Why Marseille should be on every news leader's calendar this June
| WAN-IFRA
A programme built around real decisions
Three parallel conference tracks run throughout the Congress, each grounded in case studies and open discussion rather than theory. The speaker lineup consists of CEOs, editors, and leading media voices from news organisations worldwide.
The agenda covers AI adoption in newsrooms, how editorial and product teams are restructuring around new workflows, and where publishers are finding sustainable revenue – not in the abstract, but with specifics.
Two award ceremonies will also take place during the Congress – the Golden Pen of Freedom, recognising those who sacrifice much to keep telling the story, and the Digital Media Awards Worldwide, celebrating the best in digital news publishing.
“I don’t think there is an equivalent event for those who love the press and who are interested in its future.”
– Louis Dreyfus, President & CEO, Le Monde
“The panels, speakers and topics were best-in-class, and I so appreciated learning from some of the most innovative and creative minds in the news business these days.”
– Alex Hardiman, Chief Product Officer, The New York Times
The people in the room
More than 500 attendees have already registered as of 7 April. The room will include people working across every function of a modern media organisation. The Congress experience is not limited by capacity – with more space, more perspectives, and a gathering open to the full breadth of the news media community.
Here’s a snapshot of our attendees, including their job titles and organisations.
That breadth matters. Some of the most valuable conversations at Congress happen between people who don’t usually share a table – a chief revenue officer from one continent comparing notes with an audience growth lead from another. Two evening social events are included in every Congress pass, designed specifically to let those conversations happen somewhere other than a conference room.
“As someone who hosts over 60 events a year in my day job, I can say with some confidence that the level of buzz was impressive.”
– Christina Blaagaard, News Director, JFM and former CEO, Teknologiens Mediehus & Chairperson, Danske Medier
50+ tech companies on the exhibition floor
The Congress exhibition gives attendees direct access to the technology and service providers actively shaping newsroom infrastructure. More than 50 companies will be exhibiting, covering CMS platforms, analytics, AdTech, subscription systems, AI-assisted content production, cloud services, digital transformation, and social media distribution – among others.
Confirmed exhibitors include Google, Arc XP, Chartbeat, Dailymotion, Wordpress VIP, ProRata.ai, The New York Times Licensing Group, FT Strategies, AFP, and many more. It’s a useful floor to walk – not only for the fun swags, but because assessing tools in person, and asking the hard questions of the people who build them, saves a lot of time later.
A moment that calls for it
The news industry is navigating a set of pressures that genuinely require collective thinking. AI is restructuring how content is produced, discovered, and monetised. Platforms continue to shift their relationships with publishers. Reader trust remains fragile in many markets. And the economics of journalism – always complicated – are being rewritten in real time.
The World News Media Congress won’t resolve any of that in three days. But it’s the place where the people working on those problems compare notes, stress-test ideas, and leave with a clearer sense of what’s actually working elsewhere. That, in a difficult moment for the industry, is worth the trip.
Be sure you are there.
