• Marcela Kunova, acting editor, Journalism.co.uk

Audience growth is the key aim of every news organisation. Figuring out not only who follows your content but who will pay attention to it next is crucial for staying on top of your game.

Sarah Marshall, head of audience growth at Vogue International, will share her best tips on widening your pool of readers and spotting new trends in content sharing.

She will talk data, key performance indicators (KPIs), plans and targets; patterns in traffic and reader behaviour; the Facebook algorithm and the growth of search; and how Vogue is engaging audiences on Instagram and Snapchat.

Marshall will also share case studies on the growth levers in different markets – from China to India to Russia – and what UK and European publishers can learn from less familiar platforms.

By 2020, Gen Z is forecasted to make up 40 per cent of consumers in the United States. By that time, the Gen Z population may reach 2.56 billion globally.

This panel will explore what the younger generation (13-24), who never knew life without smartphones, wants from news organisations. Getting them engaged with your brand and making them stay is key to get ahead of your competition. From designing mobile-first, shareable story formats, to publishing on popular and lesser-known social platforms, the panel will discuss how to adapt news content for the swipe-savvy Gen Z.

• McKenna Grant, Snapchat senior content editor, The Telegraph
• Imriel Morgan, CEO and co-founder, ShoutOut Network
• Harriet Oliver, editor of Children’s News, BBC Africa
• Ellen Stewart, head of content, PinkNews

Robots can’t replace journalists quite yet, but AI provides useful tools that expand the boundaries of reporters’ work. We will look at some of the most innovative ways of using AI tools in the newsroom, from processing loads of data to spotting patterns.

• Reg Chua, executive editor, editorial operations, data and innovation, Reuters
• Pete Clifton, editor-in-chief, Press Association
• Benjamin Beavan, business development manager, Getty Images

Matt Shearer, director of product innovation at Data Language, will be sharing his expertise in efficient content tagging, as well as introducing a new tool – Tagmatic – that learns how you tag and automatically tags new content using your own editorial style.

Although Facebook demoted news in its feed, appetite for sharing news stories doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. This panel will look at how news organisations are using chat apps and social media groups to share their content.

• Matt McAlister, CEO, Kaleida
• Sue Llewellyn, founder, Ultra Social, moderating

Verifying content in the age of fake news

One of the key sessions of the day will be a discussion about fact-checking, verifying user-generated content and fighting disinformation.

Social media storytelling

Learn how to produce eye-catching images and videos for audiences on social media, using the most powerful contention creation tool you already own: your smartphone.

Caroline Scott, video features editor at Journalism.co.uk, will guide you through an array of mobile applications and editing techniques to help you stand out from the crowd.

What business model should news organisations adopt to survive and thrive?

From having a charity status to functionning like cooperatives or all-freelance outlets, there has been a lot of talking about different business models that could replace traditional limited companies. Speakers will debate pros and cons of each model and how adopting a new business model can help future-proof news organisations.

• Rachel Oldroyd, managing editor, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Connected: how to cultivate thriving online communities through social stories

This workshop will cover the theory of creating online communities in social spaces, including inspiration from top community engagers across multiple social platforms, and unpicking their core values.

Hannah Ray, head of social strategy and storytelling at Vogue International, will cover practical tips on how to identify, design and grow authentic online communities, as well as best practices for feeding and sustaining a community once it’s alive and thriving.

Memberships in news organisations – lessons from the Guardian

The Guardian has grown from 15,000 members in January 2016 to over 570,000 regular paying supporters, members and subscribers in June 2018. It also received an additional 375,000 one-off contributions globally in the past 12 months.

Amanda Michel, the Guardian’s global contributions director and project manager, will reveal what makes a successful membership strategy and how it can contribute to your organisations’ revenue stream.