Dream On, Broomstick Cowboys: B-to-Bs Aspire to the A-list

By Margo McCall -- Tradeshow Week, 5/17/2004

If it works for plumbers, why not business-to-business media outfits?

Perhaps tired of feeling like their sector is second string, a host of B-to-B companies are heading for the front of the alphabet.

First there was Advanstar Communications. Then came Ascend Media, started by former Primedia executives Dan Altman, Cameron Bishop and Ronald Wall. They were followed by Efram "Skip" Zimbalist III's new company, Active Interest Media. Then Primedia co-founder Charles McCurdy chose Apprise Media as the name for his new integrated media company, backed by Spectrum Equity Investors.

Commenting on the trend, Bob Crosland (who's a managing director at Admedia Partners) recently wondered if a new wave of double-As would follow from B-to-Bs interested in getting top billing in the phone book.

And that was even before PBI Media left the land of acronyms and renamed itself Access Intelligence. The change was reportedly intended to reflect PBI's expanding role as an information and research company.

Who's next – Allied Elsevier? Advance Media (formerly VNU)? Stay attuned.