• by Melynda Fuller , March 13, 2019

Conde Nast’s Architectural Digest is set to introduce a new B2B platform called AD Pro targeting architects, decorators and contractors, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The new platform is part of a strategy to reach a wider range of professionals and diversity revenue. It launches April 2.

Costing $240 annually, or 12 times the yearly subscription price, notes the WSJ, the platform is predicted to bring in 15,000 subscribers during its first year of business. AD Pro will offer subscribers a mix of breaking news, job listings, events and master-class videos. 

Subscribers will also have access to the AD Pro Work/Shop series. That includes in-market seminars, live panels and shoppable events to help with product sourcing, networking and career advice culled from Architectural Digest editors and notables from the publication’s annual AD100 list. 

According to Eric Gillin, Conde Nast’s Chief Business Officer in the lifestyle division, AD Pro has a reporting staff of 10 and is “intended to help craftsmen, tradesmen and interior designers grow their business.”

Membership includes a daily email newsletter and a dedicated landing area on Architectural Digest’s website. A preview of four free posts is accessible to interested readers.

“Think of it as a membership rather than a paywall product,” Gillin told the WSJ.

The platform is supported through a combination of subscriptions and advertising. Samsung-owned luxury home-appliance brand Dacor is the platform’s debut sponsor, while advertisers include the Container Store Group Inc.