Now accepting session proposals for the 2024 Independent News Sustainability Summit

There are many ways to participate in the 2024 Independent News Sustainability Summit! 

Whether you’re interested in pitching a session idea, being a speaker or facilitating a small group discussion around shared interests, we want to hear from you. Here are seven ways to get involved with the Summit, and how to find the right avenue for your idea.

• I have a fully baked idea for a conference session related to news entrepreneurship and a clear sense of who might deliver it
  • Propose a session
• I have an area of expertise related to news entrepreneurship that I would like to share with attendees that could be part of a broader session
  • Propose a speaker
• I am a news entrepreneur who has an experience/insight/win/best practice to share that is relevant to other news leaders that could be part of a broader session 
  • Propose a speaker
• I have an idea for a speaker I would love to hear from at the Summit, either because they have an area of expertise related to news entrepreneurship or they are a news entrepreneur who has an experience/insight/win/best practice to share that is relevant to other news leaders
  • Propose a speaker
• I have an idea for a topic related to news entrepreneurship I’d like to discuss in small groups with my fellow conference attendees as a way to share ideas and make connections
  • Propose a table talk topic
• I have an idea for a group of people involved with news entrepreneurship I’d like to connect with who have a shared identity or experience 
  • Propose an affinity group
• I would like to lead a small group discussion to connect with my fellow conference attendees around a shared identity or experience
  • Propose an affinity group leader

Got more than one idea or want to be involved in multiple ways? Feel free to submit multiple proposals! 

We’ll ask for some guiding information in your proposal to help us evaluate whether your idea is a fit and where it might fit best. And we’ll select proposals that are most aligned with our conference goals, attendee interests and those that represent a diversity of viewpoints and voices. Please indicate the following in your proposal:

Which conference track does your proposal best align with?

We’ll organize sessions into four areas of interest to news entrepreneurs so they can easily identify which sessions meet their needs. They are:

• Planning for strategic organizational growth
• Telling your news business’ story to communicate impact
• Identifying and executing revenue growth opportunities
• Building resilient leaders, teams and cultures

Which type of session is the best fit for your proposal?

There are five categories of session meant to convey to attendees the primary intent and level of engagement. They are:

• Keynote session: An all-conference presentation or discussion featuring 1-2 speakers designed to set a tone, share information or inspire conversation related to news entrepreneurship
• “Thinking” session: A medium-group presentation or discussion featuring 1-4 speakers designed to explore big ideas, approaches or concepts related to news entrepreneurship
• “Learning” session: A medium-group presentation, discussion, panel or lightning chat featuring 1-6 speakers designed to share best practices, tips, insights or case studies related to news entrepreneurship
• “Doing” session: A small-group workshop featuring 1-2 speakers designed to directly apply a skill, concept or practice
• “Connecting” session: A small-group discussion led by 1 facilitator designed to foster community and build relationships around a shared identity or interest

Which stage of sustainability is the content of your proposal the best fit for?

LION has developed a maturity model that articulates where a news business falls on the path to sustainability, and conference sessions will be targeted to the varying needs of organizations in different stages. For example, a session on launching a major donors program might be a best-fit for a news business in the “Building” stage, whereas a session on re-engaging long term donors might be a best-fit for a news business in the “Growing” stage. The stages are:

• Preparation: Creating a lean business model and minimum viable product (MVP). This is the ideation and planning stage when a news entrepreneur is identifying a need, a target audience, a revenue model and a value proposition.
• Building: Iterating based on audience and market research while building a foundation for revenue and operations. This is the testing and tweaking stage when a news entrepreneur is revising their product and revenue model to match what the audience wants and what the market can bear.
• Maintaining: Increasing journalistic impact and audience growth while still seeking operational and financial stability. This is the alignment stage when a news business is rightsizing what it produces with how it produces it and how it makes money.
• Growing: Steadily and simultaneously growing revenue, audience and operations, which could include scaling. This is the expansion stage when a news business is increasing its depth through more robust products, revenue and operations and/or increasing its breadth by reaching new markets or audiences.

Got an idea that isn’t a clear fit for a conference track, session type or sustainability stage? Propose it anyway! Still on the fence about submitting your idea? We encourage anyone with an idea or experience to share to complete a submission. We’ll work with you to refine your idea, match you with a comfortable session type and provide you resources to help you prepare. If you’re a first-time conference speaker who needs more support, we can provide extra guidance.

Proposals will be accepted until 11 p.m. PT on Friday, March 29. You’ll hear from us in late spring-early summer to learn if your proposal was accepted or if we need more information.

Questions? Email Lisa Heyamoto, LION’s Associate Director of Member Education, at [email protected].