It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since our first #MeetTheMedia event.
In that time, it has grown to become one of Australia’s leading media introduction conferences.
Reaching the decade milestone has made me reflect on where we started, what we’ve achieved and where we are heading next.
It was my former colleague Matt Mitchell from my Rehame days who helped map out the original design of the event.
Our first venue couldn’t be more ‘Melbourne’ if it tried – down an alley, past a dumpster, and into Smart Artz Gallery in South Melbourne.
We had six media guests on the panel and 65 attendees in the room. Big time media like Alan Kohler and even Derryn Hinch dropped in for a chat.
We couldn’t have imagined that over the years to come we’d see so many heavy hitters take to the panel.
Journalists from the ABC, 7 News, 9 News, The Project, Sunrise, Today Show, The Age, The Australian, NewsCorp, Herald Sun, SCA, 3AW, 2GB, 6PR, FIVEaa and so many more have taken to the stage and engaged in workshops, helping to educate some of Australia’s biggest and best brands and individuals.
In the years since we started, the event has grown from one single event, into sold out annual conferences in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and occasionally Brisbane.
For the hundreds of businesses, operators, startups, firms, practices, brands, banks and institutions who have attended, it’s been an incredible opportunity to meet the people behind the news face to face.
It has demystified the whole news process and given them first-hand insight into how the production process works, from the generation of ideas to broadcastings across the airwaves and everything that happens in between.
They’ve learnt how to turn an idea or an issue into a news segment, or a position into an opinion piece. Attendees are told directly by the media themselves what is newsworthy and what isn’t and why. They are given tips on turning a good idea into a great asset for the media.
But the most important thing of all, they make connections. Real, personal relationships. So, when news breaks, it’s their name that comes to mind for media, and it’s their number that’s in the contact books of some of the top media movers and shakers in the country.
We know the value of #MeetTheMedia, and those who attend do too.
In the days/weeks after these events, I often hear from attendees that they’ve gotten a call from the flagship bulletin of one of the country’s leading broadcasters, or an email from a producer of a national morning show. And it’s because they met at a #MeetTheMedia event.
From the media’s perspective, they make contacts with people in the community doing important work. They are inspired by those who make the commitment to come along and share their stories.
But the biggest indicator of #MeetTheMedia’s value? The number of people who return year after year. It speaks volumes.
This year, as we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we are holding events in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. The panels will be as powerful as ever. The rooms will be at capacity.
And I already know the stories that will come out of these mornings will be as diverse as they are inspiring.
So, to those who have walked through the doors of #MeetTheMedia over the last ten years, thank you for making it what it has evolved into.
I’m excited to see where the next decade takes us.
By Nic Hayes, Managing Director of Media Stable
