The award and virtues of this year’s recipient were presented by Mark Challinor of the INMA European Board of Directors in front of about 200 news-media executives who gathered in Liverpool at an annual European INMA/OPA conference.

The ceremony was held at the FC Liverpool’s famous Anfield Stadium where delegates had a gala dinner. (Mr. Bonsart is well known among friends as a great football fan.)

Olivier Bonsart is currently a directeur delegue at SIPA/Ouest-France in charge of strategy of this largest regional newspaper publisher in France.

He alse heads the Committee on Sales of the French Regional Newspapers Association (SPQR).

He started his career at Ouest-France in 1981 several years after he graduated from Ecole des hautes Etudes commerciales (HEC) in Paris.

Beata Jaworowska (left) and Katarzyna Kolanowska (middle) receive the prize from WAN's Dr. Aralynn McMane

The Prize was received by Beata Jaworowska, the Deputy Marketing Director in Gazeta Wyborcza (published by Agora media group), Poland, and Katarzyna Kolanowska, the Marketing Director of Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland during WAN’s Readership Conference in Amsterdam in October 16-17, 2008.

The reason for jury’s verdict was:

“This newspaper clearly engages its young readers on many fronts — from sport to education to human rights — in creative and effective ways that are sure to build loyalty. This commitment was proven again with the paper’s two entries this year that won jury commendations”

How do they win young readers? Read an article written by Ewa Tomaszewicz, head of educational content at Gazeta Wyborcza and its online services.

The “tie” (or knot) refers to the attachment by newsmedia professionals to the newsmedia industry and is presented each year by the International Newsmedia Marketing Association.

Nearly 200 delegates from 25 counties had assembled for the association’s annual European conference which covered the latest trends in newspapers, online and mobile.

Herman Verwimp, past winner of the award from Gijbels Group, Voeren, Belgium, presented the award saying:

“Every year, the European division of INMA honours one person who has contributed great value to the newsmedia world. Much of the work in the organisation is done by volunteers…people with little time in their busy agendas yet they still are willing to spend time and energy with and for INMA. After discussion with former recipients of this award, we came to one name.

This year’s recipient is a person who is always ready to help when a volunteer is needed. He has become one of the most well known names and faces in the newsmedia world. He’s super creative…which makes him ideal in his current job within one of the faster moving areas of our industry, mobile.

He became the association’s European President, currently serves on the international board, has hosted an INMA European conference in Brighton and will again next year in his home town of Liverpool, England.

Tonight we honour a truly magical man in the select group of Golden Tie award winners. One of the most charming people I know, one of the best volunteers inma ever had. If you don’t know him, grab your chance and talk to him: he’s a treasure full of ideas.

For those who don’t know who I am talking of, the Golden Tie Award winner for 2008 is, from the UK, Mark Challinor.”

Mr. Challinor responded by saying:

“The newsmedia industry had been a good friend to me over the years. Having worked inside newspapers for over 20 years and now in the digital world, in mobile, working with newspapers, I have acquired a huge network of friends on all continents: friends who would take the time for you and share their experiences and thoughts without any hesitation. That is what is important. Sharing ideas with like minded people! That’s what INMA is all about!

The network is the main thing I have taken from my time as a volunteer with the association and I intend to enhance that even more in the coming years, starting with next year’s conference in Liverpool, next October. I would like to thank the judging panel for voting for me. I am truly honoured to be given this award”.

About Mark Challinor

He is a high profile, respected marketing & promotions professional within the international newspaper industry. He started his business career in direct marketing, working on below-the-line campaigns for diverse clients such as B&Q stores and The Conservative Party in the UK.

He joined the Liverpool Echo and Daily Post as Marketing Manager in 1987, where he spent 8 years developing the brands and their various promotional/marketing campaigns in his hometown, Liverpool.

Mark came to work and live in London in 1995 where he joined Thomson Regional Newspapers as Group Promotions Manager: the group at the time, being the UK’s largest publishers of regional press. There he provided a national consultancy role to TRN centres across Britain on all promotional matters, developing newspaper sales/advertising revenues and was responsible for the training of centre staff in marketing/promotional areas.

He went on to ultimately spend over 10 years in UK national newspapers working as Promotions Director at Mirror Group Newspapers (The Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror) and Group Promotions Manager at Associated Newspapers (The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Evening Standard and Metro). Here, Mark was responsible for many high profile promotional campaigns and interaction techniques on some of the world’s largest newspapers. At Associated, he began to develop mobile marketing techniques into the Group’s promotional mix, which was where his original interest in the mobile space began.

Currently, he is Managing Director of g8wave Ltd, an integrated mobile media company with offices based in London and Boston. The company was created by the 40-year-old, Phoenix Media which is an entrepreneurial, converged media organisation, based in Boston, with interests in publishing, radio, printing, Internet, audiotext and mobile.

Five promotions that Mr. Challinor is most proud of

forum4editors.com asked this year’s Golden Tie award winner about the Top list of promotions that he carried at newspapers.

Mark Challinor responded:

“Difficult to say what was the best or indeed proudest but… here are some perhaps interesting points.

1. Launched the first ever bingo game in regional press in the 80s. Liverpool Echo.

2. Launched the first ever newspaper fantasy football game in Europe! Liverpool Echo. 80s

3. Ran the first ever “free cd” offer (free inside the paper!). Evening standard. 90s.

4. Did the original feasibility studies for launching Metro in the UK. 90s.

5. Was the pioneer in the mobile space bringing newspapers and mobile together for the first time.”