There’s a new addition to our office. Up on the shelf, next to
the two Maggie awards TravelAge West won last year, is another one
we brought home just a couple weeks ago. The award, given by the
Western Publications Association (WPA), is coveted by all
magazines, and it is an honor to win again. Thanks for this award
should go to the great TAW staff that works so hard to bring you
the best trade magazine in the industry. They don’t get enough
credit in print, so I just wanted to let them know how much their
hard work is appreciated.
In fact, our staff just returned from our first-ever editorial
retreat in Portland, Ore. (see page 10). We spent a few days
conducting planning meetings and got to know the region better. Our
terrific in-house team of Associate Editor Janeen Christoff,
Assistant Editor Jamie Wetherbe, Art Director Tara Cole and
Associate Art Director Deborah Dimond, met up with our Contributing
Editors Marty Wentzel (Hawaii and Pacific Northwest), Ana Figueroa
(Cruise) and Christopher Batin (Alaska). This experienced,
dedicated and creative group had no shortage of good ideas, and I
can’t wait to incorporate them into the magazine.
One of the topics we discussed in Portland is finding ways to
give our readers more opportunities to share their concerns and
ideas with fellow Western agents. We value your input and will
continue to make that an important part of the magazine. Along
those lines, please know that I answer all e-mail sent to us (or I
make sure the appropriate person responds). We’re also interested
in publishing agent stories from fam trips, or simply lessons
learned in the course of doing business. Also, our staff frequently
attends agent events, and we plan to expand on that policy, so keep
those invites coming!
At TAW we are honored to be the hometown magazine of the Western
agent, and we strive to understand the issues our readers face day
in and day out. And that relationship is far more important to us
than any award. K.S.
