Diving or deep diving, North Queensland’s Port Douglas is the place to be at the end of this month.

Registrations for LINA’s 2024 Summit are about to close, and if you can drag yourself away from the Great Barrier Reef’s attractions, there’s a big week ahead for news publishers.

The Local & independent News Association (LINA) summit takes place from April 30 to May 2, with an offer of an $850 contribution to attendance costs for members an added attraction.

Registrations close on Friday, and “palm trees and sunshine aside” – as LINA executive director Claire Stuchbery puts it – there is a full programme planned, including hands-on workshops, panel discussions with influential guests and LINA members, “and of course the facilitation of meaningful, insightful conversation”.

Among highlights, author Tracy Sheen is set to talk on AI in newsrooms, exploring the integration of AI into smaller newsrooms – including where to start and how to implement it effectively.

A discussion on building and maintaining audience trust within communities will include panelists ABC head of news strategy & innovation Stuart Watt, Edelman chief executive Tom Robinson, and AAP FactCheck editor Ben James.

Other topics include ‘to paywall or not to paywall’ and a debate by six respected publishers on the opportunities and obstacles that come with the paywall decision.

Pre-conference intensive workshops cover (either) Impact Tracking or Sponsored Content on April 30, with small group learning opportunities with experts on each topic, including Rosemary D'Amour traveling from the US to share knowledge from the Impact Architects.

Visit the conference website here

Picture: Agincourt Ribbon Reef is among Port Douglas attractions