Lee Newton, CEO of events organiser Media 10 has announced the formation of a new separately owned digital business

Blah Blah Digital will see Newton diversify his business empire away from just pure trade and consumer events. Newton previously launched CaboodleAI, a news aggregation software start-up during lockdown in 2020. 

Here Newton tells us what Blah Blah Digital is all about.

What exactly is Blah Blah Digital?

Lee Newton: It’s an agency that will initially operate a range of products using the data, brands and assets of Media 10 – and I am sure we will attract other companies to follow suit.  We want to attract revenues from more than just the exhibition marketing budgets from our old and new client base and if we can leverage their digital spend too then we may well have a company that dwarfs Media 10 in the future.

Why have you launched this as a separate company to Media 10?

We feel that to get the full benefit of the traction available in the digital market we need a separate entity and completely detached team working solely on digital opportunities.  Some of Media 10’s directors have been in their respective markets for many years, also being part of the new business gives us unrivalled knowledge in the homes, designs, architecture, construction and optical markets to drive a business that is unhindered by the history and complexities of running a trade and consumer events business.  The joint shareholders will not be receiving a salary for their efforts but will rely solely upon dividends from the new venture.   We believe this gives the new venture every chance of succeeding quickly – minimum cost, maximum benefit.

Who are your clients?

Currently our biggest client is Media 10 we have agreed an arms-length deal to use the power of Media 10’s long-established event brands but in a totally separate entity.   It is using the assets of Media 10 but without the handcuffs of deadlines and the finite nature of running live events.

Who else is involved?

We have set up a totally separate company and Board which includes some existing Media 10 board members as well as some new, young digitally focused blood including my own son Joe, who’s experience with Sparks 44 and DigiDoMedia will help guide the new team.  The current Media 10 Board wholeheartedly agreed that to truly take advantage of the digital marketplace a completely new entity needed establishing, driven by a new team of heavily incentivised shareholders.

How would the deal work between the two companies?

Media 10 gives Blah Blah Digital complete freedom to use their brands and data but only in a digital capacity, and the digital agency will in return also help market all the Media 10 events in a win-win scenario.

What is the business model?

Blah Blah Digital are in effect an independent digital agency – with Media 10 currently our biggest client. We have often said that we would wonder what an independent digital company would do with our data and brands, and now we are putting that into practice. Unlike a lot of digital agencies we have the advantage of having complete freedom to use the assets of Media 10 and the digital inventory and history of the brands that goes with it.

What is the long term plan?

So far we have launched over 20 digital daily and weekly newsletters using the brands and data of Media 10s assets (via the Trending Now business) and all are delivering revenues into the new entity. This is just the start and we have grand plans for the new business and the new team. Who knows, in the future this entity may launch its own events meaning that Blah Blah Digital becomes far bigger than Media 10 is. That might sound fanciful but in a changing world we believe that diversification is the key to success.