Name: 2018 Digital Revenue Summit
Start: 2018-05-01 08:00:00
End: 2018-05-02 11:45:00
Location: THE WESTIN O’HARE

The Local Media Digital Revenue Summit is the premiere gathering of top digital executives charged with growing revenue at their local media company. Last year, 175 of the industry’s most progressive digital leaders joined us to present promising case studies, learn about the winning entries in the LMA Digital Innovation Contest and share what’s working at their company. This year’s program features some of the best case studies in the business from a wide mix of media companies. We hope you will join us!

The goal is simple: to arm you with at least three great ideas to grow digital revenue upon your return from this event. If we fall short of that goal, we will gladly refund your registration fee.

This event has passed.

Early bird pricing in effect through March 30. Prices increase $100 after that.

LMA Members – $495
LMA Media Association Partners – $545
Non-members – $595

Cancellation Policy: There is a $150 cancellation fee before April 6. After April 6, no refunds will be given.

Click here to book your hotel room. There are no longer king rooms available so if you are having issues booking, check double rooms.

May 1 | 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Reception 5:15 – 6:15 p.m.
May 2 | 8:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Monday, April 30

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Champagne Reception for Contest Winners- O’Hare 1 (12th Floor)

Contest winners will be presented with their awards and have their photos taken during this VIP reception with contest sponsors and the LMA board of directors.

Tuesday, May 1

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM: Coffee sponsored by AdMall

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Digital Revenue – Making Choices, A Conversation with Tom Sly, VP Digital Revenue, E.W. Scripps Company and Jason Jedlinski, VP Product Management, USA TODAY NETWORK; Moderated by Christian Hendricks, President, Local Media Consortium and former VP McClatchy

Two of the industry’s most dynamic and passionate leaders will kick things off with a frank discussion on where they see the opportunities in the digital space over the next 12-18 months. They’ll lay out their bets and explain where and why they are investing. We’ll leave plenty of time for Q&A during this very interactive session. Be sure to bring your coffee for this fast-paced and high energy session.

10:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Show Us the Money! Presented by Gordon Borrell, CEO, Borrell Associates

With so many digital products to sell, it’s sometimes hard to know where to focus. In this session, Borrell will outline the most lucrative opportunities for local media companies. He’ll show us where the money is and where it’s going. This session will set the stage for the entire Summit.

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM: Break sponsored by AdMall

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM: Drum Roll Please…Digital Contest Winners Share Their Success Stories

10:45 AM – 11:15 AM: Best Local Media Websites – John Sahly, Senior Digital Editor, Northwest Herald (nwherald.com) and Dustin Block, Digital Executive Producer, WDIV Local 4 (www.clickondetroit.com). Moderated by Kelly Shelton, VP of Marketing, Boostability

The competition was intense but two first place winners emerged in our two classes (under 750,000 monthly uniques and over). The judges were impressed with the user-friendly, clean, mobile-friendly website designs presented by winning companies.

11:15 AM – 11:35: Best New Digital Initiative – Jason Holmes, Co-Founder/President, Affect Digital Media and Erica Smith, Online Editor and Director of Digital Strategy, The Virginian-Pilot. Moderated by Dave Haynie, CEO, CitySpark

One of our favorite categories – prepared to be wowed by our two winning entries in this space. Affect Digital Media (Victoria Advocate) made a strong first impression on the judges by explaining the process through which they decided on building AgencyQue, a project management system. They saw the need from their customers and saw the lack of efficient products in the market. The Virginian-Pilot will present on their automated text-based virtual assistants and how this could be the next big trend in digital and innovative landscape.

11:35 AM – 11:55 AM: Best R&D Partner – Presented by Lindsey Estes, Local Media Association to TownNews.com

Over 20 local media companies nominated and voted for TownNews in this category. Some of their comments included:

“For the past two years, I’ve seen tremendous customer outreach/service by TownNews to its partners proving their desire to help local media succeed in the digital era.”
“Rock solid technology, delivers on time what they say they will. Probably the most innovative company out there.”
“Constantly pushing forward to keep customers as close to the cutting edge as possible. Very responsive when asked for help and/or innovation.”

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Lunch – Pick Your Lunch Partner!

Our R&D partners are buying lunch. Confirmed companies include: Dream Local Digital, Legacy.com, ppi Media, Zapp 360, Site Impact, Matrix for Media and GetAdmiral. Learn more about the topics being discussed at each table here. If you haven’t picked your table yet, email Lindsey.Estes@localmedia.org with your top 3 choices.

1:00 PM – 1:20 PM: Emerging Digital Revenue Strategies – Jed Williams, Chief Innovation Officer, Local Media Association

LMA Chief Innovation Officer Jed Williams sets the table for the breakthrough digital strategies to follow with a fast-paced look at several emerging revenue opportunities that are moving the needle.

1:20 PM – 1:45 PM: A Bold Vision for Monetizing Podcasts – Jon Accarrino, Executive Director, Bonneville Salt Lake Business Development/KSL Radio and Todd Larsen, General Sales Manager, KRSP 103.5 The Arrow

Bonneville/KSL Radio is all-in on “audio you can see.” See how they are building video podcast franchises in the sports vertical that are generating major cross-platform dollars.

1:45 PM – 2:10 PM: Building a Destination Lifestyle Brand – Mike Mocklar, Executive Director of Digital Content, Raycom Media

The Southern Weekend is Raycom Media’s unique, video-first content franchise. See how its authentic voice and rich storytelling are creating a destination experience for consumers that advertisers will surely follow.

2:15 PM – 2:35 PM: Best Digital Agency – Jason Holmes, Co-Founder/President, Affect Digital Media and Chris Weatherly, Director, Sales and Operations, WRAL Digital Solutions. Moderated by Lorren Elkins, Head of US, Camilyo

So many great entries in this category…the two winners (under $5 Million in revenue and over) are truly the best of the best. They will share where they are having success and what is on their road map for the coming year. The judges were very impressed by their wide variety of products offered that allows the agencies to handle any marketing challenge.

2:35 PM – 2:45 PM: Break sponsored by AdMall

2:45 PM – 5:00 PM: Rapid Fire – More Digital Contest Winners

Our rapid fire approach is designed to give you a glimpse into the digital contest winners. Follow up with them during breaks and the evening reception to learn more about their work.

2:30 PM – 2:50 PM: Best Contest or Promotion – Brooke Warner, General Manager, Sierra Nevada Media Group/The Record Courier and Dustin Block, Digital Executive Producer, WDIV Local 4. Moderated by SecondStreet

It was once again the category that generated the most entries! Our judges were wowed by the revenue generated in a community under 10,000 and the really great messages behind the campaigns.

2:50 PM – 3:10 PM: Best Use of Data – Frank Zepeda, Senior Marketing Manager, El Clasificado Inc. and Dustin Block, Digital Executive Producer, WDIV. Moderated by Kenneth Watson, Managing Director, CXENSE

This is a new category and we are excited to showcase the winning entries in this area of our business that represents a huge opportunity. Our judges were impressed with how the companies use data to improve the experiences of both advertisers and businesses and analyzing audience metrics.

3:10 PM – 3:30 PM: Best Native or Sponsored Content Campaign – Stacey Spears, Local Sales Manager, WJXT and Jason Holmes, Co-Founder/President, Affect Digital Media. Moderated by Will Scott, CEO, UpScribed

Another popular category – prepare to be wowed by the creative work going on with sponsored content campaigns. The winners partnered with the Mayo Clinic and Jackson County Hospital, representing a huge opportunity for local media companies.

3:30 PM – 3:50 PM: Best Strategy to Grow Digital Audience – Edwin Ruis, Integrated Revenue Director Swift Communications/Tahoe Daily Tribune and Mark M Weidel, General Manager – Digital Solutions, LNP Media Group. Moderated by Tom Ratkovich, Managing Director, LEAP Media Solutions

A top priority at every company – find out what made our winners stand out above the others. Bring these great ideas home to implement right away.

3:50 PM – 4:00 PM: Break

4:00 PM – 4:20 PM: Best Social Media Strategy –Brooke Warner, General Manager, Sierra Nevada Media Group/Lahontan Valley News and John Sahly, Managing Editor, Digital, Shaw Media Group, Moderated by Elisa DeFoe, VP of Client Strategy, Social News Desk

Let’s face it – there are a lot of great social media strategies out there. Our winners will present on a fun #FallonWantsFallon campaign and working with the community to create “snackables” (short, informative video nuggets).

4:20 PM – 4:40 PM: Best Digital News Project, Jeff Williamson, Digital Content Manager, WSLS 10 and Erica Smith, Online editor and director of digital strategy, The Virginian-Pilot. Moderated by Rick Rogers, Vice President, TownNews.com

We’re excited to share the winning entries from this new category. Lots of great work going on in this area of our business from high school sports to multiform storytelling techniques.

4:40 PM – 5:00 PM: Digital News Innovator of the Year – Presented by Nancy Lane, Local Media Association, to Erica Smith, Online editor and director of digital strategy, The Virginian-Pilot

An inspiring session to end our day of programming! Our judges had their hands full with lots of great candidates to choose from but Erica Smith from the Virginian Pilot rose to the top.

The Virginian-Pilot’s Erica Smith has led her standalone newsroom in quantifiable audience growth, educating her colleagues on trends and best practices all the while. She has demonstrated superb collaboration, communication, passion and commitment to innovation (she created a Facebook bot, seeks out collaborations and partnerships with outside vendors and much more).

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Happy Hour. Sponsored by Lineup Systems and Zapp 360.

Network, eat, drink and enjoy at our fun happy hour.

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Join us for the official local media executives feast at Park Tavern. Presented by Site Impact. Meet in the lobby to Uber/Taxi over with the group.

Park Tavern offers a contemporary spin on the gastropub experience, serving over 40 craft beers and authentic food in a casual, urban lodge setting. It’s the perfect place for a fun night of dinner, drinks, prizes and networking. Thanks Site Impact for sponsoring!

Wednesday, May 2

8:00 AM – 8:30 AM: Coffee sponsored by AdMall

8:30 AM – 9:45 AM: Keynote: Complete Sales Transformation Case Studies

It’s the biggest pain point in the industry. Many companies have made bold moves in the past year to completely transform their approach to sales. We’re talking major overhauls and changes in structure. They’ll share it all, the good, the bad and the ugly, in this important session to start the day.

Greg Peterson, President, Deseret Digital Media
Catherine Badalamente, VP Digital, Graham Media Group and Ashley Parker, General Sales Manager, KSAT-TV, San Antonio
Blair Heavey, President of Sales, GateHouse Media

9:45 AM – 10:00 AM: Break

10:00 AM – 10:20 AM: Digital Innovator of the Year – Andy Pergam, Vice President of Video & New Ventures, McClatchy – Presented by Denise Gibson, Senior Sales Strategist, AdMall

Our digital innovator of the year has launched the biggest and boldest video strategy in the industry. The McClatchy Video Lab was created by Andy Pergam after he joined the company in 2014. It has grown to over 60 employees focused on supporting 30 newsrooms across editorial, business, product and operations. The results are so promising that Pergam and team recently broke ground on an exciting new space dedicated to the future of visual storytelling (Video Lab West).

Under Pergam’s leadership, The Video Lab also launched a podcast department, organized a drones program and has been one of the most impactful change agents in the company as it relates to culture and innovation. Pergam will share some recent success stories along with his plans for future growth during this session.

10:20 AM – 11:05 AM: Chief Digital Officers Share Top Revenue Strategies & What Keeps Them Up at Night– Stephanie Slagle, Director of Digital, WBNS, Chris Edwards, President, Fusion Farm/Cedar Rapids Gazette, and Integrated Revenue Director, Edwin Ruis, Swift Communications

We chose three of the most vocal digital leaders in the industry because we know they won’t hold back. In this fast moving session, they’ll share their top two strategies to grow digital revenue and the top two things that really keep them up at night.

11:05 AM – 11:50 AM: Table Talks

We’ll have thought leaders assigned to various tables to dive deeper into subjects of interest. Pick one and join your peers for interesting discussions. A great opportunity to share, learn and network. Choose from the following:

Is your media company down with OTT? Unique monetization strategies for OTT streaming services and all things video. Facilitator: Rick Rogers, VP of Sales, TownNews
- We will help answer the question, “How do you monetize video content?” during this table talk. Jon Accarrino of KSL/Bonneville Salt Lake will join Rick Rogers of TownNews to share how KSL uses a mix of locally produced and native content to engage with audiences and deliver ROI to advertisers. KSL’s strategy goes well beyond the pre-roll to deliver big revenue numbers through video consumption.
Building a robust consumer database. Facilitators: Matt Coen: Co-Founder & President, Second Street &
Tom Ratkovich: Managing Director, LEAP Media Solutions / BlueVenn
- Is your company looking to generate more consumer revenue from subscriptions, events, contests/promotions, and more? It starts with a strong consumer database! Second Street CEO Matt Coen and LEAP Managing Director Tom Ratkovich will lead a discussion around building and leveraging consumer data to grow your business. Build your data IQ in this informative session.
O&O Ad Products: What’s working? Where is the growth? Facilitator: Jay Horton, SVP, Dev/Con Detect
- We’ve put big dollars in agencies and other third-party solutions – so how are we doing and where are we going with owned and operated advertising products – Is the banner dying? As various prognosticators have predicted for the last decade… Yet total revenue spent on banners worldwide keeps going up with programmatic taking the lion’s share. And native is exploding nationally, but are you getting your share? Join us to discuss the best opportunities and challenges with display ads, video, native, sponsorships, augmented realty, and other opportunities with the brands we own.
Recruiting: Attracting top sales talent to your organization. Facilitator: Laurie Kahn, CEO, Media Staffing Network
- With unemployment at an all time low, this table talk will delve into the challenges of talent acquisition for your team. How does culture play into the hiring equation? What is trending with companies who are successful, and how do they engage and retain once hired? We will share ideas on attracting, landing and retaining talent with some tips and techniques to help you succeed in the war for talent.
Building the multi-platform sales organization of the future. Facilitators: Daryl Hively: CEO, Guarantee Digital & Vince Graziano, VP Operations, Beyond Private Label
- To truly succeed in a complex sales environment takes a different mindset. Hear about best practices in effective consultative selling approaches, client expectation setting, customer service and communication, and more. You’ll come away with a clearer picture of what an organizational commitment to multiplatform selling requires.
Smart product fulfillment: when to DIY, and when to partner? Facilitators: Brock Berry, CEO, AdCellerant & John Hoeft, General Manager, TruMeasure
- As local media companies put greater focus on selling digital marketing services (and even building standalone agencies), fulfillment after the sale is critical. This session will address important questions such as what is the right product mix to offer, and what is the fulfillment experience (internal or outsourced) that you will need to deliver results for clients and minimize churn.