The Caxtons is on, but no junket this year

By Brendan Coyne | 9 July 2013
 
The Newspaper Works CEO Mark Hollands

The Caxtons' famed jamboree to an exotic location will not happen this year. But the awards will. And next year the junket could be back. Tasmania has been mooted.

News on the newspaper awards had been thin on the ground until this week, with rumours circulating that its 39th iteration might be shelved until next year due to publishers cutting back on budgets.

However, Mark Hollands, CEO of the Newspaper Works, scotched that, telling AdNews that the awards were definitely on and that calls for entry would land in the next two weeks.

While admitting that time was at a premium for all parties, he stressed that it was not a case of publishers cutting back on budgets. It was a case of "taking the time to recalibrate the event" and broaden it out to digital and beyond, he said.

"The [committee] feedback was that we needed greater participation from media buyers and publishers. So we will take a year out and recalibrate for 2014. We could go to MONA (The Museum of Old and New Art) in Tasmania if there is appetite for it."

He said that the pace of change across media meant that the event needed a re-think and that going beyond print and further into digital "requires a lot of thought ... we need time to think that through."

Hollands said that there were two venues in mind for the 2013 awards.

Meanwhile, the Caxtons has a new chair. The Hallway creative director, Simon Lee, takes over from outgoing chairman, Justin Drape, creative partner at The Monkeys.

Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.

Have something to say? Send us your comments using the form below or contact the writer at brendancoyne@yaffa.com.au

Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au

Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.

comments powered by Disqus