9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

The Great INMA Vail Hike(s)

We have 50+ Vail Roundtable participants and spouse/guests who aim to join us for a Wednesday morning guided hike — a big enough contingent to break us into four groups. The hikers will meet in The Sonnenalp lobby at 8:45 a.m. for 9:00 a.m. departures. For hikers, wear long pants and long sleeves to keep bugs away. If you prefer shorts or t-shirts, bring sunscreen. Brimmed hats and sunglasses are strongly suggested as well as hiking shoes with good tread. The walkers will meet in The Sonnenalp lobby at 9:45 a.m. for a 10:00 a.m. departure.

Location: Sonnenalp Lobby

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

Registration and welcome coffee

4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

Session 1: Welcome, introductions, and icebreakers

If connecting our group of 50 CEOs is one of the goals of the Vail Roundtable, introductions are in order. In this opening session, learn who is in the room, why they’re in the room, and what unique insights they bring and want to hear.

Session leaders:
Gert Ysebaert, President, INMA (President and CEO, Mediahuis)
Earl J. Wilkinson, Executive Director and CEO, INMA

Location: Bavaria Room (Lower Level) at The Sonnenalp

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

Welcome reception poolside at The Sonnenalp

Be welcomed to Vail poolside in the scenic riverside backyard of The Sonnenalp. Meet with peers from media companies around the world and take in the natural beauty surrounding you. We promise: Speeches will be kept to a minimum as you soak in the river view and mountains and greenery that are hallmarks of this time of year in Vail.

Location: The Sonnenalp

7:30 p.m.-Onwards

Evening free

Make your Vail Village dinner reservations in advance. Suggestions for the evening: Flame (steak), Matsuhisa (sushi), Left Bank (French), Mountain Standard (wood-burning grill), La Nonna (Italian), Pepi's (Austrian), Russell’s (steak), El Segundo (taqueria), Slope Room (organic alpine bistro), Sweet Basil (American), Swiss Chalet (fondue). If you're just looking for drinks, check out Chasing Rabbits (ask for the speakeasy), which is a two-minute walk from The Sonnenalp.

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

Continental breakfast

Join fellow Roundtable participants for an INMA-hosted continental breakfast before we kickstart programming.

9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Session 2: The news media outlook 2026: the issues you need to know now

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

10:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m.

Coffee break

Take a break, meet someone new, ask questions of speakers. Text or telephone if you must.

10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Session 3: As we navigate the AI content tsunami, how to fit in to a world of abundance?

We are entering the era of AI agents — persistent, proactive tools that reshape how people search, discover, and interact with content. As consumer habits shift from browsing to instructing, how do news publishers remain relevant, accessible, and valuable? This session explores how agents are changing the distribution landscape, the impact on discovery and direct relationships, and how media companies can begin adapting their product and organisational strategies accordingly. We’ll look at emerging user behaviours, examples of agent-driven experiences, and how to prepare for a future where agents mediate more of the user journey.

Jodie Hopperton, Product & Tech Initiative Lead, INMA

Location: Bavaria Room (Lower Level) at The Sonnenalp

12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m.

Lunch

Continue the INMA conversations over a buffet lunch at Ludwig's at The Sonnenalp.

Location: Ludwig's at The Sonnenalp

1:15 p.m.-2:45 p.m.

Session 4: Big Tech is taking over the world: A technology and AI briefing

From AI agents to algorithmic gatekeepers, Big Tech is reshaping the architecture of the Internet — and the distribution of news along with it. This executive-level briefing explores the shifting power dynamics media leaders must understand now. We’ll look at where regulation may (or may not) go next, how formats like Google’s AI Overviews are redefining discovery, and what the move toward walled gardens means for reach and revenue. You’ll also get a first-hand look at emerging tech products like Huxe, the rise of agentic AI, and how atomisation is fracturing content pathways and eroding direct traffic. This session is your essential map to the rapidly evolving tech terrain.

Session leader:
Robert Whitehead, Digital Platform Initiative Lead, INMA

Location: Bavaria Room (Lower Level) at The Sonnenalp

2:45 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

Coffee break

Take a break, meet someone new, ask questions of speakers. Text or telephone if you must.

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

Session 5: AI, answers, and accountability: How intelligent systems are reshaping civic discourse

OpenAI, one of the fastest-growing, boundary-shaping AI companies, is leading the charge in bringing AI answer engines into the heart of democratic discourse. By empowering citizens with transparent, accountable, and unbiased information, OpenAI bridges technology and trust. In this interactive session, hear insights into ethical model design, guardrails against misinformation, and how AI can bolster civic engagement. Together, they demonstrate that intelligent systems and democracy can thrive in harmony — fueling informed public debate, policy understanding, and responsible innovation.

Our guest:
Jason Kwon, Chief Strategy Officer, OpenAI

Location: Bavaria Room (Lower Level) at The Sonnenalp

4:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

Wrap-up and takeaways

We will conclude today's programme with a smart distillation and key takeaways.

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

Bowling, bites, and bonds at Deca + Bol

Wind down the first day of the INMA CEO Roundtable with an evening of relaxed competition and camaraderie at Deca + Bol, Vail’s chic bowling and dining destination in Solaris Plaza. This modern venue blends 10 custom bowling lanes with an upscale restaurant and lively cocktail bar — perfect for mixing strikes, stories, and strategy. Whether you’re aiming for a perfect game, sampling creative cocktails, or enjoying the gourmet fare at Deca, this is the night to connect with peers in a setting that’s as sophisticated as it is fun.

8:00 a.m.-8:30 a.m.

Continental breakfast

Join Roundtable participants for continental breakfast before diving into today's agenda.

8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m.

Session 6: News business in the era of AI and creators

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

Location: Bavaria Room (Lower Level) at The Sonnenalp

10:00 a.m.-10:15 a.m.

Coffee break

Take a break, meet someone new, ask questions of speakers. Text or telephone if you must.

10:15 a.m.-11:45 a.m.

Session 7: Beyond platform dependence: How news media can redefine advertising together

The advertising industry has long been shaped by platform narratives and adtech intermediaries that prioritise their own interests over journalism's success, leaving news media playing defense rather than driving the conversation. This interactive session explores how media leaders can unite to reshape advertising discourse by assertively advocating for journalism's unique value within industry organisations and challenging ad tech practices that commoditise premium content. CEOs will examine strategies for collective action: developing industry-wide standards that favour trusted content environments over programmatic commoditisation, creating counter-narratives to platform-centric measurement standards, and building unified messaging around journalism's unique audience engagement value.

Session leader:
Gabriel Dorosz, Advertising Initiative Lead, INMA

Location: Bavaria Room (Lower Level) at The Sonnenalp

11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Lunch

Continue the INMA conversations over a buffet lunch at Ludwig's at The Sonnenalp.

Location: Ludwig's at The Sonnenalp

12:45 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Session 8: Journalism as the sustainable differentiator and how to deliver it

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:
Sonali Verma, Newsroom Transformation Initiative Lead, INMA

Location: Bavaria Room (Lower Level) at The Sonnenalp

2:00 p.m.-2:15 p.m.

Coffee break

Take a break, meet someone new, ask questions of speakers. Text or telephone if you must.

2:15 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Session 9: Generation next: Redefining the news audience of tomorrow

How do you engage a generation raised on TikTok, memes, and influencers — yet hungry for truth and purpose? This forward-looking session examines the emerging habits, motivations, and values of young adults shaping the future of news consumption. We’ll look at global data trends, case studies, and creative experiments that bridge journalism and youth culture, helping publishers translate credibility into relevance.

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

Takeaways of the day and Roundtable wrap-up

We will conclude today's programme with a smart distillation and key takeaways of the day and a wrap-up of The Roundtable.

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

Small-group dinners in Vail

INMA will make reservations at six Vail Village 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 Vail Roundtable dates.

8:00 p.m.-Onwards

Drinks at the Sonnenalp

“Drinks on INMA” will be at the King's Lounge at The Sonnenalp — always lively and featuring local musicians. Please wear your INMA pin for bar service.