Growing Destinations
Your go-to source for insightful discussions on destination development. The Growing Destinations podcast delves into the strategies, challenges, and successes that drive community growth. Each episode features in-depth conversations with local and national experts, uncovering universal themes and innovative practices that can be applied to any city or region.
Growing Destinations
Evolving Media, Engaging Communities: Tammy Galvin of Greenspring Media
Greenspring Media is the team behind Minnesota Monthly, Midwest Design, custom content for destinations and a robust lineup of consumer events across the Twin Cities. Tammy Galvin, Publisher of Greenspring Media, has helped lead Greenspring's transformation into a multi-platform, content and experience company, blending print, digital and live events to engage audiences in meaningful ways. Tammy discusses her journey, how Greenspring keeps its brands fresh and the growing role events play in connecting communities.
The Growing Destinations podcast is brought to you by Experience Rochester. Learn more about Minnesota's third largest city, which is home to Mayo Clinic and features wonderful recreational and entertainment opportunities, by visiting experiencerochestermncom.
Speaker 2:For publishers. Today, you have to embrace the idea that content is no longer bound by format and delivery isn't bound by a subscriber list bound by format and delivery isn't bound by a subscriber list.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Growing Destinations podcast, where we take a deep dive into destination development and focus on a wide range of topics from tourism and entertainment to economic development and entrepreneurism and much more. I'm your host, bill Vaughn-Bank. We're on location at the headquarters of Greenspring Media, the team behind Minnesota Monthly Midwest Design, custom content for destinations and a robust lineup of consumer events across the Twin Cities. Today I'm joined by Tammy Gelvin, publisher of Greenspring Media. Tammy has helped lead Greenspring's transformation into a multi-platform content and experience company, blending print, digital and live events to engage audiences in meaningful ways. We'll dive into her journey how Greenspring keeps its brands fresh and the growing role events play in connecting communities. Tammy Gelvin, welcome to the Growing Destinations podcast. Thanks for having me, bill.
Speaker 2:Tammy Gelvin welcome to the Growing Destinations podcast. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Bill, you've had quite the career in publishing 25 years in fact. Tell us about your career journey.
Speaker 2:I was first exposed by my dad in the Miami Herald newsroom years ago. I was probably about five and the vibrancy, the energy. I can still remember Smoke, because you know they used to smoke in the offices back then the smell of ink.
Speaker 1:The smell of ink.
Speaker 2:And these crazy shoots that were like the bank shoots that carry things to tellers Well, that's how copy used to be transferred from desk to desk, and so I remembered that really vividly and that became turned into a love for writing at a pretty early age, and I actually went to school for journalism. So, unlike most publishers, I came up through the editorial side of the ranks.
Speaker 1:Tell us your journey, then, leading to Greenspring.
Speaker 2:Well, I was fortunate, right out of college, to fall into what was then known as trade or now more commonly known as B2B journalism. And I fell into that right away with my first publishing company. Out of college, the ripe old age of 22, was running as an editorial assistant behind some very niche publications in the apparel industry, manufacturing and automotive, restyling, aftermarket areas very, very niche. But what it did was it exposed me to this world. You know, going through journalism school, you hear about consumer publishing, people Magazine, usa Today, things like that. I didn't know that this B2B world existed. I've spent many years there and then eventually made it to the dark side of sales and marketing, as they might say, and have stayed here ever since, but with that love of journalism at my heart.
Speaker 1:Greenspring Media has been a staple in the publishing world for over 55 years. How would you describe the company's journey from its early days to now as a multi-platform content powerhouse?
Speaker 2:We began, like most traditional publishers, with a very strong commitment to local storytelling. So, through the pages of Minnesota Monthly, we did just that. Fast forward almost six decades, if you can believe it, and we're now really a true content studio, producing award-winning work across pretty much every platform print, digital, custom events. But one thing that has been the through line of all that is that storytelling. All that has changed is how we now share it and where we share it.
Speaker 1:As a publisher. What does your day-to-day look like now, and where do you focus most of your energy?
Speaker 2:Well, no, two days are alike, which is something I certainly love. I spend a lot of my time on strategy, looking ahead and identifying growth opportunities, new business opportunities, while making sure that our teams have what they need to do their best work. We're up to about 120 print publications a year now.
Speaker 2:So do the math, it averages out to two annually pretty much right. And on top of that we've doubled our workforce in the past three years through two very large acquisitions, and so those have kept me very busy onboarding basically half of a company and trying to assimilate these new what were distinct teams into our team.
Speaker 1:How do you approach nurturing talent across editorial sales creative teams, especially in such a fast-moving, multi-channel environment?
Speaker 2:You know, I think, like anything, it starts with trust and communication. We invest in our people through mentorship, collaboration, encouraging cross-departmental learning. We are extremely nimble and agile, we experiment, we pivot, we stay curious, and that cuts across editorial art sales. And in order to do that, we really have to make sure that people feel like they have a voice. They can say hey, I need help. Those are strong, powerful words in our environment, not foreseen as a weakness, because that means we can help them, give them the tools to produce even better products.
Speaker 1:How has the environment in terms of your work culture changed post-COVID?
Speaker 2:Coming into COVID. We had just moved to this beautiful space here in central Bloomington from out from downtown Minneapolis and we went from a kind of you know 10th floor of the Baker building downtown to this beautiful open to the roof deck warehouse type feel. So our culture, we felt, was clicking on all cylinders and then three months later I sent everybody home because the pandemic hit.
Speaker 1:I can relate.
Speaker 2:Yes. Later I sent everybody home because the pandemic hit. I can relate, yes, and what was interesting is I honestly thought when we came back about nine months later that we'd just pick up where we left off. But the reality is we all changed as individuals, every last one of us. The pandemic did that right. Our priorities changed. What was important going into COVID versus coming out changed, and so, therefore, as a company, our culture changed and I brought together all the heads of the departments and we sat down and spent a lot of time talking about who are we now, what do we do? How do we go forward?
Speaker 2:I think one of the best examples going into COVID, we were a butts in seats company 24-7. People came ate, five sat in their chairs, did their job. When we came back, we realized people didn't like that anymore. They wanted the flexibility. So, rather than being forced to start an official what people call hybrid or temporary remote policy, ours is an official work-from-home policy that we would never have had pre-COVID and to this day, we still are working on that culture. We want to have fun. We take what we do seriously, but we want to have day. We still are working on that culture. We want to have fun. We take what we do seriously, but we want to have fun while we do it.
Speaker 1:What have been some of the biggest changes in the magazine industry that you've had to navigate?
Speaker 2:Here at Greenspring. I would say it was the digital disruption right In my career. I'd say it was probably back in the early 2000s when they said print was going to die and, as we know, it hasn't. Has it evolved Absolutely. Might it continue to diminish in the future and future generations, perhaps, and that's why these extensions of the print brand are so very important. So I think, digital disruption first and foremost. We embraced that early on by starting a digital marketing studio. Another shift, I guess I would say, is the changing audience expectations. Today's reader wants more personalization, more interactivity and content that meets them where they're at.
Speaker 1:And you can get them still in a dentist's office with the magazine to something they get emailed to them during the course of the day or something fed to them on their phone.
Speaker 2:Exactly For publishers. Today, you have to embrace the idea that content is no longer bound by format and delivery isn't bound by a subscriber list.
Speaker 1:I've read Minnesota Monthly for years, so let's take a look at that. How do you keep a publication like that that has been around fresh and you still have competition for the reader, both online and print? But from a print perspective, how do you keep Minnesota Monthly still viable?
Speaker 2:Well, the last six decades really. It comes down to two things you really have to be in touch with your audience. You have to understand the communities that they live and breathe in, both from a professional and a personal standpoint. We do that with research. We do that with annual audits of our audience. We also use what back in the day were called brand extensions ie events to really understand them and get to know them even better, bringing that the advertiser who wishes to reach the print subscriber into a face-to-face environment and having an opportunity for active dialogue. What is it you want to see more of? What do you want to see less of? I think the greatest advent of social media for publishers is that it has created a heightened engagement ability for that communication.
Speaker 1:Well, you mentioned events, so let's talk a little bit more about that. How do events complement your media in content strategy?
Speaker 2:In two ways, I guess. The first would be that, like I said, it is taking our core advertisers in some cases and bringing our reader to them in an interactive, immersive way, which is exactly what we're doing with print, where the focal point might be at the printed word. In the event it's an activation or it's a sampling event where they get to sample the latest product or service or food from one of our clients, our exhibitors. The other way that we do that is we look at it via audience extensions and less so. Much about brand extensions. So, while Minnesota Monthly, obviously, we have the food and wine experience, we have Minnesota Monthly Grill Fest, minnesota Monthly Fine Spirits Classic. You see a pattern here. We brand them, of course, with Minnesota Monthly, on the Midwest design side, we have a luxury home tour and what we do with those is we take a look at the core audience and then go hmm, how can we expand that audience? So you've been to Food and Wine.
Speaker 1:I have many years. It's amazing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we just had our 30th at the Omni and that is very much our core sweet spot of the Minnesota Monthly Reader. Right, if you go to Grill Fest, that is an absolute, blatant attempt to go after a younger demographic. So as our aging Minnesota Monthly Reader is coming off of the market, we have a constant pipeline coming back in. So Grill Fest skews a bit younger. Then let's talk about Canna Fest for a moment.
Speaker 1:Yeah, brand new, or fairly new, for you, right.
Speaker 2:Fairly new. This will be our third year and that is a completely divergent audience and demographic than the two that I just mentioned. So now we're seeing where events back in the day were simple brand extensions, where the audience, the exhibitors, the sponsors mirrored those that you found in print. Now we're really using it more strategically to expand the total audience reach.
Speaker 1:In addition to your own publications, you also produce custom content for many clients, including tourism organizations. Can you share a few examples of destination marketing projects that you feel especially proud of?
Speaker 2:I sure can Do. You know, the first one's going to be.
Speaker 1:Is it in Rochester Minnesota? It is in Rochester Minnesota.
Speaker 2:We've been fortunate to produce that guide since 2018. It is one of our favorites. And I think it's one of our favorites because not only does it reach that very important tourism market, but also has to serve a utilitarian market, while you have so many people that have to go to Mayo for not the greatest of reasons, right, and I think your organization does just a spectacular job of walking that line and truly showcasing the destination that Rochester is, so that one is near and dear to our heart. Even if you weren't sitting here, I would say that that one is near and dear to our heart.
Speaker 2:Even if you weren't sitting here, I would say that. Another one I would have to say is probably Bloomington, minnesota Travel and Tourism, and it's co-branded with the Mall of America. Greenspring has produced that for almost 30 years almost all the years that the mall has been here.
Speaker 2:We have done that publication More recently. As I mentioned the acquisitions we've made in the B2B realm, both in group tourism and the meeting and event space. We now are expanding our custom content there. So we have produced group tourism guides for Ohio, has it for Circle Michigan. On the meeting and event side, we've created products for Michigan Association of Convention and Visitors bureaus, meet Texas. Just it's really taken what was our kind of niche Midwestern market and expanded nationwide.
Speaker 1:I would say, and did you say earlier, 120?
Speaker 2:Over 120,. Yes, a year.
Speaker 1:Incredible, and also for some Fortune 500 companies too.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. We've done quite a few custom publications over the years from everyone from US Bank to in the financial sector, REMAX and the realtor side of the business. Quite a few, quite a diverse group.
Speaker 1:The publishing industry has seen dramatic shifts over the past decade, from the digital disruption which you mentioned to changing consumer habits. What do you see as the biggest challenges facing publishers today?
Speaker 2:Well, certainly costs. Back in the day, print was the calling card and it was also the profit center. And with certain hard costs that are going to go up every single year, obviously it's not just the paper but it's also postage we're having yet another one in July, the United States Postal Service just announced yesterday and so those rising costs are really changing the dynamic. And so, while what costs are really changing the dynamic, and so while those what I would call the backbone brands are so important and will remain the calling cards, the growth for most publishing companies today will be in all the other areas that we've mentioned. The print products won't go anywhere, but they will become more of that calling card, that extent, the kind of you know me, my Minnesota Month, monthly. But here's this entire repertoire of products and services that we can now offer you.
Speaker 1:How about digital? Do you just see more digital opportunities?
Speaker 2:Definitely we're using digitally. We're using digital our own digital marketing services to extend our audiences and, as you know, as a consumer, the things you can do with digital nowadays can be downright scary. Right with Big Brother watching. We do quite a bit of programmatic advertising that we sell to our clients SEO, SEM. We also produce on the content side, just digital content for clients like Twin Cities Gateway. We've done quite a bit of digital content for Bloomington Travel and Tourism, and so that's just going to continue to grow.
Speaker 1:And one of the growing trends in tourism are live events, and so will you see growth there too.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. In fact, we see it in two ways. We're known for the large scale events. We do a spectacular job. Food and Wine will bring in 5,000 to 6,000 people over a weekend. Grill Fest will do about 4,000 people. Where we're really looking at growing is having more frequent smaller boutique events and expanding our footprint. We're looking at Rochester, as we did hold a Fine Spirits Classic pre-COVID down in Rochester. That was very successful, had almost 92%, I think, ticket redemption rate.
Speaker 2:Wow, yeah, which is enormous for a first year event. We're looking at Duluth and a couple of other cities as well to take our sampling events to.
Speaker 1:Very interesting and, in terms of Greenspring as a company, what does the future look like for you?
Speaker 2:I'd like to say very bright. You know this is a tough year. It's a tough year for everyone, just because of any time there's an administration change. There's an administration change. There's a tough year this year and a lot of the uncertainties that are happening is making it a little bit difficult, but we are very, quite bullish on the market, not just print, but digital events. Last year was probably I would say, at least in the 12 or so years I've been here our most successful year yet on all measures, and so that has really positioned us well for the future.
Speaker 1:This has been a great conversation, Tammy Galvin, learning more about you, learning more about Greenspring Media and some of your successes and the road ahead. So thank you for being our guest.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Appreciate you. Thank you for tuning in to the Growing Destinations podcast and don't forget to subscribe. This podcast is brought to you by Experience Rochester. Find out more about Rochester, Minnesota, and its growing arts and culture scene, its international culinary flavors and award-winning craft beer by visiting experiencerochestermncom.
