Speaker: Jason Kint, CEO, Digital Content Next

With the rapid evolution of emerging technologies such as virtual reality, drones, robots, wearables, etc. the need for teams dedicated to keeping track of tech trends is more valuable than ever. Layne Harris, VP of Innovation at the digital marketing agency 360i, will discuss the development of the 360i Innovation Lab, what’s working for them and how the lab has contributed to 360i’s success.

 

Speaker: Layne Harris, VP, Innovation, 360i

In the words of acclaimed journalist Robert C. Maynard, “the fault lines of race, class, gender, generation and geography are the most enduring forces shaping lives, experiences and social tension. For entrepreneurs, content producers and innovative businesses, understanding how to navigate those fault lines will be a critical component of making money in an increasingly diverse and global economy.” In this discussion, our panel will offer concrete answers to business challenges they are addressing today.

 

Making data-driven decisions using metrics is a time-intensive task. Not only do you need to understand what your metrics are telling you, you need to integrate them into your daily routine. Browsing weekly or monthly metrics reports isn’t going to help you understand your companies’ metrics well enough to start seeing the trends and patterns that form the basis of making data-driven decisions.

 

Statsbot is a Slack bot that integrates with Google Analytics in order to bring your site’s metrics directly into Slack, and best of all, under your control. In this session, we’ll go over how to use Statsbot to query your site analytics and set up automated metrics alerts. We’ll also talk about extending the knowledge that Statsbot provides by creating custom Google Analytics reports.

 

Speaker: Alexandra Kanik, data reporter for the Ohio Valley Network and member of Reader Advisory Board for MediaShift’s metrics section

Building Your Own Tech Solutions

Publishers can no longer rely on third party vendors to bring new technologies and experiences to their platforms. It’s now the job of publishers to be the innovators and to build solutions that move the market forward. This session is a deep dive into the incubation mindset media companies must exhibit in order to move the needle forward and service their companies and their customers.

 

Speaker: Jarrod Dicker, Head of Ad Product and  Technology, The Washington Post 

Virtual reality and 360 video are giving journalists dramatically new ways to tell stories. The technologies immerse viewers in the middle of the action, breaking physical and economic barriers by enabling them to travel into different environments and explore new realities. Learn about how The AP has been been using these technologies to experiment with new types of storytelling.

 

Speaker: Nathan Griffiths, Interactive Editor, Associated Press

When a large part of your emerging market audience don’t have smartphones or are on 2G connections, designing sites to accommodate the technical specifications of that market is a necessity. The Weather team will discuss how they balance between domestic and global content experiences and the business and technical decision framework they use to do so.

 

If voice is the next user interface, where are publishers meeting listeners? How can existing publishers use Alexa as another platform? Greg will talk about integrating with the Amazon Alexa Skills Kit and other voice search technology.

 

Speaker: Greg Lavallee, Director of Technology, Slate