Background

INMA launched The CEO Roundtable for chief executives, board chairs, and owners of corporate member media companies in 2023 as an interactive retreat to confidentially discuss the major issues facing news media companies.

The Roundtable is built around two days of programming and group activities designed to stimulate and inspire — both professionally and personally. It is a rare step-back moment for CEOs.

After two highly successful Roundtables in Vail, Colorado, this year’s retreat shifts to California’s Napa Valley where INMA will bring together its world-class experts. Yet as we learned in the first two years, our 50 participants can take the Roundtable in whatever direction they like — and they will!

Roundtable programming

Overview: Meticulously prepared for a CEO audience, Roundtable programming centers on INMA priorities such as business models, subscriptions, advertising, product & tech, newsroom transformation, and generative AI.

Style: The sessions are a mix of classic presentations along with group discussions, whiteboard exercises, unconferencing, and even the occasional mock trials. Every session is different in content and style, always designed to keep participants engaged until the very end. Faculty presentations are conversation starters.

Chatham House rules: The Roundtable operates under “Chatham House rules” whereby participants may use the information generated yet otherwise not publicly reveal discussions. That includes sharing information on social media.

Attire: While not part of programming, a crucial part of the Roundtable is its informality. Attire is casual: no suits, no ties, no jackets. Jeans are perfectly acceptable.

Bonus: The INMA faculty is available to participants throughout the Roundtable for less official engagements and conversations.

Making CEO connections

As important as what happens inside the four walls of The CEO Roundtable meeting room are the connections INMA encourages outside those walls. This has been the No. 1 reason CEOs are returning each year to soak up not only the Roundtable programming ... but also the Roundtable vibe.

Beyond breakfasts and lunches, all 2025 Roundtable attendees and spouses/partners will participate in an exclusive wine-tasting at nearby wineries, a backyard vineyard dinner, intimate small-group dinners, and even some competitive bocce ball.

Venue at Harvest Inn

Napa Valley is known around the world for its wines, but also its unique California country atmosphere. No venue better captures this ethos than the Valley’s hidden secret, Harvest Inn. In the very heart of Napa Valley and on the southern tip of the quaint town of St. Helena, the rustic Harvest Inn not only will host the Roundtable sessions ... it will serve as your California country home for the Roundtable’s duration. It is a jumping off point for dozens of wineries, shopping, and outdoor activities. If you are renting a car, there’s another bonus: Parking is free.

History of The Roundtable

The original Roundtable was founded by Tom Ratkovich of ASTECH InterMedia in 1993 in Snowmass, Colorado, as an annual gathering of publishing professionals surrounding database marketing. The Roundtable was the “anti-conference” — intimate, casual, eclectic — with an emphasis on interaction and exchange. In 1999, The Roundtable migrated to the Sonnenalp Hotel in Vail. The change of venue brought with it a change of focus as The Roundtable focused on media transformation in a digital age. Upon Tom's retirement in 2019, INMA assumed the Roundtable's mantle and launched its CEO version after the pandemic in 2023. Nearly 1,600 news executives have participated in The Roundtable over 29 years.