The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has announced the topics for its first Digital Media Latinoamérica (DML) conference, which read like a strategic blueprint for news media companies developing successful digital platforms.
With a well-established series of digital conferences in Europe and Asia, and with a global network of the world's most successful and innovative digital thinkers, WAN-IFRA has collected best regional and international cases and strategic advice to present at #DML13, to be held in Bogotá, Colombia on 30 and 31 October next. The event will provide a key opportunity to discover how Latin America is taking its own path towards digital transformation.
The conference and its regional and global presenters will speak to these topics:
- Take risks to succeed: Whether by actively seeking different revenues streams, or by fearlessly challenging conventional wisdom, success is about taking risks and thinking outside the box. Or, as Eduardo Sirotsky Melzer, CEO of Brazil's RBS multimedia group, said recently: "There is no one silver bullet that will solve all of our issues in this industry. We must try everything, and at the same time don't be afraid to fail."
- Get the digital natives on your side: Finding ways to strengthen the bond with those who grew up in a digital world is one of the most important priorities in tomorrow's news organisations.
- Let them pay, on any platforms: With one of the world's fastest growing broadband penetration rates, the issue of content monetization in Latin America is hotter than ever.
- Get all forces rowing in the same direction: When working on paid content strategies, it is crucial to maximize profit across web, mobile, print, advertising, and subscriptions, something everyone in the publishing company needs to understand.
- Learn from the new journalistic players: Online journalism start-ups have become growingly influential in the field of investigative journalism in Latin America. What can traditional media learn from these initiatives, and vice-versa?
- Innovate (digital) Storytelling: Through data and open journalism initiatives, extensive use of infographics, hiring of developers and even hackers, many newsrooms are embracing innovative projects in order to deliver relevant, attractive, quality content.
- Study digital advertising best practices in Latin America: As digital ad spend in the region is catching up with mature Internet markets, media will soon have to address the same challenges: the growing complexity of digital marketing landscape.
- Adopt the latest in video and web-TV: Video and Web-TV are key tools to attract traffic and engage audience on digital platforms.
- Google, Facebook – how do we move forward? Latin American publishers have seen their Brazilian colleagues take strong stances against Google News, and more recently, Facebook. Speakers from the region and the world will present their views and exchange with the audience.
First confirmed speakers include: Rob Grimshaw, Managing Director of FT.com; Ali Rahnema, Vice President of Digital Media for Star Media Group in Canada; Matthew Skibinski, Vice President, Affiliate Relations for Press +; Michael Cooke, Editor of the Toronto Star; Jon Ruiz, CEO of Colombia's El Tiempo; Gastón Roitberg, Multimedia Newsroom Managing Editor for La Nación in Argentina; and more to be announced.
WAN-IFRA's "Digital Media" conferences have become a referent in the digital publishing industry, with more than 800 delegates from around the globe attending the Digital Media Europe (DME), Digital Media Asia (DMA), and Digital Media India (DMI) editions last year. This DMx network of events makes it one of the most relevant international business platforms dedicated to the transformation of the news media industry.
Digital Media Latinoamérica is being organised with the support of El Tiempo, the Colombian Newspaper Association (Andiarios), and with WAN-IFRA's Latin American members, who requested a regional digital media conference for some time. Digital media is flourishing in Latin America, which is set to undergo the biggest broadband expansion of any region in the world.
Digital Media Latinoamérica will be followed by Digital Media Asia, to be held on 12 to 14 November in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
