The “Friend” Goes To Magfest 2019


magfest

The message from Magfest 2019 was simple: the world of magazine publishing in the UK has never been more vibrant.

As representatives of the world’s oldest women’s weekly magazine, Lisa, Jacki and I were happy to agree!

Early on Friday last week, the three of us boarded a train to Edinburgh for the exciting annual industry event.

Ella Dolphin, CEO, of fellow DC Thomson property The Stylist Group would be there to talk about her vision for the innovative new brand.

Prashant Rao, Global Editor at “The Atlantic”, was scheduled to talk about how the prestigious American magazine was branching out to cover more global issues.

Paul McNamee, Editor of “The Big Issue”, was due to talk about “world-changing” magazines. Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, Head Of Editorial at “gal-dem”, and Emma Miller, Publisher at “Hood”, would have plenty to say about emerging audiences and how to reach them.

There was plenty going on!

It even included a live recording of a podcast, featuring Chris Phin of DC Thomson’s the “Pass It On Tips” podcast.

It was fascinating to find out what’s new in our industry. In particular what people are reading, and how brands are engaging with people.

We came back with plenty of tips to keep in mind for the next issue of the “Friend”!

But don’t worry, we’re in no danger of going overboard. We didn’t get to be 150 years old without knowing how to give our readers what they want!

For more from the team, read our blog here.

For a little insight into the history of the “Friend”, take a peek in our Archives here.

Visit the Magfest 2019 website.

Iain McDonald

Iain is Digital Content Editor at the "Friend", making him responsible for managing flow of interesting and entertaining content on the magazine's website and social media channels.