Over the past year, Boston Globe Media (BGM) has revamped its editorial calendar and events to embrace a tentpole model that has shown innovation in revenue strategy to augment our journalism and reach new audiences. The result is a year-long, comprehensive program that caters to communities of interest and creates an annual (read: repeatable!), sustainable revenue stream.
Our tentpoles include:
Notably, each event is anchored in our journalism, such as our annual coverage of the Boston Marathon, our dogged reporting on health inequities in our communities, and our storytelling on the rise of the region’s technology sector. The length of each event varies, from a single afternoon to multiple days. Our journalists anchor each tentpole, helping to develop the content for programming, inviting guests, and moderating panels on stage. These topics are tailored for our region’s industries and the interests of our readers.
Boston Globe Media events bring in seven figures, and each tentpole event has a six-figure goal and positive margins. Paid partnerships typically include speaking opportunities at the events (always clearly noted as paid to protect the integrity of our journalism), co-branding on promotional materials, traditional print and digital advertising, and curated networking opportunities. Revenue streams are diversified and include event sponsorships, ticket sales, sponsored content, traditional print advertising, and digital campaigns that deliver millions of impressions. Most tentpoles also include a dedicated issue of Globe magazine that is distributed to our entire Sunday circulation and at the events themselves.
While several of these tentpoles are new, such as Rare Disease Summit, many of them have been successfully revamped into a tentpole (Top Places to Work) that offers multiple revenue streams and ways to engage with BGM’s audience.
What’s more, we’re gaining momentum! Starting this year, we’ve sold out tickets for each tentpole — a clear indication of their resonance among our readers and in the community. For example, in its first year, the Working Mothers Summit had a sold-out audience of more than 300 in-person attendees, plus a waitlist of more than 100 people and more than 800 virtual guests.
We believe the variety — both in the topics and the specific offerings in each tentpole event — is truly outstanding and unique for a regional media company striving to fulfill our mission of serving the community in innovative ways.
