One of the fun parts of our business is navigating or, better yet, leading change. Innovation is risky—but not innovating is riskier!
The way I like to think of it best is, “You rest, you rust.” Make no mistake: We often innovate products that end up in the rust pile. But the day we stop trying is the day we are destined to become that pile.
Like you, I have heard year after year on the speaker circuit the expression, “Change is coming at us faster now than any time in the past.”
Well, sometimes I wonder: If we look so hard at change, are we taking our eyes off the constants, the basics, which are really the foundation that funds change?
Today the basics of CSP business— print publishing and meetings and conferences—are stronger than ever. Our monthly circulation of CSP alone is now more than 100,000. Our recent FARE (Foodservice at Retail Exchange) and Restaurant Leadership conferences had record attendances for the second year in a row, despite the changing economy.
Why? Well, because the CSP team is passionate about delivering what the customer wants. But—and a big but—to ignore new, alternative vehicles for information delivery, which seem to be popping up endlessly, would be irresponsible.
In that spirit, I am proud to say that CSP was the first in our industry with the Internet-based CSP Daily News; the first Web-based TV program, CSPTV; a series of digital publications; Web-based, regular educational conferences; and the industry’s first and only virtual trade show, 24/7 Connect. This year we introduced CSPedia, the only Web-based directory of convenience retailers. CSPedia is a constantly updated site with insider information on every c-store retailer with 20 stores or more.
The next opportunity for all of us is the rapid rise of the smart phone. According to a comScore MobiLens report released in July, smart phones are now owned by 49.1 million folks in the United States, as of the three months ending in May. That’s up 8.1% from the prior three months, the report says.
And today I am proud to announce that we are the first in the industry to release a mobile app for our Daily News product. This free app will be available on more than 50 online mobile app stores starting Aug. 16.
This innovation marks the first time that an industry e-newsletter is available in a format specifically designed to be delivered and read on smart phones. The app will allow users to browse headlines and read full articles both online and off. CSPTV will also be available for viewing using the app, and all articles and video segments can be e-mailed and shared or posted on social networks.
For more on this exciting new app, see p. 24.
Each month we distribute more than a million CSP Daily News products to the industry. CSP Daily News has for more than a year been the industry’s only weekend news offering. And today our goal is to provide you with yet another first, and an added convenience, via this app.
Yes, change, and technology innovations are important and necessary. But the key to success is the constant— it’s all about the content.
Our commitment and passion is to do what we have been doing since the day we introduced our Daily News product to the industry—and that is being the industry’s leading content provider.
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