5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Happy hour at One World Trade Center

We start the INMA Media Subscriptions Summit with happy hour cocktails at One World Observatory. This place on the 104th floor of One World Trade Center, standing on the site of the original World Trade Center complex destroyed in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, is a symbol of rebirth, resilience, and renewal. As the shift to digital subscriptions has become transformative to news media across the world, we set the stage for the three-day event with “cocktails with a view.” It is not just an opportunity to get acquainted with fellow attendees; it is a platform for sharing ideas, igniting discussions, and setting the tone for a successful and engaging summit. Join us, have a drink with us, and enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Statue of Liberty, and across the Hudson River into New Jersey. INMA groups will ascend One World elevators between 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Today’s theme: Upholding the value of journalism and news brands: Evolving strategies amid technological shifts

Today’s sessions overlay the value of journalism and news brands with the technological shifts impacting media’s progress with a readers-first focus. We will tell this story through inspiring case studies focused on scaling up, emerging growth engines, premiumising journalism and storytelling, and AI’s impact on marketing.

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Registration and networking coffee

Head to the Dotdash Meredith Center at 200 Liberty Street in downtown Manhattan, the venue for the Media Subscriptions Summit. Get your registration credentials and settle into the networking lounge for coffee, tea, and snacks. Meet colleagues and connect with INMA speakers and leaders.

9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Welcome and introduction to the state of media subscriptions

The newsroom got the right story, the product made it shine, the marketing sold it, but whose job is retaining the new subscriber? A new position is on the rise, that of the Chief Subscription Officer, or whoever else is overseeing the media company’s subscription strategy and revenue, from the first touchpoint to the last. What is this job really about? And where to start?

Maribel Perez Wadsworth

President, INMA, and President and CEO, Knight Foundation, United States

Idalmy Carrera-Colucci

Summit Moderator, and Consultant and Coach, Blue Engine Collaborative, United States

Robert Whitehead

Summit Moderator, and Digital Platforms Initiative Lead, INMA, Australia

Greg Piechota

Summit Curator, and Readers First Initiative Lead, INMA, United Kingdom

9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Keynote: Embracing marketing in the age of Artificial Intelligence

Professor Rajkumar Venkatesan, renowned for his expertise in marketing analytics and co-author of The AI Marketing Canvas, will present a keynote on the integration of Artificial Intelligence into modern marketing strategies. He will discuss the evolving role of AI in understanding consumer behaviour, enhancing personalisation, and optimising and automating operations. The session will provide a practical perspective on how AI is changing the marketing landscape and what businesses need to consider to adapt effectively, using frameworks such as the AI Marketing Canvas that professor Venkatesan developed.

Rajkumar Venkatesan

Marketing Professor, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, United States

10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Interactive: Draw your 2024 subscription growth canvas

This session focuses on the biggest opportunities and challenges for navigating media subscriptions in the age of AI, and allows every summit attendee to contribute insights and learn from peers. In this dynamic and interactive dialogue with our moderators, participants will share their past year’s learnings in subscriber acquisition, engagement and retention, and bets for this year. We aim at drawing a collective subscription marketing canvas that you can take back home and use throughout 2024.

10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Networking break

Head to the lounge to connect with industry peers, discuss insights from the earlier sessions, and explore potential collaborations with industry partners. Engage with speakers and experts, or simply relax in a casual setting. Refreshments will be provided.

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Scaling-up strategies: Strengthen your brand, build a destination, and encourage trial

In this session, executives from The New York Times, Mediahuis, and Axel Springer will present key strategies for a growing market of digital news subscriptions. We will focus on the role of strong journalism brand identities amid a tsunami of AI-generated content, the application of product-led approach to grow the direct relationships with readers, and the adaption of the marketing mix for different stages in the maturity of a subscription programme. This session will offer a detailed look at how major media firms are navigating the growth stage in the product category – maximising their reach, while balancing the growth in subscriber volume with revenue.

Amy Weisenbach

Senior Vice President, Head of Marketing, The New York Times, United States

Riske Betten

Product Director, Mediahuis, Netherlands

Daniel Mussinghoff

Director, Premium, Axel Springer, Germany

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Networking lunch

Our lunch break offers an excellent opportunity to network with industry leaders, engage with session speakers, and form new connections over a buffet of hot and cold dishes and drinks. Dive into discussions about the morning insights or simply recharge before the afternoon sessions.

1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Best practices: Discover growth engines in news media across continents

In this session, leaders from Haaretz, Hearst, The Irish Times, Media24, and New Zealand Herald deconstruct the engines driving the growth in reader revenue in national, metropolitan and regional, and local markets. We will examine evolving paywall models, and how publishers are leveraging the latest in marketing technology to know subscribers better, personalise their journeys, and grow their lifetime value. Additionally, we will explore the crucial alignment of editorial, marketing, and product teams, emphasising the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration and iterative learning in a fast-paced media environment.

Carolyn Adams

General Manager, Subscriber Revenue, NZME, New Zealand

Mark Campbell

Chief Marketing Officer, Hearst Newspapers, United States

Lior Kodner

Chief Executive Officer, Digital, Haaretz, Israel

Cliona Mooney

Group Data Analytics and Insights Director, The Irish Times Group, Ireland

Madelein Venter

General Manager, Marketing and Subscriptions - News Division, Media24, South Africa

3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Networking break

Take a break and step into our lounge. Engage in conversations with fellow attendees, share insights from the day's discussions, and brainstorm partnership opportunities. Our speakers and industry experts will be available for informal chats. Refreshments will be served.

4:00 p.m. - 5:20 p.m.

Premium journalism: Upgrade storytelling for engagement and community impact

This session delves into the core value proposition and the purpose for existence of news media brands: journalism. We will focus on how newsrooms can maintain their core values while embracing technology to create differentiated, relevant, and premium content, appealing to diverse audiences and their needs. Four hand-picked innovators – a news design veteran and author from New York, an award-winning investigative journalist from London, a war correspondent and startup founder from Warsaw, and a metropolitan editor from Dallas – will challenge us on how to weave stories that resonate with communities and break through the news overload and fatigue. We will feature examples of mobile-first storytelling, using Generative AI to see and hear people otherwise invisible and unheard, and making our journalism more diverse and reflective of the audiences.

Mario Garcia

Author, AI: The Next Revolution for Content Creation, and CEO and Founder, Garcia Media, United States

Rozina Breen

Editor-in-Chief and Chief Executive Officer, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, United Kingdom

Jakub Górnicki

Reporter and Co-Founder, Outriders, Poland

Katrice Hardy

Executive Editor, The Dallas Morning News, United States

5:20 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Takeaways of the day

End the first day of the conference with a comprehensive distillation of the day's discussions. Our moderators Idalmy Carrera-Colucci and Robert Whitehead will highlight key insights, trends, and strategies shared by industry leaders.

5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Cocktail reception at Dotdash Meredith Center

We think of the cocktail reception as the delightful extension of the summit, and we invite you to continue the discussions inspired by the day’s insights over drinks in our lounge at Dotdash Meredith Center. It is a perfect opportunity for participants to unwind and network in a more relaxed atmosphere. Engage in conversations with fellow attendees, speakers, and industry partners. As the evening progresses, consider joining your peers or inviting them to join you for dinner, so you can explore Manhattan together and further deepen connections.

9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Today’s theme: Fostering growth and innovation in media subscriptions

Today’s sessions will take a case study approach to fostering growth and innovation in media subscriptions. We will break down this story into five parts today: placing the reader at the heart of your strategy, the art and science of bundling, readying your reader funnel for an adventurous 2024, contextualising subscriptions in a bigger digital business model, and what comes next with subscription-mature media companies eyeing the next growth wave.

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Registration and networking

Start your second day at the Media Subscriptions Summit with a cup of coffee, tea, and enjoy the morning snacks. This is a great opportunity to meet colleagues, connect with INMA speakers and industry partners, and set the tone for a productive day ahead.

9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.

Welcome back

Our moderators Idalmy Carrera-Colucci and Robert Whitehead plan a brief recap of the previous day’s highlights and an overview of what to anticipate in the upcoming sessions. Expect a combination of sharp insight, energising humour, and surprises as we dive into another day of Media Subscriptions Summit.

9:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Becoming readers-first: Place the reader at the heart of your strategy

In this session, we delve into stories of strategic and organisational renewal. Stampen, La Repubblica, and Advance Local will share experiences in transforming their companies to customer-centric. Hear the stories from the trenches about what it takes to see the change. Sometimes this transformation is accelerated by a crisis. Sometimes it takes years to build trust, align visions, and break down silos between newsrooms and business departments to deliver on user needs. This transformation’s North Star may be an enhanced reader engagement and willingness to pay, but the reward is a sustainable news organisation.

Christofer Ahlqvist

Editor-in-Chief, Göteborgs-Posten, Sweden

Hanna Månsson

Head of B2C, Stampen, Sweden

Filippo Davanzo

Head of Digital, La Repubblica and Magazines, GEDI Group, Italy

Dan Christ

Director, Customer Research, Advance Local, United States

Ann Poe

Senior Vice President of Digital Consumer Revenue, Advance Local, United States

11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Networking break

Join us in the lounge and mingle with industry peers, discuss session takeaways, and build relationships with potential collaborators. Meet with speakers, experts, and partners in a relaxed environment while enjoying refreshments.

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Marketing evolutions: From trust as a business model to the art and science of bundling

This session brings together executives from Bonnier, Dow Jones, and Schibsted to discuss the transformation of marketing strategy and operations of global, national, and local brands. Turning their readers’ trust into a business vehicle, these industry leaders adopt audience-first approach to storytelling and bundle products and services to attract a wider audience, increase subscriber value, and boost revenue from subscriptions. This session aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the best-in-class marketing evolution and innovation, and evidence on how it contributes to the growth and sustainability.

Sherry Weiss

Chief Marketing Officer, Dow Jones, United States

Tor Jacobsen

Senior Vice President, Consumer and Subscriptions, Schibsted, Norway

Alexander Lydecker

Chief Commercial Officer, Bonnier News, Sweden

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Networking lunch

Join us for a lunch break, designed for attendees to build professional networks and share insights over a delicious meal. Engage in discussions about the morning’s learnings, or just enjoy the relaxed ambiance.

2:00 p.m. - 3:10 p.m.

Mastering the tactics: Ready your reader funnel for success in 2024 and beyond

This session brings together The Washington Post, Handelsblatt, and Nikkei to share how they keep their funnels healthy during big news events, such as the upcoming 2024 U.S. presidential elections or Paris Olympics, and during low news cycles. Our experts will present how they utilise a mix of offline and online marketing channels for brand promotion and broadening the top of the funnel. Fostering organic growth entails building a solid base with registrations and engagement of readers in the mid-funnel. Finally, at the bottom of the funnel, a busy news cycle helps drive conversions but poses a challenge for publishers of retaining the new subscribers. Hear what they learned from the previous news-related bumps.

Anjali Iyer

Global Head of Subscriptions Marketing, The Washington Post, United States

Mio Kataoka

Product Manager, Nikkei, Japan

Norihiko Sawa

Principal Research Engineer, Nikkei, United States

Wiebke Meeder

Chief Marketing Officer, Handelsblatt, Germany

3:10 p.m. - 3:40 p.m.

Networking break

Step away into our lounge. Refresh and recharge with an assortment of snacks and beverages before the last plenary session of the summit. Engage in discussions about the day’s learnings and prepare for the closing keynote.

3:40 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.

Balancing revenue models: Navigate the dilemmas of driving digital subscriptions in diversified media companies

This session addresses the practical solution to strategic challenges media companies face in balancing different revenue models: subscriptions vs. advertising, or online vs. offline. Speakers from Bloomberg News, Fortune Media, and The Atlantic offer new insights into avoiding common pitfalls in managing digital products, and into ensuring great user experience, without sacrificing revenue opportunities. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how to effectively manage requirements of different models, compare revenue opportunities, and prioritise actions recommended to users.

Marissa Zanetti-Crume

Head of Product, Bloomberg News, United States

Selma Stern

Chief Customer Officer, Fortune Media, Germany

Megha Garibaldi

Chief Growth Officer, The Atlantic, United States

4:50 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Takeaways of the day

Moderators Idalmy Carrera-Colucci and Robert Whitehead will summarise the day's most significant moments, ensuring attendees leave with a clear understanding of the key insights and emerging trends.

5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Closing keynote: The future of media subscriptions in the age of AI

In 2023, INMA Researcher-in-Residence Greg Piechota visited in-person 40+ newsrooms across the world, met subscription teams from 100+ member companies, and analysed performance data of 180+ news brands benchmarking with INMA. In this keynote closing the Media Subscription Summit, Greg will synthesise what he saw, heard, and discovered in the data: What are the traits of the fast-growing brands? What is holding back other publishers? Where the next disruption might be looming? The session will offer INMA predictions for key subscription performance indicators in 2024, and recommend priorities for investment to ensure quick wins and long-term growth. The keynote will also address the dual-edged nature of AI in news marketing – its potential to revolutionise user experience and publishers’ operations, alongside the competitive risks and ethical concerns it presents.

Greg Piechota

Researcher-In-Residence and Readers First Initiative Lead, INMA, United Kingdom

6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Cocktail reception at Fraunces Tavern

As we wrap up the Media Subscriptions Summit and prepare for Friday’s day of seminars and meet-ups, join INMA at the Financial District’s Fraunces Tavern, New York’s oldest and most historic bar and restaurant that was a watering hole for many of the United States’ founding fathers. Established in 1762, walk through the doors of Fraunces Tavern and imagine George Washington’s emotional farewell to the troops. The INMA reception will be in the Bissell Room, named in honour of the ancestors of Revolutionary War Private Isaac Bissell and dominated by a painted mural of New York in 1717. Cheers to INMA colleagues before going out to dinner.