Keynote speakers for the upcoming LINA Summit include two strategists who have helped drive publisher transformations.
They are David Grant of US-based Blue Engine, and Australian WordPress expert Ben May, founder and managing director of The Code Company.
Grant’s experience included four years at Facebook owner Meta and eight as associate publisher of the Christian Science Monitor.
Ahead of the LINA Summit in Murray Bridge, South Australia, he will look at “the other side of local news’ decline”, looking at how publishers are going on the offensive with geographic expansion, new products and services, and even marketing. He is general manager for partnerships, products and strategy at Blue Engine Collaborative.
May will explore what's shifting in how audiences find news online, which habits and channels are worth your attention, and how a small team can use the same technology disrupting discovery to build something more resilient.
Ahead of the LINA programme, three all-day limited space sessions include Dan Oshinsky on ‘revenue ready newsletters’, bringing US experience from the New Yorker and Buzzfeed, and now runs email consultancy Inbox Collective. Other session topics include JB Alary on the business of video journalism.
The ‘summit proper’ is at the Bridgeport Hotel on March 26-27, with the workshop sessions and a welcome dinner the previous day.
Cost of the summit is $180 to members and $330 to non-members, both including the dinner, and there’s a reminder that travel subsidies of up to $400 are available to member publishers.
The still-evolving programme will be introduced by LINA executive director Claire Stuchbery, and includes a profile of publisher co-host the Murray Bridge News, and an update on the Copyright Agency from Lucinda Gardiner.
More details to follow and from LINA.
Pictured: The paddle steamer Murray Princess at Murray Bridge