NatMags’ briefless encounter

Early Friday morning, the Diary spotted The National Magazine Company director of communications Siobhan Kenny scurrying across Blackfriars Bridge.

Although only metres away from the towering office block on the Southbank of rival IPC Media, the NatMags spokeswoman was miles away from her Soho offices. Strange, thought the Diary. But at that morning’s invitation-only ABC figure breakfast briefing at IPC, all became clear.

Kenny, a long-time campaigner for industry-wide ABC briefings at the Periodical Publishers Association, wanted to find out how IPC handles its briefing.

With the crucial figures already public, Kenny never imagined she would be refused entry by her IPC counterpart.

The Diary, however, is happy to divulge the secret to the IPC briefings’ perennial popularity – a free champagne breakfast, of course.