🐦🎟 EARLY BIRD PRICING ENDS SOON!

The Business of Local Conference

Building profitably in local media.

Oct. 19–21

2025

SALT LAKE CITY

🐦 GET TICKETS! 🎟
GET TICKETS!

3 reasons to attend...

This is why you can't miss it!

1

GATHER WITH the best in the space.

Local media has many distinct communities. Digitally-native start-ups, mission-driven state-wide nonprofits, public media, dynamic print publishers... they all have incredible leaders and business thinkers. But they rarely connect. This is your chance to be in the room with your peers who are solving local media's toughest problems!

2

Get down to business.

We'll be sharing the real data and numbers about how business gets done right now. This event is focused on what's happening now and what you can do about it.

3

Do the Work.

On Tuesday morning, we're going to have space for all the attendees to start working on what they learned the day before. If you want to jam out by yourself, or with the colleagues you met on Monday, great. If you want to talk to a Blue Engine coach, we'll have them onsite. This conference is about taking action.

Schedule of Events

Beer

SUNDAY, OCT. 19

🍻 Evening Welcome Drinks

Up Chart

MONDAY, OCT. 20

Full-day conference

🍸 Evening Cocktail Reception

Brunch

TUESDAY, OCT. 21

Morning Workshops with Blue Engine Collaborative

🍽 VIP Publisher's Table Brunch

Change the conversation

From surviving to thriving...

Learn from local news innovators & entrepreneurs who are:

  • Pioneering new revenue models
  • Ramping up powerful membership programs
  • Generating more money with better ad tech
  • Growing direct-sold ad revenue
  • Engaging communities in new ways, including events and physical spaces
  • Building tools + tech with AI for major leaps in efficiency

From the team behind...

The Newsletter Conference Logo
Ryan Heafy

"The Newsletter Conference was the most impactful meeting of newsletter leaders that I've ever seen. It moved the needle for the industry... Can't wait for next year!"

— Ryan Heafy, 6AM City

"The Newsletter Conference might be the best local news event of the year. Why? There are precious few times where news operators, especially local ones, get to spend hearing from ambitious operators across all media, to swap ideas with course creators and B2B players and so many more."

— David Grant, Blue Engine Collaborative

David Grant

Speakers

Ryan Johnston

Ryan Johnston

Co-Founder & CEO
6AM City

J. Rita McNeil Danish

J. Rita McNeil Danish

CEO
Signal Ohio

David Plotz

David Plotz

CEO & Founder
City Cast

Ariscielle Novicio

Ariscielle Novicio

Chief Technology Officer
New York Post

Kyle Villemain

Kyle Villemain

Founder, Editor
The Assembly

Cierra Brown Hinton

Cierra Brown Hinton

Director of Development
Blue Engine Collaborative

Will Bleakley

Will Bleakley

CEO & Publisher
Islandport Media

Liz Kelly Nelson

Liz Kelly Nelson

Founder
Project C

Keith Pepper

Keith Pepper

Publisher
Rough Draft Atlanta

Shira T. Center

Shira T. Center

VP of Strategy & Innovation
Boston Globe

John Garrett

John Garrett

CEO & Founder
Community Impact

Sara M. Lomax

Sara M. Lomax

President/CEO
WURD Radio

David Turkstra

David Turkstra

Chief Strategy Officer
Village Media

David Fitzpatrick

David Fitzpatrick

Chief Commercial Officer
URL Media

Mac McNeil

Mac McNeil

Executive Director
NCRC Community Development Fund

And more to come...

AGENDA

Publishing Tech

Direct Sponsorship Sales

Ad Tech

Membership & Reader Revenue

The Role of Print

Audience Engagement

Events & Physical Spaces

First-Party Data

The Local Media M&A Landscape

Tickets

General Admission

$350 (🐦 Early Bird)

Regular price $450

  • Welcome drinks Sunday night
  • Keynote speakers
  • Panels
  • Case studies
  • Hands-on Breakout Sessions
  • Workshops
  • Networking
  • Evening cocktail reception

VIP*

$450 (🐦 Early Bird)

Regular price $600

  • Welcome drinks Sunday night
  • Keynote speakers
  • Panels
  • Case studies
  • Hands-on Breakout Sessions
  • Workshops
  • Networking
  • Evening cocktail reception
  • VIP Publisher’s Table Brunch, Tuesday, Oct. 21

*VIP ticket sales will be limited to a total of 50 guests

Buy Your Ticket

(Problem loading the box office? Click here to purchase tickets!)

BOOK NOW

Make sure to get in on our hotel block...

$180/night (+ tax) in our conference hotel, Sunday and Monday nights—space is limited!

BOOK YOUR ROOM!
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What you'll EXPERIENCE

Here's what you'll get in Salt Lake City...

Learn

HANDS-ON BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Learn from the best in the business. Dedicated, small-group sessions on the most important topics.

Ideas

GET SOME BRIGHT IDEAS

From our amazing speakers to fascinating case studies, come away with concrete ideas to improve your business.

Handshake

MAKE CONNECTIONS THAT COUNT

Meet the people who can take your local news business to the next level—forge partnerships, make deals!

Eccles Alumni House

The Venue

Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House
155 South Central Campus Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

(View Map)

The HOTEL

University Guest House & Conference Center
110 Fort Douglas Blvd
Salt Lake City, UT 84113

(View Map)

BOOK YOUR ROOM!
University Guest House

PAST EVENT attendees...

2025 attendees

LEARN MORE ABOUT...

The Newsletter Conference Logo

Hear From PAST NEWSLETTER CONFERENCE Attendees...

Booths & sponsorships

To get in touch about buying a booth or sponsorship for The Business of Local Conference reach out here!

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

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