For many years Air Business has provided global distribution solutions for Mark Allen Group’s publications. This relationship has grown from strength to strength during that time, enabling Air Business to earn an opportunity to demonstrate their expertise and experience within the events arena.

Mark Allen Group is hosting the Aerospace Test & Development Show in Toulouse in September and the Consumer Electronics Test & Development Expo in Amsterdam in October.

This announcement follows the recent expansion by Air Business of its global event logistics team, with Tony Farrow joining as Head of Event Logistics as part of ambitious growth plans driven by increased customer demand. Many publishing and media brands are increasingly focusing on in-person events as a method of engaging with audiences, as part of diversified business strategies.

Lenka Booker, Strategy & Transformation Director at Air Business, added, “We are thrilled at this opportunity to work with Mark Allen Group as their official event logistics partner. Our mission is to bring a whole new level of customer service to the events sector, ensuring that we take away any hassles so that organisers and exhibitors alike are able to enjoy the show, stress-free.”

Air Business, the award-winning global logistics and technology business, has announced the renewal of its strategic partnership with the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) for 2024.

The 15th year of the partnership will see Air Business as a lead partner of the PPA Festival in April and the PPA Awards in June, as well as the sole sponsor of the PPA Member Reception later in the year. They will also be supporting the PPA’s celebration of young talent, the Next Gen Awards, and the PPA Independent Publisher Awards this Autumn/Winter.

Air Business is renowned for providing publishers and media businesses with high-quality solutions for their logistics and technology challenges. Always seeking to innovate and develop their range of services to support the ever-evolving needs of customers, this year Air Business is expanding its global event logistics services and launching a new eCommerce shipping platform, Consero, to further serve the diverse requirements of the industry.

Adam Sherman, Chief Executive Officer at Air Business, commented: “We are excited to renew our partnership with the PPA for another year and we look forward to continued collaboration with publishers and media businesses throughout 2024. We hope that our expanded services, particularly in event logistics and eCommerce technology, will provide a springboard for our clients to achieve their growth targets.”

Sajeeda Merali, PPA Chief Executive Officer, added: “Air Business has been a great supporter of our sector for many years and I’m delighted to see our partnership continue. They are a trusted partner for many of our members and are always striving to stay ahead of the curve to deliver for their clients.”

Air Business has a well-deserved reputation for providing its customers with quality solutions to meet their logistics and technology challenges, continually innovating and developing their range of services to support the evolving needs of clients.

The expansion of the Air Business global event logistics team comes as many publishing brands are accelerating new face-to-face experiences for their audiences. Many clients and their exhibitors face complex logistical challenges which create inertia and distraction from the events themselves, leading to negative experiences and making renewal in subsequent years more challenging.

Tony joins a dedicated team with a proven track record in events and freight logistics, strengthening their combined expertise and enabling the expansion of services to address growing demand. Tony is a seasoned professional who brings with him more than 30 years’ experience in international and domestic transportation and logistics and has focused on events for the last 15.

Lenka Booker, Strategy & Transformation Director at Air Business, commented, “We are delighted to welcome Tony to our team. His experience will prove invaluable in our objective of delivering a highly personalised, secure and reliable service which is so important in event logistics. Our ethos of high service quality and customer experience is central to our business success and growth, a key part of our culture and a core element of our goal of being your trusted partner.”

Tony Farrow, Head of Event Logistics, added, “I am excited to join Air Business and look forward to helping to expand our services. Our aim is to take away the hassle for event organisers and exhibitors so that they can focus 100% of their attention on the show. We understand that happy exhibitors are crucial to successful events and this remains the primary focus for our team.”

Sarah joins Air Business from Marks & Spencer, having worked at both an operational and strategic level across both generalist and specialist HR roles within the group. She brings with her a wealth of experience from a range of disciplines including employee engagement, wellbeing, coaching, talent & succession planning, inclusion & diversity and learning & development.

Sarah’s role will see her lead the company’s HR function and take on responsibility for managing Air Business’ sustainability plans.

Sarah Manlow, Chief People & Sustainability Officer, commented, “I am excited to join Air Business and believe that the best commercial outcomes are achieved through a positive workplace culture, built on a foundation of values, engagement, and high performance. I collaborate with teams to build and execute HR strategy and innovation, delivering pragmatic solutions that aim to bring out the best in the workforce today and prepare for the workforce of the future. On the sustainability side, I am focused on building on the excellent work that Air Business has already done to identify, measure and reduce its environmental impact.”

Adam Sherman, Chief Executive Officer at Air Business, added, “We are delighted to welcome Sarah to Air Business and we look forward to her playing an integral role, both in developing how we manage and look after our people, and in driving forward our ongoing sustainability efforts.”

ISO 27001 certification demonstrates that an organisation has invested in the people, processes, and technology to protect its data and provides an independent, expert assessment of whether that data is sufficiently protected.

Following a recent audit, Air Business was noted to be continuing to maintain and improve processes effectively, with highlights including leadership and commitment, a comprehensive Cyber Incident Management process, and strong information security awareness demonstrated during staff interviews.

Andy Haylar, Group IT Director at Air Business, commented, “We are delighted to achieve recertification for the ISO 27001 standard, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to global best practices in information security. We know that our clients truly value the reassurance provided by this accreditation.”

Adam Sherman, Chief Executive Officer at Air Business, added, “We take the security of our data and that of our customers incredibly seriously, so to be recognised as continuing to fulfil the required standards and audit criteria is welcome news indeed.”

Peter served as Chief Executive Officer at Brill, a leading publisher in the fields of Humanities, International Law and Social Sciences. Prior to that, he held senior roles at Springer Nature Group and Kluwer Academic Publishers.

This appointment follows significant investment in technology and systems over the past few years, which has seen Air Business continue to develop its service offering to meet the ever-evolving needs of all its customers, with specific customisation for academic publishers. As a long-standing supplier to the market, Air Business’ subscriptions arm was previously owned by Reed Business Information, part of what is now the RELX Group, demonstrating a rich heritage in the sector.

Peter’s vast experience and understanding of the sector will be fundamental to his role at Air Business, where he will provide insight and expertise across sales and marketing strategy, product development, service delivery and customer experience.

Adam Sherman, Chief Executive Officer, Air Business, added: “Peter is a fantastic addition to our academic team and his appointment will build on the investment that we have made in this sector in recent years. Peter brings with him an enormous wealth of knowledge and experience which I am sure will prove invaluable to our clients.”

Peter Coebergh, Advisor for Academic Development, Air Business, said: “I am thrilled to be joining Air Business to help drive growth in the academic publishing market. Having worked directly with Air Business in the past, I have been extremely impressed by the expertise demonstrated by the team, and the high-quality services they provide, from migration through to the general day-to-day business of supporting complex academic clients.”

Air Business, the award-winning global distribution, subscriptions and e-commerce management company, is pleased to be the distribution partner for NME’s relaunched print magazine, available this summer. Air Business has been selected as a distribution partner due to their successful history of distribution management for numerous publications and handling mailing worldwide.

The early 2000’s was a challenging time for printed magazines as many publications chose to move away from print and over to digital distribution methods. There has, however, always been a demand for print magazines as some readers still enjoy flicking through pages and experiencing the look and feel of a physical magazine in their hands.

NME ceased printing of their magazine to focus predominantly on digital releases in 2018 but the brand has taken the positive decision to return to print for 2023. Their multigenerational audience are not 100% digital natives and still really care about the quality of experience that only physical media can bring.

“Print has always been a cornerstone of the NME brand, and we are thrilled to announce the return of an icon,” said NME Networks’ Chief Operating & Commercial Officer of NME Networks Holly Bishop. “Our new global magazine will curate the very best of NME; championing emerging artists and bands and serving as the definitive voice in pop culture.”

Paul Hatch, Group Customer Director at Air Business, added: “We are delighted at the return of NME to print and to be involved in the relaunch of such an iconic brand as their distribution partner.”

The ISO 14064 standard provides organisations with an integrated set of tools for programs aimed at measuring, quantifying and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Air Business has worked in partnership with Carbonology Ltd to create an Emissions Monitoring System, allowing data to be added at regular intervals to track performance for both consumption (electricity, gas, water, etc.) and emissions, whilst also helping to streamline the process for meeting mandatory reporting requirements, including Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR).

The two companies have also worked to develop a Sustainability Matrix for outbound goods, enabling the company to identify the distances that goods travel. This matrix will be used for long-term monitoring of Air Business’s downstream transportation emissions, with the aim of assisting our clients in reaching their own sustainability targets.

Adam Sherman, Chief Executive Officer at Air Business, commented, “I’m delighted that Air Business has reached this milestone of verification of our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions as we are fully committed to minimising emissions across our business and throughout our supply chain. Sustainability is an integral consideration for any company, particularly those involved in the logistics industry, so this is another important step forward for Air Business on our sustainability journey.”

Anthony Bunker, Accreditation and Sustainability Manager, added “We are now tracking a wide range of emissions related to Air Business, including upstream and downstream transportation, business travel, employee commuting and homeworking, and the recycling of materials. All of this information feeds in to support our wider Sustainability Roadmap and Carbon Reduction planning.”

James has significant experience in the logistics sector, having previously held senior positions at Aldi UK, Aldi SUD and most recently at Evri, where he was Head of Courier Operations.

James replaces outgoing Operations Director Laitan Etti, who retired earlier this year after more than 35 years of service with Air Business. James’ role has overall responsibility for the operational strategy of the company’s distribution arm, with a key focus on ensuring exceptional service standards. He manages all elements of the distribution process including warehousing, fulfilment and e-commerce.

Adam Sherman, Chief Executive Officer of Air Business, said “We are delighted to welcome James to our senior management team as we continue to strive for the highest possible standards. James has a sustained record of success within fast-paced environments across a range of industries, from grocery retail and innovation, to parcel logistics and courier operations.”

James added, “I am thrilled to have joined Air Business during an exciting period of transformation. I am passionate about creating an outstanding and memorable experience for our customers, whilst also delivering on our business objectives.”

James reports to Chief Operating Officer Phil Ions and is based at Air Business’ headquarters and distribution centre in Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

The results compare favourably against industry competitors at 8.1%, and the UK average of 14.9%. Their shareholder, An Post, has reported parity and Air Business is keen to achieve the same.

Air Business has made excellent progress in narrowing the gender pay gap. Reporting regulations were introduced in 2017, when it became a legal obligation for UK employers of 250+ staff to identify and publish any gender pay gaps within their organisation.

Clare Wheeler, Chief People & Sustainability Officer, added: “We are incredibly proud that we have again reduced the gender pay gap at Air Business, ensuring that all of our people are fairly renumerated based on their contribution to our business, rather than their gender.”