• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, December 6, 2013

Business-to-business media revenues increased in the first half of the year, thanks to growth in digital advertising, business information services, and conferences and events, which offset continuing losses on the print side, according to the latest figure from American Business Media's Business Information Network.

Total B2B media industry revenues increased 4.4% from $12.56 billion in the first half of 2012 to $13.11 billion in the first half of 2013. Within these figures, digital advertising jumped 24.8% from $1.88 billion to $2.35 billion, while revenues from data and business information grew 7.1% from $1.23 billion to $1.31 billion, and revenues from events including trade shows and exhibitions increased 2.7% from $5.71 billion to $5.87 billion.

On the down side, print advertising slid 4.3% from $3.74 billion to $3.58 billion over the same period.

While the year-over-year growth was certainly good news, the BIN report also included some ominous signs: the slowdown in event revenues -- a key source of growth for B2B media over the last couple of years -- is particularly troubling, especially as the decline in print advertising continues unabated.

On that note, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, which provides BIN with figures for events revenues, forecast “minimal growth through 2013,” suggesting that growth in events revenues from the second half wasn't much better (and maybe even worse).

Events have contributed a larger share of B2B media's total revenues in recent years, increasing from 42% in 2008 to 45% in the first half of 2013, per BIN figures.