What is 100? The Time it Takes to Build Bridges
One hundred is a number with many meanings. For example, turning 100 is something many people dream of, at least if it is accompanied by reasonable health. But one hundred can also mean that something is completed, done, over. For Headquarters Magazine, it means that the July 2021 issue is the 100th issue, but not the last, because we reached the hundred with a ghting spirit. That has kept us t in all this time to travel around the world and pick up building blocks. Once upon a time we started with issue number 1, the beginning, the launch of a magazine speci cally for international associations based in Brussels.
What did that sound like again? “In 2002, this industry bellwether evolved into Headquarters Magazine with six editions annually and has continued to serve as an essential resource for association executives. It received a redesign in April 2016, in September 2018 and in February 2021 to meet the ever-changing trends of the meetings industry.” It wasn't just the visual that was updated each time but also the content. Headquarters magazine can safely be seen as the beginning of professional journalism for the association conference world. The meetings industry as a whole was not used to reading critical re ections from association managers at the time. These opinions formed the rst bricks of a bridge that was built between the providers and users of this industry. It is still written under the magazine motto, “building bridges in the meetings industry”. An even longer bridge was built around 2015 when Headquarters became European and then fully developed into an International platform of information for the world industry. Continents were brought together, rst Asia, later South America (but not the US, which still remain a separate and almost unapproachable market).
“How long can a magazine exist?”, I sometimes ask myself. There is only one answer: as long as readers nd the magazine worth reading. So, on to the next round of 100 whose success will depend on our passion and rejuvenating spirit.
By Marcel A.M. Vissers, HQ's editor-in-chief
marcel@meetingmediagroup.com
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Supported by the Union of International Associations (UIA), the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) and the Interel Group, the global public affairs and association management consultancy, Headquarters Magazines serve the needs of international associations organising worldwide congresses.
