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Membership Requirements
ASBPE membership is available at no cost to staff and freelance editors, reporters, art directors and designers of B2B-oriented (i.e.: business, trade, association, professional) publications. No-cost membership is also available to faculty and students in the journalism departments (or related fields) at institutions of higher learning. Persons engaged in public relations, corporate communications, or as vendors, and other persons having a professional or occupational interest in journalism, communications, or business publications are eligible for a paid membership. All members are required to have a valid U.S. address. ASBPE does not currently accept international members. Membership applications are generally reviewed within 48 business hours.
Why Join ASBPE?
1. ASBPE Is Your Voice
ASBPE is exclusively an association of professional editors, writers, freelancers, graphic artists and art directors who work for business magazines and their associated websites. Our central focus is helping our members develop their editorial, design and management skills, which will enhance their performance and prepare them to play larger roles in their publishing organizations. We also believe content creators must be aware of trends in advertising sales, circulation, marketing, production, and the business of publishing.
2. National Conference
At ASBPE’s National Conference, you can learn how to deal with the management, technical and financial issues that are shaping your future as a professional and the future of your publication. Hear what the country’s top experts have to say about business and editorial practices that work. Swap ideas with your peers from around the country. The meeting fosters a collegial atmosphere where you can easily network with your peers. Already perhaps the best value in our industry, the conference is an even better value for members. Members get discounted rates to attend the annual conference and national Azbee Awards of Excellence banquet.
3. Annual Azbee Awards of Excellence
ASBPE’s annual Azbee Awards of Excellence competition is the largest and most competitive in B2B publishing. The Society recognizes excellence — in both print and digital platforms — in 60 editorial and design categories, including:
- Feature Article
- Regular Column (Staff-Written & Contributed)
- Magazine Design
- Magazine Redesign
- How-To Article
- E-Newsletter
- Enterprise News Story
- Front Cover
- Case History
- Online Breaking News Coverage
- Magazine of the Year
- Multi-Platform Package of the Year
- Website of the Year
- The Journalism That Matters Award, and
- The Stephen Barr Award for individual reporting
Members can enter the competition at a discounted rate.
4. Annual Azbee Awards of Excellence Banquets
Our banquets honor our gold, silver, and bronze winners on regional and national levels. The national banquet also features the winners of our national Multi-Platform Package, Website and Magazine of the Year categories, and the Stephen Barr Award. The Stephen Barr Award is ASBPE’s “best of show” prize, selected by a panel of judges from the top feature-writing categories. The award identifies the finest example of writing that displays the qualities Barr’s work exemplified: inventiveness of approach (and especially use of narrative style), insightfulness, balance in the presentation of a complex subject, depth of investigation, and impact among the community of readers. Members may attend the banquet at a discount.
5. Lifetime Achievement Award and the Young Leaders Scholarship
The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an editor who has contributed to the profession throughout his or her career. Our Young Leaders Scholarship pays the registration fees for promising young editors to attend our National Conference.
6. E-Newsletters
Keep up to date on what’s happening at ASBPE with our e-newsletters. Every alert has valuable information that will help editors and designers do their jobs more effectively.
7. Member Discounts
Members get discounts on fees for Society conferences, the Azbee Awards of Excellence competition, local chapter networking events and boot camps, selected books and other special opportunities.
8. Educational Opportunities
Local chapters present a variety of educational programs. Discover new resources and enhance your career. Your chapter membership is included in your national membership. ASBPE sponsors local chapters in the following cities:
No local chapter in your city? The Society is working to build additional chapters in other major business publishing centers across the country. If you’d like to start one, ASBPE can put you in touch with others in your location and supply the know-how and resources. Contact ASBPE for details at (520) 302-4439 or info@asbpe.org.
9. Networking Events
ASBPE Happy Hours and other networking events help members to meet their local peers, discuss current issues in the B2B industry, and learn about job opportunities. By attending these events ASBPE members can keep on top of industry trends, make important contacts and share strategies.
10. ASBPE Webinars
ASBPE offers webinars on cutting-edge topics presented by top professionals in the field. Members receive discounts on all webinars, and some are FREE to members!
11. The ASBPE Website and Members-Only Section
ASBPE’s website includes job postings, a freelancer directory, roundups of the Society’s national and chapter activities, useful links, and a whole lot more. An exclusive members-only section contains:
- Archived webinars
- How-to articles that help members do their jobs more effectively.
Here’s What Members Say About ASBPE
“My company uses the Azbee awards as a barometer of its editorial and design success. I push our writers to produce Azbee-worthy stories every month. The possibility of being honored as one of the best in the nation is a significant motivating factor. Winning Azbees has helped prove to my managers that my writers and I are valuable assets to the company, and that the work we produce is among the best in the B2B world.” – Travis Stanton, Editor, EXHIBITOR Magazine
“When I presented at an ASBPE Webinar in 2008, I hoped that the lessons I’ve learned as a blogger and entrepreneur would prove useful to those who attended the online event. But I didn’t realize that I’d find the Webinar educational, too. I had a co-presenter, Junta42’s Joe Pulizzi, and I found listening to his half of our session — devoted to a concept he pioneered, content marketing — as rewarding as conducting my part.” – Harry McCracken, Editor at Large, TIME
“ASBPE’s Young Leaders Scholarship program has proven to be instrumental to me during my B2B publishing career. Ten years ago, I had the honor of earning the scholarship and attending the national conference in Chicago. I then became one of the founding board members of ASBPE’s Kansas City chapter, and after serving as the chapter president, I moved up to the national level as the vice president and now as the president of the organization.” – Amy Florence Fischbach, ASBPE Foundation President, Former ASBPE National President, and 2002 Young Leaders Scholarship winner