Oct 17, 2025

Philippe van Mastrigt

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Reflections from the Fall Conference Season: STM and the Frankfurt Book Fair

The past week was a dynamic and inspiring time for the global publishing community. Our Executive Director of Product & Market Strategy John Sheehy and Managing Director in Europe Philippe van Mastrigt had the pleasure of attending two major industry gatherings in Germany — the STM Annual Conference and the Frankfurt Book Fair — each offering valuable insights into the evolving landscape of scientific communication and publishing at large.

STM Annual Conference: Science Diplomacy in Focus

This year’s STM (International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers) conference centered on the timely theme of science diplomacy: the use of scientific collaboration and expertise to foster international cooperation and address shared global challenges.

Sessions explored how science diplomacy operates at the intersection of research, technology, and foreign policy, through three key lenses:

Diplomacy for science: Facilitating international research partnerships through diplomatic channels.
Science for diplomacy: Using collaboration in science to build trust and strengthen global relationships.
Science in diplomacy: Informing policy decisions with reliable, evidence-based insights.

The conversations underscored the importance of global collaboration in tackling issues that transcend borders — from climate change to pandemic preparedness to nuclear non-proliferation. It was both a reminder and a call to action for publishers to continue playing a central role in the free and ethical exchange of scientific knowledge.

The Frankfurt Book Fair: Reconnecting and Reimagining

Just one day later, the energy shifted from scientific diplomacy to industry celebration at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world’s leading venue for printed and digital content. Publishers, authors, and cultural innovators from across the globe came together to share ideas, form partnerships, and close deals.

The Frankfurt Book Fair is a true colossus in the publishing world, with vast halls teeming with activity. Every corridor buzzes with purposeful movement and collaboration. With a dozen of our client companies in attendance, primarily in the academic and scholarly world, this year's event provided a wonderful opportunity for us to engage with teams from AIR Business, Oxford University Press, Human Kinetics, American Medical Association, The IET, and many others.

Looking Ahead

From the thought-provoking discussions at STM to the buzz of the Frankfurt Book Fair, this season’s events reinforced one message: the publishing world continues to be a cornerstone of global connection, whether through science, diplomacy, or culture. We left Frankfurt feeling energized and optimistic about what lies ahead, and happy to have connected with so many of our clients.

“I have known and partnered with the staff of AdvantageCS since 2015, when we began laying the groundwork that led to the 2017 launch of a new business operating software system and deployment of their Cider web platform for eCommerce. They are people of integrity and deliver what they say they will deliver, and do it at--and at times, under—budget. They invested significantly in an ONIX integration project that has enabled us to have gold star data feeds to major accounts, and the strong subscription management capabilities of Advantage have enabled us to significantly grow our direct-to-consumer sales.”

Jeff Crosby

President & CEO

ECPA

(To the team upon going live on the final wave of their multi-phase migration to Advantage) “It was a wonderful launch. I would like to express our gratitude to you for the fantastic (double) launch of Advantage and the data warehouse at Mediahuis Nederland. Projects of this size and complexity are rare. But it was a great ride. Your commitment serves as an example to others. People often worked late into the night. There were teams in Portugal, America, Belgium and the Netherlands. Many bumps, and sometimes mountains, had to be overcome, and all this at a distance due to COVID-19 measures. But you all succeeded. From now on it all really starts with Advantage!”

Xavier van Leeuwe

CEO of Digital Marketplaces

Mediahuis Nederland

I have worked with other vendors implementing systems who didn't seem to care about the job or the quality of their work. I have learned that the most important thing about any vendor is their people. In my 17+ years of using Advantage and working with AdvantageCS, I am still impressed with the dedication and integrity of the people there. The quality of their work is important to them and I can trust them to work with me until I am fully satisfied.

Mark Fung-a-fat

Former Director of Business Systems

Massachusetts Medical Society

"Your staff are people who act with integrity. From veteran employees to the more recent hires, I’m very pleased with AdvantageCS as an organization.”

Tricia Koning

Former Director of Information Technology

InterVarsity Press

“We are extremely pleased to now have Advantage running in three countries---Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Having Advantage as the single subscription system provides the efficiencies, cost reductions, and superior capabilities we need to move forward. The people at AdvantageCS are real professionals.”

Svend Erik Hansen

Former IT Director, Business Solutions

Aller Media

My favorite thing is AdvantageCS as a company; there are so many dedicated people.

Klas Persson

Former Head of Marketing Systems, Business Technology

Egmont

I like how information stays if I have to move from subscriptions, for example, to something else---it's great not to have to look up the customer information again. And I like the flow of the tables; they flow from one to the next very well.

Denise Spickler

Senior Customer Service Rep

Wolters Kluwer Health

“With Advantage, ACS offers a customer relationship management solution that excels in managing subscriptions, mail order, and digital access. From my perspective, it has no equivalent in France and Europe. Another plus is the active user group of 50+ global clients who add enhancements to the software and with whom we can network.”

Emmanuel Chevalier

Director, Customer Relationship Information Systems

Bayard

My favorite thing is the support of BPA audit requirements. I don't have to worry about it; it's always there and it works.

Randy Yi

Business Manager

American Association for the Advancement of Science

"The system works smoothly and in accordance with our expectations."

Carsten Weber

CEO

Expressen Lifestyle

"We have a fabulous relationship with ACS. They give us a chance to contribute and shape the product, which is unique in the vendor world."

Suzanne Earley

Managing Director, Back Office Solutions

The Agora Companies

I love all the different ways I can do promotions. Advantage offers so many possibilities!

Kirsten Wandall Ohlsen

Marketing Automation Manager

Aller Leisure A/S

"Bayard has found with AdvantageCS a reliable long-term partner---something that was considered risky by many other French publishers when it was selected 15+ years ago, being the first in the French and continental market."

Hubert Chicou

Chairman of the Supervisory Board

Bayard

I have so many favorite things but I guess the top one would have to be the AdvantageCS staff. I've been working with them for quite a few years and everyone has always been friendly and helpful.

Joe Wixted

Director | Fulfillment Systems

American Medical Association

My favorite thing is the reporting. I like the flexibility and the fact that I can modify my own stuff.

Paul Aviles

Operations Director

My favorite thing is the help section---it's great! And also, the tremendous flexibility of the system.

Terri Cannon

Client Services Manager

Informa

Advantage supports large parts of our business and we can almost always find a way to use it to do what we want to do. Through our user experience, and in talking to other Advantage clients, I am amazed by the multitude of ways that different people use different system modules and components.

Dominic Toasland

Subscription Management Platform Architect

CDS Global

“Our business is built on Advantage---it is the heart of all our transactions. I have always had great experiences with ACS staff, and Advantage continues to get better and better.” (Comment explaining his reasons for giving ACS staff and services an “Excellent" rating.)

Getty Sarno

Chief Enterprise Architect

The Agora Companies

We are working together as an organization to better the product of Advantage so we can effectively be better together in the marketplace. A stronger Advantage is a stronger us as we go forward.

Terry Rowinski

President

CDS Global (US)

Reflections from the Fall Conference Season: STM and the Frankfurt Book Fair

STM Annual Conference: Science Diplomacy in Focus

The Frankfurt Book Fair: Reconnecting and Reimagining

Looking Ahead

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