About this project
The Publishers Association (PA) wanted to deepen engagement with its smaller and medium-sized publisher members. With teams reporting that high-level industry updates didn’t speak directly to their evolving operational needs, the PA needed a solid events management strategy to demonstrate its ongoing value to this core group.
We partnered with the team to launch The Publishers Association Insights Series, a collection of short, focused digital sessions. The goal of each event was to turn complex industry topics into bite-sized, actionable toolkits, strengthen member connections, and create new opportunities for long-term association growth.
The series was shortlisted for The Stationers’ Company Innovation Excellence Awards 2026 in the Communication & Marketing category.
Our Approach
To maximise the association’s impact and strengthen its relationship with SME members, we worked with the PA to rethink its events programming strategy.
01. Drawing out audience insight
Kicking off with a Sprint-style marketing workshop, we collaborated with the Director of Communications and wider team to map out the campaign priorities, explore audience data and feedback. The session enabled the team to distil the most important challenges facing smaller publisher members into key topics.
What is a Marketing Sprint?
Sprints are time-constrained creative and strategic sessions that allow teams to meaningfully collaborate to clarify goals, map consumer journeys, and generate creative ideas quickly. At Maykn, we use Sprints with our clients to revolutionise decision-making and problem-solving processes, aligning your teams and generating actionable next steps for our approach.
02. Addressing core member needs
From there, we shifted the PA’s event programme away from broad updates toward practical, highly-specialised content for SMEs – such as metadata standards, AI productivity, retail roadmaps, and content protection – that directly addressed critical gaps for members.
03. Leveraging the PA’s convening power
We worked to position the association as the ultimate bridge between small publishers and high-level industry experts, bringing in speakers such as the Ecommerce Director at Waterstones and the Head of Data at Gardners. We also sourced, coordinated and briefed each speaker ahead of each event, handling all speaker management and planning logistics.
04. Building an evergreen content library
With the introduction of an online programme, we established a scalable digital library of recorded sessions and resources, giving the PA a high-value, accessible resource for current and future members.
05. A blueprint for future sessions
Using member feedback and Net Promoter Scores (NPS), we established a solid strategy the PA team can build on to create future events that meet their members’ evolving needs. This feedback loop is now hardwired into the planning process. The PA is already implementing new features for future sessions – such as handouts with practical guidance – as a result.
“Transitioning from general industry updates to practical, expert-led sessions gave our members real, everyday tools – turning the Insights Series into an essential member resource.”
Nicky Old
Director of Communications, The Publishers Association
“From day one, our collaboration with The Publishers Association has been driven by a clear mission: enhance value for SME publishers.
By listening closely to member feedback, we built the Insights Series into a high-impact programme that serves them and the wider industry. Earning recognition with The Stationers’ Company Innovation Excellence Awards shortlisting is a fantastic milestone in what continues to be an inspiring partnership.”
Suzanne Kavanagh
Client Director, Maykn
The Result
The series revitalised member perception, deepened engagement, and delivered clear commercial results
- 155% target registrations: Generated 559 total registrations against a 360 target across the series (averaging 93 per session), demonstrating massive renewed engagement from the membership base.
- 100% satisfaction & retention boost: High-stakes technical webinars achieved a flawless 100% Net Promoter Score (NPS) with an 83% average completion rate, successfully solidifying the PA’s reputation as an indispensable partner for SME publishers.
- Reaching the right demographics: Achieved 92% SME publisher representation at flagship sessions, proving the association effectively connected with its target member cohort.
- New revenue & member acquisition: Used targeted outreach to attract non-members, generating ticket revenue and building a high-quality database of membership prospects.
