to say. We are a dedicated member of your team, and happy to be here!

Jon Benninger • VP, Business Development Health & Nutrition Network
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1108

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The View Out Our Window: Captains of Content

Several years ago, I was invited to give a guest lecture via Skype for an introductory journalism class at my alma mater, the University of Richmond (go Spiders!). The goal was to give a window into the world of B2B publishing, a world most of us never considered in our undergraduate years. At that point, my goal was to be the editor of Cosmo, or perhaps to work at a major newspaper. Business-to-business communications never entered the equation.

Fortunately for me, I lucked into my first job just a month after graduation, joining the staff at Natural Foods Merchandiser in Boulder, Colo., writing product posts, editing pages during production and writing headlines for treats; it's amazing how creative your headlines can get when they're fueled by Munchkins. Nineteen years later, and I'm still enmeshed in the natural products industry, reporting on nutritional ingredients, dietary supplements, health foods and much more. I have great passion for my industry, and have developed amazing relationships with folks throughout the supply chain, all of which has helped me develop into a better editor.

Another bonus has been spending the last 13 years at VIRGO. As previous bloggers have noted, there are many "lifers" at VIRGO; it might not be for everyone, but for those of us who thrive under deadlines and are looking to overcome challenges on a daily basis, it's great. From the editorial perspective, our company is filled with journalists who are dedicated to delivering key information their industry players want and need to know. While our print issues and websites alone are filled with great content, the editors across all of VIRGO's Networks are developing more premium resources that put the content in a different context. Consider:

• Cloud computing is all the rage in the telecommunications field, and Khali Henderson at Channel Partners assembled a Cloud Convergence Council, and tapped those experts to develop reports and other content for both the website and the Channel Partners events.
• Teri Lanza, who heads up editorial and business development for Inside Self Storage, rolled out a membership program for self storage facility owners, leveraging relationships, premium content and brand recognition.
• The launch of Charter Schools Insider via digital issues illustrates how VIRGO continues to act quickly to develop new products that target an underserved niche.
• Richard Martin with Mobile Healthcare Today debuted a great slideshow idea, 6 Questions, designed to check in with industry leaders on a single topic and further industry debate.
• Healthcare textiles, issues with infection prevention and laundry science were the focus of an in-depth report developed and authored by Kelly Pyrek, the editor of Infection Control Today.
• Keith Chartier, over at Renal Business Today, saw great interest from his industry in a brand new dialysis machine, and developed an image gallery to give site visitors a look at this new technology.

In the Health & Nutrition Network, we have developed a digital issue on long-chain omega-3s, released a report on the evolving functional food market, and launched the SupplySide Community, a 24/7 content-driven platform that extends our successful events into the online world.

I might not know anything about cloud computing, dialysis equipment or the insurance needs of self storage facilities. Fortunately, my fellow editors are experts in their fields, with the same passion and connections in their industries that I have in my own. All of us at VIRGO all have pride in the content we deliver, keeping our audiences' needs in mind and upholding the highest quality standards for our brands.

Heather Granato • Group Editorial Director
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1305

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The View Inside Our Window

Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome. I'm Danielle Dunlap, Executive Director, Production at VIRGO. When I first started at VIRGO over 11 years ago, our then-titled Advertising Traffic Coordinators received and processed the majority of our clients' ads in film. We would painstakingly manually cut and paste the pages for our magazines into one big wax-boarded monstrosity of proofs that served as the "master copy" to send to our printer. The final proofs were loose bound "books" consisting of blue & white reversed out pages (hence the term bluelines) that were developed in vats of chemicals much like camera film processed in a darkroom, arriving fresh from the printer—usually still damp and very much reeking of the special blend of developer liquid used. Believe me, you did not want to hunch too closely over those proofs reviewing ads for accuracy for prolonged periods of time, especially on an empty stomach lest you enjoy a fun little spell of the woozies. Good times.

Thanks to the technological advances since then our processes have changed dramatically over the years and VIRGO has continually looked to adapt and expand with the evolving technology. Within a couple of years we had fully integrated to full digital press and the wonderful world of PDF proofing had begun and made printing accuracy much easier. (Our sinuses were pretty pleased with them, too!) These days, print is no longer the main avenue of advertising and, as we have done over our 25 years, we again continued to expand and grow with and for our clientele. One thing that hasn't changed in all my time at VIRGO is our commitment to our advertisers and their satisfaction with our final product—be it in print, on our websites or in digital media.

The Advertising Production Managers (the title of Traffic Coordinator is another thing that went by the wayside with the changing times) have been a part of this since the days of film and work hand in hand with our advertisers to ensure their ad campaigns are processed and produced to their specifications by our fabulous Art Directors to fully monetize their advertising dollar especially in these tightened economic times.

Our current crackerjack team of Advertising Production Managers consists of Kristin LaBarbera, Leez May and Melissa Budwig. Kristin and Leez currently work on print and digital issues, while Melissa works on the websites and e-newsletters. As we have been seeing an increase in the demand for digital media, we are lucky to have such a strong team that has been able to make the transition to digital responsibilities. Cross-training is taking place now and all three will soon be able to work on all digital products.

Until next time … Live Long and Prosper, my friends.

Danielle Dunlap • Executive Director, Production
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1620

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A View From the Desktop: All That, and a Bag of Chips!

Hi, my name is Dolly Ahles, I have been knee deep in all aspects of the art and production departments at VIRGO for over 15 years. In this day, it seems like anything over 5 years is a milestone with one company, but here at VIRGO, we have 25 people who have been here over 10 years. I find that to be truly amazing and a compliment to its leaders.

Occasionally, during deadline situations, I think there must be something in the water that keeps us here. But a lot of the glue that keeps us together is related to a close-knit vibe in our VIRGO community. What the heck, I'll say it, we care. We care about one another, we care about our customers, and we care about our environment (keep an eye out for exciting things here) and we just care.

My overwhelming thoughts about what I would say here came to me as I polished off the remaining crumbs of a small bag of Lay's potato chips. Yes, we are all that, and a bag of chips! Snap! This is a company of dynamic force, with many over achievers diligently cranking out relevant and timely content for over 20 brands. Having the advantage of seeing this company change and grow for over 15 years, I know that in spite of the waxing and waning economy, one thing holds true here at VIRGO. We move forward, we survive, and we rise to the top from sheer collective intelligence.

When it comes to the idea bank of most companies, it's the art and production departments that feel the pull. After all the content, marketing strategies and customer consideration is decided, we, as the art department, are the final frontier. This year, we have adapted our creative team to manage the changing times of our growing needs. With the introduction of interactive digital issues, bigger and better events and our entrance into exploding markets, just to name a few, we pulled our creativity as a group producing a strong team. In this way, we gather ideas from each creative soul, using the best design concepts, altering and manipulating to get just the right feel for the right project. Here's where managing 10 art directors, ok, I stand corrected, 10 fabulous art directors comes in. What makes them fabulous? It is the fact that we have developed a level of pride and productivity that gives us the edge in our industry. It's teamwork for the big projects, its ten collective minds to one end. This makes for a positive, strong group posed to crank out effective designs, where ever VIRGO endeavors; magazines, events, web and advertising. We bring together ideas for the look for our events. We support our clients' marketing and sales departments by producing a wide variety of content to help our audience understand their industries in more depth. We also help clients bolster their own products by supplying important information that they can use to promote their own products through the use of our magazine reprints, and sponsorships of reports, whitepapers, digital issues and briefs.

Obviously, I hold this company in high regard. Fifteen years of anything either puts a negative or positive veil on one's outlook. I am happy to say, as you can see, that I believe that VIRGO is strong, and I am happy to lead our art department in new and exciting ventures.

Dolly Ahles • Executive Director, Art
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1103

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The View Inside Our Window

As the Vice President of Human Resources, I started off writing this blog about change management and a couple of paragraphs into it, I almost fell asleep.  While we have been experiencing a ton of changes at VIRGO from a new CEO, rebranding to drop the "publishing" (it is just VIRGO now in case you missed the memo), a new logo, creating new brands, products, events and strategies – heck, we are even changing the look of the VIRGO offices (understated neutrals, yet homey – come visit us in July after the work is done), that is not what I really want to share with you.  What I really want to talk about is why working at VIRGO rocks!

Working at VIRGO rocks because every day I get to come into the office and know that what I am doing is valued by the Company and by the people who work here.  I get to work on projects that matter and make a difference for the organization. Developing benefit programs, wellness initiatives, recruiting, sustainability plans, career development activities and just being a resource for the members of our VIRGO family in times of need – this is why I get up in the morning.  Ok, the coffee at the office is pretty good too!

I also really enjoy the days where I get to work on some of the non-traditional HR projects like working with Israel Laveaga in the Art department on the VIRGOVoice newsletter, or when I get to attend a sales meeting outlining some new products and strategies.  It is always fun to chat with Ioana, our SupplySide Client Service Coordinator, about what is going on with some of our international clients.  One of the more entertaining issues that recently came across my desk was a snake in the parking garage – no, I am not kidding and yes, it has been removed.  I have also recently been dabbling into social media a bit, managing our Twitter and LinkedIn profiles.

At VIRGO you are an individual and a part of the team. I get to be myself at VIRGO.  I am the VP of HR and while I am professional and take my role seriously, I also have a fun loving and cheerful personality.  I am glad that I don't have to wear a suit everyday (or any day for that matter) and that our office vibe is more friendly then stuffy.  I am often caught singing in the halls even though I can't carry a tune – seriously, it is bad - especially when it is Air Supply Friday.  One of my favorite things to do is deliver the birthday and anniversary cards to employees and crack a joke, sing a little ditty or just let them know how much they are appreciated – if I can make them smile, it makes my day!

But enough about me, let's talk about everyone else!  THE PEOPLE AT VIRGO ROCK!  Even though VIRGO has many people who telecommute and we don't always get to be in the same place at the same time (we SKYPE a lot), I know if I need someone they will be available and they know the same goes for me.  The feeling of being supported and lending support is unmatched, at least in my career thus far. From Kelly Ridley, the CFO to Trish Hermansen, Staff Accountant & Super Sleuth to Manny Vong, our Facilities Specialist – I look forward to interacting with my fellow Virgoans every day!  We show our appreciation for each other by submitting nominations for the VIRGO Superstar award – all nominations are shared with the entire company and the names are entered into a drawing for a reserved covered parking space for a month.  The VIRGO Superstar nominations just pour in and it is great to know that we are catching people doing good things for each other and the Company. There are so many awesome individuals here who actually enjoy their work that it creates a positive, productive environment for all. 

So, in case you are thinking that I am the VP of HR and I have to say all of this stuff and I am probably the only one at VIRGO who thinks we rock, I challenge you to ask a few of our folks what they think.  Go ahead – I triple dog dare you ☺

Heather Wood • Vice President of Human Resources
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1510

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The View Out Our Window: Staying Ahead of the Curve

With our increasingly mobile society, receiving news in real-time has become the norm. However, in the business world, there's often a disconnect between information and implementation – especially when it comes to healthcare initiatives. As an information distribution company, VIRGO bridges that gap.

In my role as Group Publisher of our Medical Network, I've come to know the frustrations of the medical community firsthand, as they strive to demonstrate compliance with new guidelines that could send even the most-adept medical facility into a tailspin. The infection control community faced this challenge head-on when new regulations geared toward "hygienically clean" uniforms mandated a shift from home-laundered operating-room scrubs to those that are outsourced to a professional dry cleaner.

Infection Control Today was at the forefront of the change with a special report, "Healthcare Textiles: Laundry Science and Infection Prevention." This in-depth analysis helped medical professionals understand the complexities of the issue, while also giving them the tools to navigate the internal ramifications.

From apparel to hand-washing, infection control is an ongoing issue across the medical field. As such, Renal Business Today (RBT) recently released a special report on hand hygiene. According to the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, infection is the second-largest cause of death for hemodialysis patients. The new report delves into numerous guidelines for hand hygiene, while examining the barriers and performance indicators that accompany program implementation. This information is helping dialysis providers to focus on best practices now – instead of dealing with the consequences of a hygiene breach down the road.

RBT, along with sister publication SurgiStrategies, is also providing coverage on the latest developments regarding Medicare and Medicaid. The funding that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) routes to medical providers is often in-flux based on everything from individual or facility eligibility to state budgets to national healthcare reform.

Last month, SurgiStrategies aided ambulatory surgery centers (ASC) in tackling the issue with an expert review of using Electronic Health Records (EHR) to effectively support specific clinical activities. The resulting report, "CMS EHR Incentive Programs: Meaningful Use and the ASC," is influencing the bottom line for many caregivers, with tens of thousands of dollars in federal incentives at stake for eligible professionals.

Security is another high-risk area for the medical community – especially where new technology is concerned. Mobile Healthcare Today (MHCT) leads the charge when it comes to keeping medical and technology professionals abreast of advances in the field. For example, check out this image gallery from Albert Einstein Medical Center in north Philadelphia. The facility has pioneered the application of wireless patient tracking through its Real-Time Location Service, which it began implementing nearly a decade ago. Also stay tuned as the first digital issue of MHCT hits mobile (and other electronic) devices nationwide later this month. The May issue will explore the unique security and privacy challenges of using mobile technology in a healthcare institution, such as patient confidentiality and regulatory compliance.

Besides keeping medical professionals – and the companies that serve them – up to date on the ever-changing healthcare climate, we're also fond of bringing light to innovations that haven't quite taken off yet, despite having been available to the market for a while. One such practice is colon hydrotherapy (CHT), also known as colon irrigation. Earlier this year, a feature article in EndoNurse states that although the number of certified CHT practitioners in the United States has expanded more than tenfold in the last decade, "The understanding and acceptance of this treatment within the medical community remains virtually unchanged." Revisiting existing technology to examine whether it has future potential in the marketplace is just another way we're able to stay on the pulse of possible breakthroughs.

As a new mother just days away from giving birth, I can attest to the importance of medical innovations. Throughout my pregnancy, I've been on the receiving end of many new technologies from a variety of medical practitioners. In addition, I've taken the opportunity to research and interview healthcare providers to determine which professionals will be earning my hard-earned dollars. More than ever before, today's consumers are better-equipped to do just that.

Staying ahead of the curve so that medical (and other) professionals can advance in our consumer-empowered, data-driven society isn't easy; however, it is something we here at VIRGO thrive on. I've only shared a snapshot of some of the developments within the Medical Network. I invite you to take a look at our other networks to see how our passion for staying on the cutting edge plays out across the board.

Katherine Clements • Group Publisher, Medical Network
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1222

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The View out our Window: Customer Service is our Main Ingredient

Hello – I am Dana Hicks, Vice President, Event Director at VIRGO. I began my career with Marriott International and learned the hospitality craft from one of the largest hotel brands in the world. Working from the ground up was an invaluable way to learn the catering/conference services side of the hotel business. All my experiences as a server, bartender, restaurant supervisor, Asst. F&B Manager and Banquet Maitre d' were truly important to my future successes. 11 years ago, I found my way to VIRGO and have been a part of an ever growing and evolving events department. Making a switch from hosting events to planning events was a big change but I was really excited to view the industry from a different port hole. It has been a really exciting ride at VIRGO and I look forward to our events continued growth.

About a month ago, I was having lunch with a friend at a local restaurant and two interesting events took place:

First Event: The restaurant was unexpectedly busy. It was rather obvious they were not prepared for the business. There was an immediate feeling of chaos with all staff and the waiting area was wall to wall people. We were fortunate to find a small table in the bar and we grabbed it. We were not on any time frame, so that would work in the restaurant's favor. Since I have been a part of the service industry for many years, I couldn't help but be extremely curious to see how our table service would be handled. In short, for most of our meal the service was fine. It was a bit slow, but again, we were not on any time schedule. The server dropped our check and I was surprisingly impressed about the overall experience. I was ready to even add "sympathy" dollars to her gratuity. Then everything changed…

Second Event: We were planning to split the bill and pay with debit cards, so we placed two debit cards in the check register and explained this to our server. Our server took an exorbitant amount of time to take care of the charges. What was unveiled upon her return to our table was that she lost my credit card. I was shocked and not sure how to handle it. It would have been very easy to become angry but I knew that is was not intentional. Again, I couldn't help but be extremely curious to see how this would be handled. In short, they handled it well. Management came over to the table and apologized; they comp'd our lunch; they gave me a gift certificate for a future visit. All the proper steps were followed. BTW – They did find my credit card 4 hours later but by then I had cancelled the card.

Customer service is one of our main ingredients within our VIRGO events department, and each decision we make regarding it affects the long term relationship with each customer. There is so much competition in the marketplace and we find it's one of our best avenues to separate us from others. Much of our event business is trade shows, so top-notch customer service to our attendees and our exhibitors propels our continued growth and success. Along my tenure, I have seen exponential growth of our events and keeping a sense of personalized service becomes a bigger challenge. Growth usually includes automation and can easily eliminate personalization. We pride ourselves on having a live customer service employee available during normal business hours. It makes a difference and people acknowledge it. Myles Dey is our specialist and does a magnificent job! Please feel to contact him about any of our events at 1-800-454-6730

The reason we are able to produce our live trade events is fueled by our exhibitors. Customer service is a key ingredient to help them reach maximum ROI for their investment. Exhibitors have many needs:
How do I order electric? Internet? Carpet? Coffee?
How do I register our booth personnel?
Where do I ship my booth materials?
I need to make hotel reservations? etc.
We have two of the best exhibit production managers in the business, Lola Ortega and Scott Feller. They are knowledgeable, friendly and readily available by phone during normal business hours. Please feel free to contact them for any questions or just use them as your personal concierge.
Lola Ortega: 480-990-1101 ext.1071
Scott Feller: 480-990-1101 ext. 1070

Take advantage of our concierge style service, feel free to call anytime!

Dana Hicks • Vice President, Event Director
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1526

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The View out our Window: Editorial Anatomy and Marketing Services

Hello – I am Kelly Ridley, Executive Vice President, CFO. I am very happy to be at VIRGO. I started my career auditing at a then Big 8 accounting firm (I am dating myself). While I learned a lot and met many great friends during my tremendous experience at Ernst & Young, I decided to move on from auditing and public accounting to be a part of a company, building and planning for the future, instead of always looking back on the past.  While my career and contacts have allowed me to experience many industries over the years, I am thrilled with what our information services industry and VIRGO has to offer. Not only am I involved in accounting and finance, but I am lucky to be able to partner with our CEO, John Siefert, to strategize and map out VIRGO's future.

I am really excited about all of the new things going on at VIRGO. We have new brands, new products and have welcomed new people to our team. The team at VIRGO is focused on creating an editorial anatomy that puts our content in the context that our readers, users and attendees want.

We have added new lead generation products that will enable our advertisers to obtain not only a high quantity of leads, but also a high quality of leads as well. Since our mission is to help business professionals break through the hype, ambiguity and information deluge they experience, by offering trustworthy guidance on the decisions they need to make—be that early in their decision making process, while making a purchase decision, or following the decision when a product, service or ingredient is being used, our readers, users and attendees are naturally accessing our content when it is right for them, on their time.

If a reader is looking for long view content, he/she might read an article in one of our print publications. If a user is looking for up-to-the-minute news on their industry, he/she might read the latest developments on our website. If a reader/user wants to do detailed analysis on a particular topic, he/she might download one of our reports. If a reader/user wants to learn about the pressing themes in the market, he/she might download a thematic digital issue. You get the idea.

What I like best about our approach is that it just plain makes sense, no smoke and mirrors, no hidden surprises, no sales ‘pitch', just providing our readers, users and attendees with the content they are looking for in the context they want it in, when they want it, a true information services provider. We have a professional, knowledgeable editorial team in each of our networks. I really respect each person and the expertise and passion they bring to each network and brand. Our approach is natural for our editors as they want to write content that our readers, users and attendees can most benefit from and are energized doing it.

Last year, we added a Marketing Services team to assist our advertisers in better measurement of the results from various marketing programs, so appropriate action can be taken. We have top-notch professionals who will guide and manage your marketing program from beginning to end, understanding exactly what content our audience wants and how they want to receive it. Our Marketing Services team provides the following services:

• Custom Content Creation
• Web Development
• Performance Marketing Solutions
• Lead Nurturing and Lead Generation
• Complete Management Throughout the Life of Your Program

Visit the Marketing Services section of our website to see all of the ways we are delivering content depending on the stage of the decision-making process our readers, users and attendees are in. This approach is highly customized and VIRGO team members, including, sales, editorial and marketing, can engage with you to create a program that allows you to meet your goals.

I am proud of the team at VIRGO and am very fortunate to work with such talented people.

Feel free to drop us a line and let us know what you think. We welcome suggestions.

Kelly Ridley • Executive Vice President, CFO
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1015

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The View out our Window: Google +1

As we move more and more toward adding social media to our web sites by including Facebook "like" buttons, Twitter buttons and LinkedIn buttons, we have to note that there is a new player in town, Google.

Google has been trying to get into the Social Media landscape without much success (google buzz, wave.. etc), but Google understands how important Social Media has become and is now pushing a new feature called "+1" (pronounced "Plus One"). "+1" is a button similar in purpose to Facebook's "Like" button, but it is integrated directly into the world's most popular and biggest search engine.

Users who click on the "+1" buttons will be giving essentially, what Google defines as, their "public stamp of approval." The reason why this "public stamp of approval" is so important is that it will influence the website rankings on their search engine. The more website visitors give their approval, the higher the search engine rankings. The idea makes a lot of sense, if you perform a search, it's really helpful to see results that are recommended by your friends and peers. "+1," if successful, will become a new ranking variable to use as part of Google's page ranking algorithm.

Google's "+1" button will initially show up in search results, but Google is also planning on offering website publishers a button that lets readers "+1" something without leaving the publisher's site. This is great news for website publishers of original content, since the chances of sharing original content is greater than those that produce aggregated content.

At this point, it's too early to know if "+1" will be a success, especially since at first it will show up only on search results and no one will recommend something without actually visiting the content first. It's a very interesting experiment, and one that we must be ready to adopt as soon as it becomes available to our sites, since it could help our search engine rankings.

The following video below explains "+1" in more detail:

José Copado • Chief Developer
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1561

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The View from the Stream: Tools and Techniques for Marketing

I've often talked about the relationship between marketing and fly fishing, but while trekking through 10 miles of trout stream this weekend, it occurred to me that, like fly fishing, marketing takes both the right tools and, more importantly, the right technique!

Many of today's marketers link their success to having the best CRM platform, the best analytics tools, top-notch content and an engaged audience. But what of those audiences who are not engaged, what happens if you send information too often, not often enough or worse, you send the wrong information. When you are fly fishing, you could have the best fishing rod and reel, a box full of the right flies and a stream full of 20" trout, but if you don't know where the fish are, don't have the technique to get that fly in the right spot or don't have the patience to work the stream, you may as well pack it up and go home.

Today's B2B companies are constantly searching for the best ways to reach their audience. Now, we don't want to sound pompous with proclamations, but I can comfortably say that VIRGO has a secret sauce that few other information distribution companies can offer. With the recent introduction of Marketing Services, we have dramatically expanded our offering of programs that can position your company, product, service or technology in front of the right audience, at the right time. Our "secret," if you will, starts with an acknowledgement and respect for our audience. Acknowledgment for how much information they are bombarded with everyday and respect for the time they take to consume what VIRGO is delivering to them. You see, if we didn't take the time to learn who our audience is and then deliver the content they wanted, on their schedule and in a method they preferred (i.e. on the web, on a mobile platform, through email, etc.), they would either not be an audience very long, or worse yet, they would not be an engaged audience. Much like those fish in the stream; I could've thrown out a dozen or more dry flies last weekend (I prefer dry fly fishing), but that wouldn't have done much good, because the trout just weren't ready to feed off the surface.

Another part of our secret sauce comes in the way we market our content or your content; we call it "Performance Marketing." But fancy names aside, the marketing we do is a series of intelligence-based tactics, derived from an analysis of three key pieces of data.

• Which audience is best suited to receive the particular piece of content?
• When do they prefer to receive the information?
• How do they want to receive the information?

Once we identify these key metrics, we not only deliver the "featured" content, but we also include other relevant content that they will find useful and helpful for making a more informed decision.

Now this approach may not be the "norm", but I would propose to you that it is exactly what today's B2B audiences desire (tweet this article). Companies will sometimes ask us "so, how many emails are you going to send to generate "X" leads on my whitepaper?" Our answer will sometimes be, "we may not send any emails to generate the leads, the audience for this particular whitepaper prefers communication through our newsletters and professional networking groups." What a radical idea, huh? Deliver the content the way the audience prefers to consume it. And this brings me to a key component of our lead delivery process. We elect to allow content to serve as a self-fulfilling filter, a way for us to determine if the audience member that is consuming the content is the right person for our client to be talking to about their next purchase. After all, you probably wouldn't read a tech-heavy article on Tablet Computers for Healthcare if you weren't someone who decides on or influences the technology decisions for a healthcare facility. By letting the content act as a self-fulfilling filter, then appending that information with other reader data, we know that the leads delivered from this report are of a higher caliber.

As I sit here in my office, reminiscing about fishing weekends gone by, I urge you to consider the following: Mobile devices and 24-hour access have helped turn the 5-day work week into the work-everyday week, and thus business decision makers now consume dramatically more information than ever before. They yearn for companies to think about the information they are pushing out there and about the people that have to sift through it to find the "good stuff" (the stuff that is relevant to them). In other words, don't deliver a series of dry flies, because that's what you think your prospects and customers should be "eating;" if you are on a cloudy stream, the water temp is still cold and the fish are feeding on the bottom, deliver the woolly bugger with a nymph dropper and be sure your technique is well-honed enough to catch your next big one!

See you on the stream…

John Muehling • VP, Marketing • Amateur Fly Fisherman
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1095

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The View out our Window: Channel Partners Conference & Expo

The annual rebirth of spring is mirrored by an exhilarating sense of rejuvenation in the channel.

Channel Partners Spring Conference & Expo, held March 13 – 15, flowered with a sense of optimism and growth. After several years of stagnation, the channel is poised for new growth.

The dynamics of the resurgent market are clear: the continued convergence of the traditional telecom channel and the IT channel into a single channel industry focused on selling solutions to increasingly demanding and sophisticated customers; the emergence of the cloud computing model as a channel business game-changer; and the power of education and knowledge in solutions focused selling.

The key words are: convergence, emergence and education.

They explain why the program was so important and successful last week in Las Vegas. You do not have to take my word for it. Paid conference attendees increased by 26% this spring over last spring's program. That type of growth speaks volumes.

The education around channel convergence and the emergence of the cloud will continue post-show. In the next month, look for a series of written reports from the Cloud Convergence Council, the Energy Institute and the Agent –VAR Workshop.

For the first time, we also will be creating special video reports around the findings of the Cloud Convergence Council and the Energy Institute. These 5 to 10 minute videos will provide readers with a short, easily accessible video that will create a powerful visual summary of the Council's and Institute's key findings – and bring a visual representation of the Cloud Convergence Council and Energy Institute to interested industry professionals who couldn't be in Las Vegas.

We also will be creating a series of whiteboard videos, each about five minutes long, bringing the ideas of key industry players like Juniper Networks, Motorola Solutions, Glacial Energy, Juniper Networks, PGI and Catalyst Telecom in the words of senior executives. These whiteboards are another communications innovation in the channel.

In addition, we will be publishing photo galleries and slide shows devoted to various aspects of Channel Partners Las Vegas, including: the Agent Peer to Peer Workshop, the Women in the Council Workshop, the Agent – VAR Workshop, the Expo Hall, the Channel Executive of the Year award winners, and the remainder of the diverse program. These galleries and slide shows will include not just photos, but charts and graphs, where appropriate. They will be fun and informational.

Finally, we will continue our intense coverage of Channel Partners LV in news stories and feature reports.

Where can you find all this great information? Go to: www.channelpartnersonline.com. And of course for the greatest hits of Channel Partners, always read the monthly edition of Channel Partners' magazine.

Back to the channel itself. Why is there such a sense of optimism about the immediate future?

The national economic recovery has been uneven. Until the recent political events in the Mid East and the tragedy in Japan, U.S. stock markets have been on a long bull run that has been gathering power. On the other hand, unemployment and concern about federal and state deficits have argued for a more cautious take on the economy. Words like "ambiguity" and "mixed signals" are staples of economic reporting these days.

Not so in the channel. The channel sees an important period of growth immediately ahead as communications consumers who have deferred investment the past few years realize they need to push ahead now to remain competitive. The cloud, not coincidentally, is critical to this surge of confidence. The cloud allows users to scale and manage risk better. The cloud takes capex investments and transforms them into opex costs – a much more manageable model, a model perfect for the times we live in.

Channel Partners welcomes the industry's new spring. We will be creating more content, both in digital products and in our print products, and more powerful programs for our events. Like our readers, advertisers, sponsors and exhibitors, we think the industry is entering a new and exciting period of opportunity.

Our next event is in Chicago, August 24 – 26. But don't wait till then to stay in touch with the ideas and people driving the channel into its next phase of growth and prosperity. The digital world never sleeps.

Larry Lannon • Group Publisher, Communications Network
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1424

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The View out our Window: The Incredible Future for Mobile Healthcare

When was the last time you went to the doctor? For me, I had the unfortunate pleasure of going multiple times in the last few months with a pretty serious eye injury. The quick back story: my 7 year old son was "John Cena" and I was "Batista" in the heavy weight championship "Friday Night Smack-down," in our pool. He worked a choke slam on me that had his right hand's index finger find its way into my left eye—leaving me with a pretty intense retinal scratch (I should have known Batista could never take John Cena).

After suffering through some pain for 24 hours, I went to an urgent care where I learned that my injury was millimeters away from causing some permanent damage. The Dr., a young man in his early 30's, came into the room carrying a tablet computer, where he was pulling up my records that were just entered by the physician's assistant. He then used his tablet system to pull up a 3 dimensional image of an eyeball, and showed me exactly how big the scratch was—and proceeded to explain how lucky I was based on the position of the scratch. Not feeling very lucky, as I had not been able to open the eye for the past day, I asked him what I could do to stop the pain. He then pulled up descriptions of two pain killers, and clicked on links that showed exactly what they would do would for me.

Even though I felt horrible, I was mighty impressed with his quick access to information, and practical use of it to help me understand my situation and options.

As I thought about what this small urgent care center was doing with mobile technology, it really got me thinking about how this technology could revolutionize how medicine is practiced, and how thrilled I am that we have a brand in our Medical Network focused on this category: Mobile HealthCare Today.

We launched @mobilehctoday right around the time I had my injury, so it was intriguing to see (pun intended) the application of the technology first hand—specifically, how the Dr. was using his tablet to access the web, my patient record and the details for my care. It was like it had literally become part of his workflow, in fact, it was part of everyone's workflow at this small center.

Now, to be clear, they were not running really heavy EMR/EHR applications, nor were they connected to a Healthcare Information Exchange, but as I thought about the promise of these things converging, I must say I got really enthused for the future.

Mobile Healthcare Today, which is headed by industry veteran Rick Martin, is a premium content web site that is focused on really helping Drs., Nurses, Administrators and technology professionals understand how to apply mobile technology to their institutions. As we were launching the site we made a very conscious effort to determine what information this audience was looking for, but not finding. In this analysis, we saw there were a ton of sites that concentrate on news, but very few that deliver in depth examination of what to do about it.

In our inaugural report for the site, we went "On Site" with the Ottawa Hospital to do a deep dive case analysis on how they have deployed hundreds of IPads to their practitioners. We then followed that up with a comparative review report on Tablets for Healthcare, where we broke down all of the offerings in the market, and detailed what differentiates each. Further, we will be launching our first "Digital Issue" of Mobile Healthcare Today with a "Why and How" look at security, regulatory compliance and patient confidentiality when utilizing mobile technology in a healthcare institution (coming in May—contact me to reserve your copy, please include business card information)

However, we are not just about heavy lifting reports—we also offer slide shows, mobile video based executive summaries and interviews with top industry leaders on where they see the market evolving (called "6 Questions," where we create an even playing field for vendors to answer questions about their market position and solutions).

So hopefully you will not find yourself getting whooped by your 7 year old in a wrestling match that ends with you in urgent care, but I do highly recommend you pay attention to this category—it could, quite literally, save your life!

John Siefert • CEO
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1233 • M 480.390.9049

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Welcome to VIRGO: The View out our Window

Hi, my name is John Siefert, and I am the CEO of VIRGO. We are an information distribution company, focused on the biggest markets affecting the US (and world) economy. Categories like Health, Nutrition, Medical, Education, Communications, and more, are what we focus on.

This blog is an update from me, and others, on what we are up to @VIRGOPUB —the goal is to fill folks in on our strategy, outline some of the interesting things we are doing, and just shoot the breeze on what the view looks like out our window.

So, here goes: if you are anything like us, you like paying attention to the newest things that are affecting the market—sometimes it is good stuff, like the continuing evolution of the mobile space or the incredible new natural ingredients entering the market, which promote healthy living. But sometimes the news is not so good, like the massive breaches in security we are seeing in communications networks or the terrifying lack of infection prevention we see at many healthcare institutions. If the news is positive, or if it is negative, we try to internalize it, and share information that helps folks make decisions based on our analysis.

Here is a good example: of late, we have seen a lot of fear, uncertainty and doubt arise about food safety. In the states, we have seen President Barack Obama sign off on the largest food safety bill in our history, and now it is incumbent upon ingredient suppliers and food designers/manufacturers to ensure that their goods pass the test. So what does this mean to the food services industry? How can they manage to the rules of this bill, whilst also trying to manage the very real food inflation crisis that is topping the world news? Through our analysis from industry leading experts at Food Product Design, we are trying to help this audience weed through the hype, and focus on what really matters: ensuring they can comply with this bill, as they look to grow their business. I encourage you to click on the links in this blog to see what we are doing—and to participate in the discussions we are provoking on these topics.

Another good example is the undeniable convergence we are seeing between traditional communications networks and the emergence of cloud computing. We have recently taken on this topic through our Channel Partners brand, with the introduction of our Cloud Convergence Council, a joint editorial effort we created with The 2112 Group. Our goal is to help the traditional communications and telecom channel understand what this convergence means, and how they can harness the power of cloud computing to meet their customer's needs. There is no doubt there is a ton of ambiguity around the space, and we aim to serve as the knife cutting through that hype, delivering real data and analysis from the people defining the market—not the news junkies pushing out the noise.

Finally, we are in the process of tackling a new category and niche of the education market: Charter Schools. Over the last few years we have seen a plethora of Charter Schools pop up across the United States. Some are doing an incredible job of preparing our youth for the future—and we applaud their efforts! Others are just getting started, and even more are at the very early stages of picking locations, analyzing site development strategies and outlining their lesson plans. We have found that there is no 'one stop' location for educators, owners', administrators and others in the space to go for information to help define their education and business plans. In 2011, VIRGO is launching Charter Schools Insider to do just that. Through our premium content strategy, we will be creating digital issues of a magazine to serve this audience via whatever platform they wish to access the content: on our site, through their tablets or over their mobile smart phones.

That is it from me—thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more from us here @VIRGOPUB.

John Siefert • CEO
VIRGO
3300 N. Central Ave. Ste. 300 • Phoenix, AZ 85012

O: 480.990.1101 ext 1233 • M 480.390.9049

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