Get your boots on… and maybe have a soufflé ready. The Newspaper Works has ideas in abundance at its annual Future Forum, and Annabel Crabb’s coming to dinner!

The two-day programme (August 28-29) includes ‘bootcamp’ learning sessions, industry-leading plenary sessions and the annual Newspaper of the Year and Advertising Awards presentation evenings.

For the plenary sessions (August 29) Chris Wharton, newly-appointed chief executive officer of broadcaster and publisher Seven West Media, presents the ‘state of the industry’ address, followed by a chief executives’ forum which lines up Greg Hywood (Fairfax Media), Michael Miller (APN News & Media), Chris Wharton (West Australian Newspapers) and Kim Williams (News Corp Australia).

The morning session continues with INMA executive director and chief executive Earl Wilkinson (Global trends and ten new business models), Mediacom head of planning and investment Nick Keenan (Our date with data) and Martin Clarke, publisher of the UK’s top-rating MailOnline website.

Speakers at the afternoon session include Jim Brady, Alexander Nilo Fonseca, The Newspaper Works chief executive Mark Hollands, Matt Cunningham and Anthony Baxter.

Political journalist and TV personality Annabel Crabb hosts the Newspaper of the Year awards dinner that night.

Preceding all of this is a day of learning, built around embracing an interactive environment. Topics cover digital journalism and sales, print and logistics.

AAP editor-in-chief Tony Gillies is the key speaker at a Journalism Bootcamp, pitched at delivering online stories rich in content and context and deep in fact – in real time.

A Digital Sales Bootcamp is led by Patty Keegan, managing director of Digital Chameleon, which has worked with APN, Sensis, SBS, Fairfax Media and News. She promises a ‘top-level guide’ to advertising trends and what they mean for the professional future as publishers embrace increasingly sophisticated multi-platform strategies.

In a parallel Print & Logistics session, key speaker is Arthur Shelley, founder of Organisational Zoo and an expert on organisational culture and knowledge management. “Keeping your corporate memory has never been more important,” he says. Shelley will provide key strategies and tips for ensuring business continuity amid the tumult of change and efficiency initiatives.

The first day’s programme (August 28) concludes with the Ad Awards Cocktail Party, hosted by Mark Hollands.

The event is being held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Circular Quay. Details from the Future Forum website