FIPP101: The Fundamentals of Media’s Future.

As we enter our 101st year, we’re bringing together the brightest minds in the media industry for a masterclass in what’s next – sharing insights, challenging assumptions, and building the partnerships that will define our future.

Programme is still in build mode, subject to changes.

Madrid. October 13-15. Be there.

Monday, October 12

Fiesta Nacional de España

Monday 12th October is a National Bank Holiday in Spain. The city will be busy with with celebrations and parades.

As such, there are no official FIPP Congress activities scheduled for this day. That said, we encourage you to come early and use this day to rest and explore the local area at your own pace before Congress kicks off!

 

Tuesday, October 13

Welcome to Madrid

If you’re already in Madrid, this is the day to settle in and let the city do its thing.

Aranjuez and Wine Tasting – A trip to the royal town of Aranjuez, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for a guided visit of the Royal Palace and gardens, followed by a wine tasting at Casa del Valle Winery. It includes bus transfer, guided visits and English-speaking guide. (5 hours, fee applies)

Guided Walking Tour of Madrid – A guided afternoon walk through some of Madrid’s most iconic streets and landmarks, sponsored by Madrid City Council. More details will be sent to delegates. (Complimentary)

Welcome Evening, 6.30pm – The full Congress community together for the first time, at Casa de América. One of the most emblematic buildings in Madrd, it is a covered space surrounded by vegetation, elegant and a little unexpected as an oasis in the heart of the city.

Tuesday 13th October. Clear your diary.

Wednesday, October 14 | Congress, Day One

FIPP STAGE

08:00 - 08:45

Networking and Meetings

08:45 - 08:55

Welcome & Housekeeping

Natasha Christie-Miller, Media Advisor, NED and Chair and FIPP Stage host

08:55 - 09:10

Welcome to Madrid: A Taste of Spain

09:10 - 09:20

FIPP & ARI Official Welcome

Andres Rodriguez, Founder and President, SPAINMEDIA and ARI, Spain

Alastair Lewis, Executive Director, FIPP: Consumer & Special Interest Media, WAN-IFRA

09:20 - 09:40

Getting Paid in the Age of Answer Engines: People Inc.’s AI Model

Jonathan Roberts, Chief Innovation Officer, People Inc., USA

Interviewed by Stig Ørskov, Chief Executive Officer, WAN-IFRA, Germany

09:40 - 10:00

Building a Robust Media Ecosystem: Thriving Through Technological, Geopolitical, and Market Shocks

Christian van Thillo, Executive Chairman, DPG Media, Belgium

In conversation with Colin Morrison CBE, Founder-Publisher, Flashes & Flames, The Global Media Business Weekly, UK

10:00 - 10:05

Details incoming

10:05 - 10:30

Launch of the 2026/7 Innovation in Specialist Media World Report

Juan Señor, President, INNOVATION Media Consulting, UK

Lucio Mesquita, Senior Consultant, INNOVATION Media Consulting, UK

10:30 - 10:55

Networking Coffee & Meetings

10:55 - 11:15

From the BBC to Specialist Media: The Next Evolution of the User Needs Model

Dmitry Shishkin, Independent Media Advisor and Board Member, WAN-Ifra, UK

11:15 - 11:35

Stop Selling Magazines, Start Building Audiences: Kids Trusted Media Initiative

Yulia Boyle, Founder and Principal, YPB Media, USA

Lulu Skantze, Publisher, Storytime, The Netherlands

11:35 - 11:55

Super-Serving the C-Suite: How HBR Is Turning Audience Focus into Growth

Erika Heilman, Group Publisher and Senior Vice President , Harvard Business Review, USA

11:55 - 12:00

Partner Spotlight

Labrador CMS

12:00 - 12:20

Verticals Pay the Bills: Lessons from Spain's Biggest Sports and Business Media Brands

Laura Múgica Codina, Managing Director and Board Member, Unidad Editorial, Spain

Interviewed by Yolanda Ausín, General Manager, ARI, Spain

12:20 - 12:40

Think Local, Publish Global: The MANERA Story

Enric Pastor, Founder and Editor, MANERA Ediciones, Spain

12:40 - 13:00

Premium Print Reinvention and Revenue Diversification: The Newsweek Journey

Kylie McCoy, VP Brand Partnerships

Roy Lee, Chief Of Staff, Newsweek, USA

13:00 - 14:20

Networking Lunch

14:20 - 14:40

Advertising in the Age of Everything

Veebha Mehta, Chief Operating Officer, Crain Communications, USA

Interviewed by Käthe Lemon, President and Co-owner, RedPoint Media Group, Canada

14:40 - 15:00

The Enduring Effectiveness of Premium Print Advertising: What the Data Shows

UPM

Amanda Wigginton, Strategy and Insight Consultant, Amanda Wigginton Consulting Limited, UK

Kati Murto, Vice President, Brand, Marketing, Communications and Sustainability, UPM Communication Papers, Finland

Interviewed by Peter Houston, Publishing Director, Flashes & Flames // Media Voices, UK

15:00 - 15:05

Partner spotlight

Bridged Media

 

 

15:05 - 15:25

Beyond Efficiency: Turning AI Content Operations Into Revenue

Woodwing

Martin de Hues, Chief Commercial Officer, WoodWing Software, Netherlands

15:25 - 15:45

The Art and Science of the Idea: TED's Formula for Storytelling to Global Communities

Cyndi Stivers, Director of Curation, TED Conferences

15:45 - 16:10

Networking coffee

16:10 - 16:30

The Autonomous Publisher: How Agentic AI Changes the Economics of Special-Interest Media

Guy Tasaka, Founder/Managing Partner, Tasaka Digital, USA

Interviewed by Paul Hood, Head of Publishing – House of Commons, UK

16:30 - 16:50

Rebuilding the Operating Model Behind Inc. and Fast Company

Anne Marie O’Keefe, COO, Mansueto Ventures, USA

16:50 - 17:10

The Magnificent Turnaround of DIE ZEIT

Dr Rainer Esser, Member of the Supervisory Board, DIE ZEIT, Germany

Interviewed by Käthe Lemon, President and Co-owner, RedPoint Media Group, Canada

17:10 - 17:15

Pause

17:15 - 17:35

The Prosumer Play: Every Sports Story Is a Business Story

Adam White, Founder and CEO, Front Office Sports

Interviewed by Colin Morrison, Founder-Publisher, Flashes & Flames, The Global Media Weekly, UK

17:35 - 17:55

From One Show To Around The World: What It Takes to Build a Global Media Brand at Speed

Georgie Holt, Co-founder and CEO, FlightStory, UK

Interviewed by Yulia Boyle, Founder and Principal, YPB Media, USA

18:00 -

Wrap of Day 1

19:00 -

Taste of Madrid

A choice of ways to experience the city after hours. Gastronomy, culture or football – pick your adventure! Full details coming soon.

Wednesday, October 14 | Congress, Day One

FIPP101

10:50 - 10:55

Welcome to 101 Stage

Jacqueline Loch, General Manager, Betakit and 101 Stage Host

10:55 - 11:15

Beyond the Article: Turning Publisher Content into Incremental Licensing Revenue

Wright's Media

Michelle Myers, Chief Revenue Officer, Wright’s Media, USA

Interviewed by Alastair Lewis, Executive Director, FIPP: Consumer & Special Interest Media, WAN-IFRA

11:15 - 11:55

Creating a Sustainable GenAI Ecosystem: Licensing, Attribution and Fair Publisher Compensation

Annelies Jansen, Senior Strategic Advisor, ProRata.ai, USA

Kevin Anderson, Director, Digital Revenue, WAN-Ifra, UK

Mark Howard, Chief Operating Officer, TIME, USA

Interviewed by Jez Clifford, Founding Director, Chrysalis Leadership, UK

11:55 - 12:00

Pause

12:00 - 12:20

Subscription 3.0: Why Value Is the New North Star

Kerin O’Connor, Founder/CEO, Atlas

12:20 - 12:40

Break the Machine: Why Sustainable Growth Requires the Courage to Disrupt What’s Working

Louise Ioannou, Publisher, NatGeo Kids and NatGeo LIttle Kids Magazine, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand

Michael Smith, Chief Product Officer, Darwin CX, UK

12:40 - 13:00

How Free Content Helps Kyiv Independent Build Paid Membership

Yana Zhuryk, Senior Membership Growth, Kyiv Independent, Ukraine

13:00 - 14:20

Networking Lunch

14:20 - 14:40

Beyond Publishing: Building Agricultural Communities

Jean-Paul Reparon, Managing Director, AgriMedia, The Netherlands

14:40 - 15:00

Small Worlds, Strong Bonds: Why News Brands Are Betting on Special Interest Verticals

Stefanie Maier, Head of Events & Partnerships, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany

15:00 - 15:05

Pause

15:05 - 15:25

Community-led Insights as a Revenue Growth Engine

Nina Wagner, Group VP Publishing and Operations, Alive Publishing Group, Canada

15:25 - 15:45

From Creative Production to Creative Intelligence: How Condé Nast Makes Bespoke Ad Creative Scale

Sharon Carter, Director, Ad Solutions, Condé Nast, USA

Interviewed by Matthew Snyder, CEO, Responsive Ads, USA

15:45 - 16:10

Networking Coffee & Meetings

16:10 - 16:30

Why Media Is Still Worth Backing: A Model for Development

Işık Şimşek, Co-Founder & Publisher, Heepimiz, and

Ahu Serter, Co-Founder & Rights Holder, Heepimiz, Turkey

16:30 - 16:50

The New Front Door: Where You’ll Find Your Users Next

Michael Brunt, Co-founder, HBM Advisory, UK

 

16:50 - 17:10

The Future of Access: Destination or Data

MonetizationOS

Mads Holmen, Head of Product – Platform, Monetization OS, UK

17:10 - 17:15

Pause

17:15 - 17:35

The Quality Advantage: Winning on Trust, Taste and Editorial Authority

Charlotte Cijffers, Chief Digital Officer, ITP Media Group, UAE

17:35 - 17:55

Beyond the Feed: What Publishers Can Learn from TikTok, Creators and LIVE

Yenan Wang, Lead Strategy Partner, Next Wave, and formerly Head of TikTok LIVE Europe Creator Network, UK

17:55 -

Wrap of Day 1

19:00 -

Taste of Madrid

A choice of ways to experience the city after hours. Food, culture or football – pick what suits you. Full details coming soon.

Wednesday, October 14 | Congress, Day One

WORKSHOPS

10:55 - 11:55

Beyond the Website: Building for Humans and AI

Sophie Furnival, Sr. Content Marketing Strategist, WordPress VIP and Umer Ehsan, VP of Tech, Times Media and Publishing, NewsUK

A 60-minute interactive workshop led by WordPress VIP and NewsUK, exploring how AI is reshaping the role of the website and what publishers need to prepare for an increasingly agent-driven web.

The session will open with insights from WordPress VIP’s Future of the Web 2026 research alongside NewsUK’s global perspective on how publishers are adapting to AI-driven discovery and consumption. Attendees will then move into facilitated peer-to-peer discussions exploring how publishers can evolve their content, technology, and owned experiences to serve both human audiences and AI agents, followed by a group share-back.

12:00 - 13:00

Understanding GEO: How to Optimise Content in the New AI Era and Compete Across Google and LLMs

Clara Soteras, SEO for Publishers and Audience Growth Consultant, Spain

This workshop will examine the evolution of SEO towards Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), exploring the new principles, signals and content strategies that media organisations need to consider in order to maintain and strengthen their visibility across an increasingly AI-driven search ecosystem. The session will focus not only on generating traffic and clicks, but also on building authority, strengthening editorial brands and ensuring that the expertise, experience and specialist knowledge of journalists and media organisations are effectively recognised and surfaced by search engines and AI systems.

Participants will receive clear, actionable guidelines on how to adapt their content strategies to the changing search landscape, together with a practical exercise designed to help them understand and apply these principles in their own work. We will explore the growing importance of new content formats, including video and social signals, as well as how to interpret evolving algorithms and understand what AI-driven platforms are looking for.

The workshop will also address how to increase the likelihood of editorial content being surfaced in Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT and other LLM-based experiences, with the aim of positioning the publication and its journalism as authoritative, relevant and trustworthy sources for AI-generated answers.

14:20 - 15:45

Most newsrooms have now tested AI. Far fewer have published with it

Ivan Šarić, CEO of NewsLab, Croatia

This NewsLabs workshop skips the demos and slide decks. Over 90 minutes, Ivan Šarić, CEO of NewsLabs, works through four production tasks with the room, and everyone present publishes real content before the session ends. Bring a laptop, a story idea and something from your own archive or feed. You will leave with published work and a clear view of where the technology holds up and where an editor still has to step in.

  • From raw video to a filed story. We take unedited footage or an interview recording, transcribe it and turn it into a structured piece with quotes, context and a headline. Attendees will work with their own clips.
  • The full article, start to finish. From brief to finished draft: research, structure, house style, sourcing, headline and SEO. We look closely at the editorial checks that keep this defensible and at what a newsroom should never automate.
  • Your feed as a newsroom. We explore real social posts from attendees and watch them become publishable articles, then edit them down together.
  • Hitting publish. The finished pieces go live during the session, with review, attribution and disclosure handled as they would be in a real newsroom.

Every attendee will be able to leave with a free NewsLabs trial to test this workflow in their own newsroom.

16:10 - 17:10

Everybody Wants Innovation. Nobody Wants Change. The Psychology of Buy-in When the Future is Unclear

Charlotte Ricca, Performance psychologist and leadership coach, Kinda Brilliant Psychology, United Kingdom

Everybody wants innovation. New products. New revenue streams. New technology. New ways of working. The challenge is that innovation requires change. And change is where people get stuck.

Drawing on performance psychology and behavioural science, this interactive workshop looks at the human side of transformation – how to turn organisational ambition into human action.

Workshop outline:

  1. The gap between knowing and doing. Why knowing what we should do doesn’t mean we’ll actually do it – and what gets in the way of turning intention into action.
  2. What’s really behind resistance? Understanding what can sit beneath resistance to change, from uncertainty and loss of control to confidence, competence, identity and established habits.
  3. From resistance to readiness. What helps people move: creating clarity, autonomy and psychological safety, while maintaining accountability and performance.
  4. Turning insight into action. Practical strategies for closing the gap between knowing and doing and helping people take the next step.
17:15 - 17:55

Generate more revenue. Control access to content. Win the war on IP theft.

Matt Aspinall, Commercial Services Director, NLA Media Access

Beyond publishers’ own platforms, their IP is both monetised by legitimate third parties and stolen by bad actors. The text aggregator, media intelligence, risk, scraping and B2B2B markets are all being disrupted by AI. Advancement in technology now makes stealing content even easier.

Monetising high quality, high-value journalism for secondary use and protecting it from misuse has never been more important. Explore how NLA – a publisher partner owned by the UK national news media – manages all these challenges for its c.900 publisher customers.

Thursday, October 15 | Congress, Day Two

FIPP STAGE

08:30 - 09:30

Networking & Meetings

09:30 - 09:35

Welcome back

Natasha Christie-Miller, Media Advisor, NED and Chair and FIPP Stage Host

09:35 - 09:55

The Big Picture: Organisational Design and Culture for the AI era

Reeva Misra, Founder and CEO, Walking on Earth, UK

09:55 - 10:15

Organisational Design in Practice: Lessons for Media from NYT, Bayer, and Palantir

Selma Stern, Independent Advisor, Germany

10:15 - 10:20

Pause

10:20 - 10:40

The Trust Economy

Linda Thomas Brooks, Media Consultant and Board Advisor USA

10:40 - 11:05

Making the Rules Stick: Aligning Publishers, Platforms and Politics

Paul Fletcher, Former Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities & the Arts, Australia

Interviewed byRicky Sutton, Publisher, Future Media, Author and Thought Leader, Australia

 

11:05 - 11:30

Networking coffee

11:30 - 11:50

Depth Wins: Subscription Sports Journalism at International Scale

Laura Williamson, Editor-in-Chief, The Athletic

11:50 - 12:10

Pivot to Premium: Taking Subscriptions Upmarket

Daisy Donald, Propositions Lead – Economist Pro, The Economist Group, UK

12:10 - 12:15

Partner Spotlight

Base Media Cloud

12:15 - 12:35

Systems Thinking in the Newsroom: The Guardian's Approach to Technology

Pooja Bagga, Group Chief Information Officer, The Guardian, UK

Interviewed by Ranj Begley, Media Consultant, UK

12:35 - 13:35

Networking Lunch

13:35 - 14:15

The Next Billion Readers: Media Growth and Reinvention in the Global South

Hami Tran, Publisher, Marie Claire, Vietnam

Minette Ferreira, CEO, Media24, South Africa

Mariam M Mathew, CEO, Manorama Online, India

Mark Howard, Chief Operating Officer, TIME, USA

Interviewed by Suprio Guha Thakurta, Independent Media Advisor, Former Chief Strategy Officer, The Economist, India,

14:15 - 14:35

Follow the Money: Where Does Media Value Go Next?

Reed Phillips, CEO, Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips, USA

Interviewed by James Hewes, COO, Atlas, UK

14:35 - 14:55

From Content to Companion: How Paper Wins the Fight for Attention

Irene Smit, Creative Director Flow Magazine, Psychology Magazine and Happinez  at Roularta Media Nederland, The Netherlands

14:55 - 15:15

Building Trust in an AI Agent-First World

Jessica Sibley, CEO, TIME, USA

Minette Ferreira, CEO, Media24, South Africa

15:35 -

Announcement of the FIPP World Media Congress 2027 and new chair of the FIPP Management Board, and Congress 2026 Wrap

Thursday, October 15 | Congress, Day Two

FIPP101

08:30 - 09:30

Networking & meetings

09:30 - 09:35

Welcome to Day two

Jacqueline Loch, General Manager, Betakit and 101 Stage Host

09:35 - 09:55

The Great Luxury Reset: 10 Trends Redefining What's Next and Marie Claire's Vision for This Future

Nicia Rodwell, International Brand Director, Marie Claire International, France

09:55 - 10:15

Talent and Technology: How RBA Grows Reach and Impact to Lead in Print and Digital

Alex Poderoso, Digital Director, RBA Revistas, Spain

 

10:15 - 10:20

Pause

10:20 - 10:40

From Barista to Media Founder: Building An Aussie Success Story Now Cracking the UK

Nick Shelton, Founder and CEO, Broadsheet, Australia and the UK

Interviewed by Colin Morrison CBE, Founder-Publisher, Flashes & Flames: The Media Business Weekly, UK

10:40 - 11:05

Programmatic Is Dead; Long Live the Sales Person

Jim Elliott, Founder and President, James G. Elliott Co, USA 

Interviewed by James Hewes, COO, Atlas, UK

11:05 - 11:30

Networking Coffee & Meetings

11:30 - 11:50

The Creator Economy as a Revenue Opportunity for Publishers: How Collaboration with Creators can Grow Audiences and Unlock New Advertising Revenue

Christian Toksvig, Co-founder and CEO, Cocoa Media, Denmark

Franka Keiter, Head of Social Media and Corporate Communications, Motor Presse Stuttgart

11:50 - 12:10

Scaling Sifted: Growing Startups and Scaleups with Media and Intelligence Across Europe

Florencia Schiavon, CEO, Sifted, UK

Interviewed by Paul Hood, Head of Publishing – House of Commons, UK

12:10 - 12:15

When Premium Isn't Enough: Reaching the Audience the Paywall Leaves Behind.

Gary Rathbone, Founder, Sportscape Media, South Africa

12:35 - 13:35

Networking Lunch

Friday, October 16

El Escorial!

A short journey from Madrid, the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is one of Spain’s most extraordinary sites — a vast complex encompassing a basilica, monastery, school, library and royal gardens, all set against dramatic mountain scenery. What a way to end this week! (fees apply)