If connecting our group of 50 CEOs is one of the goals of the Napa Roundtable, introductions are in order. In this opening session over coffee and breakfast snacks, learn who is in the room, why they’re in the room, and what unique insights they bring and want to hear. Also pick up your registration credentials.
Session leader:
Gert Ysebaert, President, INMA (President and CEO, Mediahuis)
Be introduced to fellow Roundtable participants over a “welcome” of two exclusive wine tastings and pairings at elite Napa Valley vineyards. The tour will depart the Harvest Inn at 9:30 a.m. and return to the Harvest Inn no later than 3:00 p.m. Spend the balance of the afternoon exploring Napa Valley and St. Helena.
Before dinner on your own in St. Helena, join participants at the Harvest Inn’s Bocce Grove. Over wine and cocktails, sit among the redwoods and enjoy the fire pit while dabbling in Napa Valley’s favourite sport, bocce ball (also Jenga and cornhole).
Make your St. Helena dinner reservations in advance. Note that some of our recommended restaurants close early: The Charter Oak (family style), Press Restaurant (American), Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch (comfort food), Gott's Roadside (gourmet burgers), Cook St. Helena (Italian), Forum at Meadowood (elegant), Gatehouse Restaurant (Culinary Institute).
Join fellow Roundtable participants for an INMA-hosted continental breakfast before we kickstart programming.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed in the titanic tech changes and the silo’d efforts to retrofit media companies for digital sustainability. In this session drawing on more than three decades of interactions with news media worldwide, what are the macro-trends that lead us to this moment — and point us to the next 18 months? How to roll up consumer revenue models, commerce possibilities, newsroom transformation, generative AI, and the relationships with tech companies into a picture that brings publishers together?
Session leader:
Earl J. Wilkinson, Executive Director and CEO, INMA
Take a break, meet someone new, ask questions of speakers. Text or telephone if you must.
Navigating the technology universe has gotten more complicated and interesting with the rise of answer engines and the fusion with search. In this session, learn how much closer Google, OpenAI, and Apple (among others) are getting to relationships with consumers. As more sits within their walled gardens and we have less control over search, alerts and summaries, what does the future of our relationships with consumers look like? Where will discovery come from? As a group, we will discuss various scenarios and how we prepare for it.
Session leader:Jodie Hopperton, Product & Tech Initiative Lead, INMA
Subscriptions will get many publishers to the business model finish line. Yet for others, notably regional publishers, subscriptions are only the beginning. In this session, INMA will fuse together internal data showing a potential for sparking network effects among those who crack content discovery within a subscription bundle – one of today’s hottest subject. Many publishers see an opportunity to link product discovery and commerce with unbiased, relevant and easily digestible content, and reach some of the growing budgets. AI emerges as a game-changer, powering new contextual targeting, enhancing behavioural targeting based on the first-party data, and transforming creativity in content advertising.
Session leader:
Greg Piechota, Researcher-in-Residence, INMA
Take a break, meet someone new, ask questions of speakers. Text or telephone if you must.
What news media CEOs need to know about the fast-changing advertising and commerce ecosystem is the focus of today's closing session. Learn how to navigate the new era of digital advertising and its rapidly multipying commerce possibilities. What can you control vs. what do you need to know to navigate?
We will conclude today's programme with a smart distillation and key takeaways.
Deepen connections with Roundtable peers over a “bon vivant” family reception and dinner in the shadow of the Whitehall vineyard in the backyard of the Harvest Inn. Watch the sunset over great wine and a sumptuous meal. This promises to be the highlight of the week (and the most picturesque).
Join Roundtable participants for continental breakfast before diving into today's agenda.
Discover how AI is accelerating the success of news media companies by unlocking strategic advantages and driving growth. This session is focused on sharing insights on harnessing AI's potential to create value and dives into the power of AI, from understanding news consumers' evolving attitudes toward AI to identifying high-ROI use cases that deliver tangible results. Learn how to scale AI adoption seamlessly across your organization with proven strategies, optimized team structures, and essential guardrails. Plus, uncover what CEOs need to know about GenAI and its profound impact on the workforce as we approach 2026.
Session leader:
Sonali Verma, Generative AI Initiative Lead, INMA
Take a break, meet someone new, ask questions of speakers. Text or telephone if you must.
In a world where media distribution is becoming even more fractured, our brand needs to stand out amongst the noise. But brand is more than a masthead or logo. It’s about how audiences engage with it. What does your brand mean to different audiences? How do they experience it, and how can we create a deep brand engagement with multiple audiences across multiple channels?
Session leader:
Robert Whitehead, Digital Platform Initiative Lead, INMA
Commoditised content is everywhere, and our journalism needs to stand out to succeed. In an era of significantly declining search and social traffic, newsrooms must evolve to deliver the kind of stories and multi-media – and at the times and in the formats that readers want – to engender longer-lasting, loyal relationships. To get there, it’s crucial that our newsrooms embrace data, understand user needs, and move farther away from journalism of the past. This session will explore those concepts, as well as the importance of breaking silos with other parts of the organisation.
Session leader:
Amalie Nash, Newsroom Transformation Initiative Lead, INMA
Take a break, meet someone new, ask questions of speakers. Text or telephone if you must.
Over two days, we will have discussed the massive changes to our business environment. In this session we will discuss the organisational designs that we need to deliver on our business goals with minimal friction. From organisation structure to working efficiently, and innovation structures that allow us to quickly spin up — and down — ideas, we’ll cover what it takes to create an agile environment.
Session leader:
Greg Piechota, Researcher-in-Residence, INMA
We will conclude today's programme with a smart distillation and key takeaways of the day and a wrap-up of The Roundtable.
INMA will make reservations at six St. Helena restaurants, and guests who opt in will enjoy a final evening with peers and subject-matter experts. INMA will provide dinner options closer to the Napa Valley Roundtable dates. Dinner start times will range from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
“Closing drinks on INMA” will be at the Harvest Inn bar. Please wear your INMA pin for bar service.
Location: 1 Main Street, St. Helena