As publisher of five magazine titles and President of the Missouri Association of Publications, I had the chance to experience our second MAP Summit as both an anxious officer of the association, and as a working professional looking for good ideas and best practices for myself and my staff.

As for being the anxious officer, I was very proud of the quality of the speakers at the conference, the continued support of our sponsors and associate members and of the feedback from the nearly 200 attendees. It should be clear to everyone that Dr. Don Ranly’s vision has manifested itself into a dynamic event. Of course Dr. Ranly’s vision is second only to his tireless work in coordinating with University Conference Services and arranging an all-star cast of speakers and presenters. He is amazing.

As for being the professional practitioner, I’m still benefiting from the Summit. Six of my staff members spread out and attended more than a dozen sessions and came back with grammar lessons, new interview techniques, ways to use the web more effectively and a laundry list of good ideas on events, newsletters, branding and marketing support for our magazines. The session on mergers and acquisitions offered solid business tips for increasing the value of what all of us do.

As a result of the conference, Tony Silber’s staff at Folio has been in touch with our company for a story. And Roy Reiman has mailed (not e-mail, but real pen and paper) two ideas to me; one suggesting ways to increase subscriptions, the other for a cover story we’ve decided to do next January. Where else could you get that kind of mentoring?

The 2006 Summit had value far beyond its cost. Personally, I can’t wait for Summit 2007 when we introduce our annual awards program. As a publisher, I hope we win something. As MAP President, I just hope you all enter and participate. Thanks for making MAP and the 2006 Summit such a success.