Business to business media in the UK made £23bn last year and is set to grow despite the economic downturn, according to a recent Periodicals Publishers Association survey. But despite this the future for its journalists appears uncertain. Major player Reed Elsevier this year signalled its intention to get out of the advertising reliant magazines business altogether and is attempting to sell Reed Business Information, home to New Scientist and Farmers Weekly.

Last year, magazines giant Emap also decided to get out of the game when it was broken up and sold off. But Apax and Guardian Media Group‘s joint takeover of Emap Communications this year for £1bn suggests they believe the B2B side of the business has a considerable future yet.

A glance at the top-line figures from CMP Information’s annual report illustrates how the industry is evolving from primarily print publishers to face-to-face events organisers. The numbers speak for themselves. Over 60 per cent of CMPi’s revenue from last year came from face-to-face events while magazines brought home only 30 per cent and digital 10 per cent of the bacon.