JAN. 14, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OVERLAND PARK, KS—Ascend Media and BKay Consulting today announced a partnership to provide retooled event strategies for associations and their meeting departments as the industry evolves virtual and hybrid components in conjunction with onsite meetings, and uses those components for member networking and engagement year-round.

“Barbara Kay is the perfect person to serve as strategic advisor to our high-level customers given her 17-year tenure as President and CEO of Ascend Media,” says current Ascend CEO, Blair Johnson. “Barbara is an accomplished strategic leader with a keen understanding of attendee and exhibitor behaviors, as well as a recognized and trusted convention industry thought leader.”

Through this partnership, Ascend and Barbara Kay will provide strategic event assessments and evaluations with an eye toward more profitable and expansive hybrid event approaches (to include year-round elements), while dramatically enhancing virtual attendee engagement and networking, as well as improved experiences and increased ROI for virtual exhibitors.

“As the meeting industry moves from the rush of pandemic approaches to more thoughtful and intentional hybrid events ongoing, it’s critical that associations and meeting organizers recognize and strategically prepare for the dual meeting approach that is in their future,” says Barbara Kay, CEO of BKay Consulting. “The Ascend team of meeting veterans has set amazing benchmarks in the virtual space throughout 2020, and together we will work strategically with associations to create new best practices for improved event performance and profits.”

As a part of the new partnership, and in tandem with another partnership between Ascend Media and JUNO, Ascend will soon publish its first Hybrid Event Playbook, creating a map for event organizers to follow to manage dual meetings simultaneously.

About Ascend
Ascend partners with associations of all sizes to produce high-quality, engaging products such as online and print daily newspapers and exhibit guides, digital communication tools, product theaters and sponsorship items for onsite/hybrid/virtual events that enhance the meeting experience for attendees and aid exhibitors in deriving a return on their investment, while driving non-dues revenue for association clients through the sale of exhibit space, advertising and sponsorships. Ascend’s clients include the American Heart Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Dermatology, American Thoracic Society, American Urological Association, American College of Emergency Physicians and the Professional Convention Management Association, among others.

About BKay Consulting
BKay Consulting is a New York-based consultancy specializing in providing strong strategic direction for association meetings, focused especially on the attendee and exhibitor experiences. Barbara Kay’s leadership skills in the convention industry, and extensive experience in media, communications and sales and marketing, aid her expertise in event turnarounds, building effective collaborative and nimble teams that move easily through changing environments.

JAN. 7, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OVERLAND PARK, KS—Ascend Media and JUNO today announced an exclusive preferred partnership that will combine JUNO’s dynamic, AI-driven virtual event platform with Ascend’s meeting media products and sales expertise, creating highly engaging virtual and hybrid events that drive significant revenue for associations.

“We had the good fortune to partner with JUNO on a client event this year,” said Blair Johnson, Ascend CEO. “And we were quickly able to capitalize on the elegance and engagement within the platform to drive nearly $1.5 million in revenue for our client, while the association focused on the world-class education their attendees expected. JUNO’s flexibility and speed of innovation make it the perfect platform for creative revenue generation.”

With headquarters in San Diego, JUNO was created for CrowdHub community customers, such as HP, Nickelodeon and the United Nations, that needed to quickly pivot to virtual in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This community building background pushed JUNO to the top of the virtual event platforms in such a short time, according to Josh Hotsenpillar, JUNO CEO.

“We put community first on our platform,” he said. “We know education is critically important to associations and their missions, but it’s the attendee-to-attendee and attendee-to-exhibitor connections and interactions that change that education from a webinar to a fully formed community event.”

The association community at large will be able to experience the JUNO platform Jan. 11-15, as JUNO will be hosting PCMA’s Convening Leaders 2021 (ConveningLeaders.org).

In addition to offering sponsorship sales services on the JUNO platform, Ascend Media will consult with associations on new media products designed specifically to surround their virtual and hybrid events and aid in exhibitor engagement. “The strategic knowledge of event media and sponsorship sales is considerable at Ascend,” said Hotsenpillar. “I watched Ascend turn our platform from a cost to a revenue-positive event in just 30 days.”

For more information, contact Blair Johnson, Ascend CEO, 913/344-1401.

About Ascend
Ascend (ascendmedia.com) partners with associations of all sizes to produce high-quality, engaging products such as online and print daily newspapers and exhibit guides, digital communication tools, product theaters and sponsorship items for onsite/hybrid/virtual events that enhance the meeting experience for attendees and aid exhibitors in deriving a return on their investment, while driving non-dues revenue for association clients through the sale of exhibit space, advertising and sponsorships. Ascend’s clients include the American Heart Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Dermatology, American Thoracic Society, American Urological Association, American College of Emergency Physicians and the Professional Convention Management Association, among others.

About JUNO
JUNO (junolive.co) has been building impactful digital communities and capturing the stories that make brands great. JUNO is your all in one virtual event solution that allows your organization to create authentic experiences that connect and engage your audience with your event. We do this through our live and on-demand online engagement, AI recommendation search engines, gamification, analytics and courses and content that stay on your platform 365 days a year.