It's always inspirational to take a step back once in a while. I was on final study leave for a week and then up a mountain with a whole lot of online media planners. Both experiences were very rewarding because when we have our heads down working day-to-day, we often lose sight of the bigger issues in our industry or in business, especially after the challenge that was January 2008! Well done to Habari Media and MSN for playing host to some great speakers; pity our own industry organisations don't do more of this cutting edge stuff, particularly for online where the biggest challenge is still educating clients and online media planners as to the value of the medium and encourage creatives to, well, be more creative with online media campaigns. Bizcommunity.com is launching a host of online initiatives this year for readers and clients alike to increase engagement. The first, the Radio Directory is nearing completion and has a few ad spots left - contact: sales@bizcommunity.com. Next is our Bizness Bookclub which will carry reviews of books relevant to our industry from ourselves, publishers, clients, as well as our readers, who will be invited to blog about their favourite business books. I'll be blogging from one of my favourite annual events this week, Design Indaba, where the calibre of speakers, both local and international, is always phenomenal, as is the level of delegates drawn from the creative industries. It is a visual and creative feast that starts the year on just the right high note and is usually deeply inspirational as well.
Wishing you a creative week! Louise Marsland, editor: editor@bizcommunity.com. All marketing news to: marketingnews@bizcommunity.com. Responses to this column welcome on our blog: http://blog.bizcommunity.com.