The Midway sessions are now live in the ONA18 Conference Schedule!
You might be asking yourself, “Wait a minute — I thought the Midway was just an exhibit space! What kind of sessions is she talking about?” There are two parts to the Midway:
- The exhibit space, where you will find each of our 30+ Midway groups showcasing their products and services.
- The programming: From Sept. 13-14, the Midway will host eight sessions about topics that are important to the ONA community, with Midway participants speaking and leading discussions in the areas of their expertise. These sessions are moderated opportunities to hear from and interact with experts in their fields. We’ve specifically designed them to be educational — they are explicitly not advertorials!
The Midway sessions this year come in two formats: facilitated discussions and interactive panels. The facilitated discussions are each scheduled for 90 minutes and allow the audience to break into small groups to go deeper into specific areas around the session topic. You’ll have 20-30 minutes for a small group discussion before moving to another group. There are four facilitated discussions in the Midway program:
- Take a deep dive into video programming: Building credibility, understanding AI, + exploring new tools
- Analytics is not the answer: Guiding the narrative in the age of data
- Deep dive into data: Find it, verify it, visualize it
- Deep dive into audience engagement: New tools, personalization, audio and more
We also have three 60-minute panel discussions in the Midway. Intros will be shorter, Q&As will come earlier and audience questions will drive much of the moderated discussions. Here are the three panel discussions at this year’s Midway:
- Remixing content: Refining your workflow to make your work flow
- Why it’s critical for your business and editorial sides to collaborate — and how to do it ethically and effectively
- Rethinking ads: Build trust and stop pissing off your readers
Finally, we’re bringing back a perennial favorite: ICFJ presents: Steal my tool! This session will feature a series of lightning talks showcasing innovations in digital tools.
All of the Midway sessions will take place in room 301/302 on Level 3 of the Marriott right across the the Midway, which will be in Lone Star Ballroom D.
See you in Austin over Midway sessions and breakfast tacos!
