I fondly remember the very first #MeetTheMedia we presented 10 years ago in South Melbourne at the Smart Artz Gallery. It was so Melbourne. You had to go down an alley, past a dumpster, to get to the roller door that opened up into one of the coolest venues for a first of its kind media event.
The concept was created with a former colleague of mine, Matt Mitchell when we were talking about the lack of introduction opportunities for both media and experts. At the time, Matt was working as a producer for Nine’s Today Show. “Let’s get our mates in the media and invite the experts and brands to come together,” he said, and that was it. #MeetTheMedia was born and has gone from strength to strength ever since.
The first media we invited were 3AW’s breakfast executive producer, Kate Stevenson, and Chris Bendall, a producer for Ten’s The Project. The four of us had all worked together at media monitoring firm Rehame but had moved on to greener pastures when that was sold to Isentia (formerly Media Monitors) in 2006.
I was nervous doing the first event. I didn’t know how it was going to land. I wasn’t worried about the expense, the time spent organising it or the ticket sales. My biggest concern was could I MC this event to the level that would justify people spending their ‘hard earned’ to come and engage with the media?
It worked better than expected. And after that, I knew we had to take it on the road to Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Over the past 10 years, we’ve introduced some of the best talent to the media. We’ve educated, informed, and entertained the attendees on what a modern media environment and cycle looks like today. I say entertained because I still believe today that this is the best industry in the world to work in. It’s hard work, but it’s a lot of fun.
There have been some incredible names over the years that have made #MeetTheMedia so special. I can’t list them all, but I did want to share some special people that helped put us on the map; Chris Bendall, Seven’s Kristy Mayr and Monica Lepore, Nine’s Erin Bouda, 6PR’s Oliver Peterson, and SCA’s James Lake. They’ve all been incredibly generous with their advice and tutelage. Other notable names are Alan Kohler, Ben Cubby, James Szabo, Tim Ladhams, Julieanne Sprague, Saskia Loosjes, Laeta Crawford, Ben Harvey, Gareth Parker, Ray Kuka, Jake Lyle, James Willis, Josh Del Pozo… and the list goes on.
The real secret behind the event isn’t difficult to work out. It’s the human connection you make with the media, the experts, and the other attendees in the room. To be able to pitch your story and expertise in person is priceless.
The learnings from the media cannot be underestimated. There’s nothing like hearing from those that make the decision if a story gets told or not. The advice, tips, and direction given during the media panels sets up an expert or brand for life when it comes to communicating with the media.
The workshops after morning tea are often described as “speed dating with the media”, you get the chance to succinctly and precisely share your reason for being in the room. And that’s the gold that people come for.
To steal a line that I coined from a former podcast of mine Brand Newsroom, this event is designed for anyone that is responsible for the communication of their brand. It applies to beginners through to veteran storytellers, communicators and business owners. The learnings are the bonus to the relationship you’ve formed.
These days, the event is supported with like-minded partners that have an interest in improving media engagement. There are networking groups that are eager to get their people through as the value and return is game-changing.
To everyone that has attended, media, experts and brands, I thank you for getting behind this idea that was formed a decade ago.
To those that are finding out about it for the first time, it’s not too late to get involved next year.
This event has outlived many media/journalists who have moved on. The ever-changing media landscape makes this event the perfect platform to connect and engage the way the media wants and needs you to connect.
Dates for 2026 will be announced in the new year. Click here to be added to the mailing list.
By Nic Hayes, Managing Director of Media Stable
