It's almost that time of year when we'll start piecing together our media kit and editorial calendar for 2008. It sounds crazy, I know, but that is the pace of things in the publishing worldwe're always living around some future date (very un-Zen). On one hand, it's disconcerting to constantly flirt with the future; on the other, it forces us to consider industry trends in a very grand way. What will the industry need in the coming 12-18 months? What will be the "hot" issues? Where are we headed exactly?
Part of the discussion here at ISS has revolved around the importance of ancillary profit centers. It's no earth-shattering revelation that storage facilities will need add-on offerings to contend with competition; but what will be surprising is the rainbow of solutions coming across the horizon. And I enjoy watching the media for clues regarding the popularity of various services.
For example, about 10 days ago, The Wall Street Journal published an article titled "Off-the-Wall (Storage) Sites for Art," highlighting the role of self-storage facilities in accommodating an art-world need. Author Daniel Grant says, "Fine-art storage is a growing segment within the entire self-storage field ... Heat and humidity controls, fire-suppression equipment, extra security (both electronic alarms and actual 24/7 personnel) and trained art handlers (and sometimes conservators and registrars) on staff are common."
Now, we've attempted to include articles on the topic of fine-art storage in past issues of Inside Self-Storage, and we've had difficulty finding operators who a) provide this service, and b) are willing to discuss the specifics of the offering. Perhaps we were attempting to uncork the topic before its time. After all, there are serious security and logistical issues to be addressed.
But what about now? Are there any operators out there keen to share an experience regarding this upper-end ancillary? In October, ISS will publish its annual "Ancillary Products & Services" issue, and I'd love to cover art storage as well as any other growing segments. We may reveal a few that will surprise you, but I'll let you simmer in anticipation.