Local Media Consortium and Local Media Association Announce Keynote Speakers for First Joint Conference: Elevate!

Google and Salesforce executives will speak on maximizing revenue, creating new value, and increasing diversity and sustainable digital strategies in the industry

News provided by

Local Media Consortium

Aug 27, 2019, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Local Media Consortium and the Local Media Association, two of the local media industry's most innovative organizations, today announced the keynote speakers for Elevate! 2019, the organizations' first joint conference. Being held in Chicago Sept. 17-19, the event will provide members, partners and local industry influencers with the opportunity to participate, engage and learn about vital industry topics such as consumer experience, consumer revenue, branded content and digital innovation.

"After years of collaboration, and with the goal of continuing to build a viable future for local journalism in a diverse digital age, the LMC and LMA are joining forces at Elevate! to share innovation and business models in local media," said Fran Wills, CEO of the LMC. "Through this collaboration, and with the support and input of our members and partners, our conference will provide many opportunities for gathering creative ideas and insights to benefit local media companies."

On Wednesday, Sept. 18, Jason Washing, managing director of global partnerships and partner business solutions at Google, will participate in an interview-style keynote. As the head of a team that defines and implements Google's solutions for the news and magazine industry, Washing will discuss solutions for driving maximum revenue and profitability.

On Thursday, Sept. 19, Ann Hintzman, senior director and practice lead Central/East Salesforce Ignite team, will lead a presentation titled, "Are you ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution?" Her address will explore the new context for business, share the mindsets and disciplines of organizations creating new value and help diagnose where media companies stand.

Additionally, a diversity workshop and lunch, sponsored by the Google News Initiative, will feature a keynote address by Mekka Okereke, engineering director for growth on Google Play, one of the largest digital marketplaces on earth.

"We are excited to combine the resources of the LMA and LMC to welcome such a diverse and high caliber lineup of speakers and agenda topics for this inaugural joint conference," said Nancy Lane, president of the LMA. "The name says it best; Elevate! will be about local media taking digital strategies to a whole new level and we look forward to thought-provoking discussions."

The conference will also present the outcomes and progress of The Branded Content Project – a joint initiative of LMA, LMC and the Facebook Journalism Project – which provides dedicated resources to help news organizations better understand, develop and implement revenue streams through branded content. Additional workshops will focus on reader revenue strategies, high quality customer experiences and digital innovation.

With its hands-on format, Elevate! will give attendees the opportunity to participate, engage and learn about vital industry topics.

The conference takes place September 17-19 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton, Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile, and is open to LMA and LMC members, non-members and industry partners. For more information and to register, click here: https://www.localmedia.org/event/elevate-in-partnership-with-local-media-consortium/. To apply for a scholarship, click here: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4997798/Elevate-2019-Scholarship-Application

About the Local Media Consortium
The Local Media Consortium delivers economic value through strategic partnerships on behalf of nearly 90 local media companies in top markets across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, and includes more than 3,300 outlets. By harnessing the combined volume and scale of its members, the LMC reduces costs and increases revenue with technology and service providers like Google, Facebook, Monster and others. The aggregated LMC audience footprint spans 1 billion unique monthly visitors and its member companies serve more than 6 billion pageviews to consumers. More information is available at http://www.localmediaconsortium.com/.

About the Local Media Association
The Local Media Association is a thriving and innovative association that serves local media companies (newspapers, TV, radio, directories, digital news sites, and more) as well as research and development partners in the industry. LMA assists local media companies with the digital transition via cutting-edge programs, conferences, webinars, research and training. They are intensely focused on helping local media companies discover new and sustainable business models. Learn more at https://www.localmedia.org/.

About the Google News Initiative
The Google News Initiative is Google's effort to bring together products, partnerships, and programs to help journalism thrive in the digital age. It is focused on three key objectives: elevating quality information, evolving business models to support quality journalism, and empowering news organizations to use new technology to meet their needs.

Media contacts:

Christina Gillham, 646-868-5174
[email protected]

Kristin Brocoff, 949-400-4899
[email protected]

SOURCE Local Media Consortium