How one magazine built a great conference when a competing event folded

LBM Journal, the magazine for lumber and construction suppliers, was late to the party. After publishing for 17 years, it did not launch an industry event until 2020. 

Rick Schumacher, publisher, said he was reluctant to produce a trade show, in part because the niche is small and two events were already in existence.

“We didn’t just want to have another event,” he said.

He had also begun to notice that events were getting less productive when there were more sponsors than attendees.

 “It’s like four kids fighting over one piece of candy.”  Even the attendees did not look happy. 

“Attendees go because they want to talk to other attendants and network and learn from each other.”  

When one organizer ultimately shut down an event, Schumacher decided to launch one on his own.

At last year’s  LBM Strategies 2024 Conference,  230-plus attendees met for drinks and dinner at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

 “We took over the hall. People had a blast,” said Rich Schumacker, publisher. 

A slick video promoting the 2024 event includes glowing testimonials from attendees about making connections and getting business ideas. 

“You could have no speakers and just have this group of people and set up round tables and you would get a lot of value out of it,” said one attendee.

The event also accounted for 16% of company revenues, a significant number after just three years. 

So how did Schumacher pull off such a successful event in such a short time? 

“I’ve been attending these events for a long time. So I kind of had a feel for what they wanted.”

The first thing he did was to limit the number of sponsorships, and focus on an agenda that would attract attendees, so there  would be at least four to six attendees to sponsors’ employees. 

He packed the agenda with keynote speakers who are CEOs and leaders in the industry, and industry stalwarts who could speak to relevant topics. 

“Most of the speakers on stage are members of our audience. They don’t want to hear you,” he said.  “They want to hear from each other because they are the ones with the expertise.”

Handing out awards is a key part of the event that also builds attendance. The magazine honors  the 40 under 40, Dealers of the Year, and LBM Century Club members ​​ created to honor and celebrate LBM dealers with at least 100 years in business on state at the event. 

“We celebrate them,” he said. 

There is also ample time to mingle, make connections, and have fun, hence the Nascar Hall of Fame for cocktails and dinner. 

It’s a great example of how a small niche company with fewer than ten employees can operate strategically to punch above its weight. 

Besides hiring “the video guy”  who helped produce the short promo, the event is managed by in-house staff.  “Some of our team members bring their spouses, and they help.”

“We’re not a big, faceless corporation. We’re a deceptively small company for how much we can do.”