The Niche Media Conference has 5 workshops and 5 tracks:
Publisher Strategy, Ad Sales Training, Audience Growth, Digital Strategy, and NEW! Editorial Track.
Topics and speakers below are subject to change.
2025 CONFERENCE IN-PROGRESS AGENDA: More sessions, speakers and description details soon!
Wednesday, April 23, 2025:
8:00am-4:00pm: Show Office and Registration Open — PICK UP YOUR BADGE HERE!
8:00am-12:00pm: Sponsor table set up in event foyer area.
1:00pm-2:00pm: NICHE KICKOFF CELEBRATION AND MEGA PRIZE GIVEAWAY: Get the information you need to make the most of your Las Vegas Niche experience and meet your fellow attendees, PLUS win over $2,000 in cash and prizes on the Niche Wheel!
2:00pm-4:15pm: NICHE OPENING DAY WORKSHOPS – 100% included for everyone in your registration! Choose your focus for an afternoon full of revenue takeaways, brilliant hacks, and new ideas to make 2025 your best year ever. Set the stage for the rest of your Niche Media Conference experience + make connections to hang out with the rest of the week!
Workshop #1 – Audience Development and Marketing Strategies for New Audience (and Revenue!): In an era of declining social traffic and the rise of AI, publishers face unprecedented challenges in building new audiences. Join us for a workshop that explores the strategies you need to thrive in this evolving landscape. Led by Melissa Chowning, Founder & CEO at Twenty-First Digital, you’ll learn how to develop owned audiences, leverage emerging technologies like AI, and navigate the challenges of changing search behaviors. Discover actionable insights and practical tips to take your audience development strategies into 2025 and beyond.
Workshop #2 – Media Sales Training with Ryan Dohrn: Led by half a BILLION dollars sold media sales pro Ryan Dohrn, this is the best Conference foundation for experienced sales executives and media newbies alike. Covering all media sales markets, with updated and NEW information: Selling Value when Advertisers are Focused on Price; Proposal Secrets, Tips & Tricks; Hosting Shorter Advertiser Meetings that Close 40% Faster. Plus quick tactics presented by ad sales experts from SRDS. Bring your media sales questions and challenges to this fast-paced training afternoon!
Hosted by: MediaOS
Workshop #3 – Consumer Publishers Roundtable: For consumer/hobbyist/city & regional publishers. Bring your niche-specific questions, brainstorming, and venting to this “open mic” afternoon with your peers. Your moderator will help guide topics like: sales teams, staff hiring, remote work, print costs, digital tools, overhead, new revenue, inflation concerns, shifting readership, and more. Excellent way to get the ideas flowing and make peer connections to keep chatting with for the rest of the week.
Workshop #4 – B2B Publishers Roundtable: For business audience and association publishers. Bring your niche-specific questions, brainstorming, and venting to this “open mic” afternoon with your peers. Your moderator will help guide topics like: sales teams, staff hiring, remote work, print costs, digital tools, overhead, new revenue, market shifts, financing, events and more. Excellent way to get the ideas flowing and make peer connections to keep chatting with for the rest of the week. Led by Chris Messer, Vice-President / Group Publisher, Endeavor Business Media.
Workshop #5 – Editorial and Design Roundtable: This editorial and design feedback group is back by popular demand, and led this year by Mr. Magazine himself, Dr. Samir Husni. Open to Editors, Designers, and their related content staff to discuss and strategize around topics ranging from copyright issues, custom content creation, AI impact on graphics and media facts, outsourcing, writing amazing headlines, writing for Google/SEO, what great design means to revenue, balancing workloads, how to do more with less staff, and so much more!
4:30pm-6:00pm: SPEED PUBLISHING and VEGAS MIXOLOGY NETWORKING EVENT AND PARTY
HOSTED BY PUBLICATION PRINTERS!
This is a Niche attendee event favorite! Think speed dating with a unique twist. This is the ultimate game of networking, fun, and happy hour drinks. DO NOT MISS this fun meet & greet game before you head out for dinner! 99% positive feedback from past attendees!
6:00pm-Midnight: Dinner on your own. Afterwards, join your Niche Media Conference friends at one of the FOUR lounges on site at the Virgin Hotel for Vegas vibes and great conversation.
Thursday, April 24, 2025:
8:00am-4:00pm: Show Office and Registration Open — PICK UP YOUR BADGE HERE!
8:00am-9:00am: Caffeinate and Circulate! Grab your hot breakfast and favorite morning beverage, then meet up with your team or new Niche friends, and make the rounds of the amazing Niche Media Conference Sponsors! It’s the perfect time fill up your Tour Card, so you have time for extended discussion with vendors and colleagues of interest for the rest of the Conference.
9:00am-9:15am: Niche Media Conference Morning Kick-Off with $1,500 in prizes!
9:15am-9:45am – Opening Power Keynote: Meet TikTok’s “Princess of Print” Kelsey Russell
Kelsey Russell, media literacy influencer and Co-Host of First Stop News
Her TikTok followers know her as “the Print Princess” and “the girl who reads the newspaper”. Kelsey Russell engages more than 89,300 fans on TikTok, where she evangelizes print newspapers and media literacy. She summarizes news articles for her audience, adding her (often humorous) take on the topic. She also co-hosts a weekly news program for children, First Stop News. Her growing TikTok audience represents every generation, from Gen Z to Boomer followers who wax nostalgic about newspapers. Younger followers tell her they find print refreshing. (Summary from Editor and Publisher)
Kelsey will challenge the Niche audience to think differently about audience engagement, especially for younger readers and followers, and will discuss current media platforms and outreach versus fake news, AI and overwhelming digital options.
9:45am-10:00am – Sponsor Tour Card Break: Meet your next resource partner & get those Sponsor Tour Cards signed for a chance to win a free pass to the Niche Media Conference in 2026!
10:00am-11:00am – 5 Breakout Sessions: Choose Your Topic!
Breakout #1 – PUBLISHER STRATEGY TRACK: Rules of the AI Publishing Road
Moderator: Vatrice Chestnut, Chief Relationship Officer and Media AI Expert, Affinity Media Consulting, LLC
Three publishing tech experts share their thoughts and strategies on the future of AI and how it will change the face of publishing (and everything else!) forever. This is a great “state of the industry” discussion driver and foundation for the rest of your strategy sessions at the Conference.
Track Host: Publication Printers
Breakout #2 – SALES TRAINING TRACK: Overcoming the 10 Most Common Sales Objections
Ryan Dohrn, Owner & Media Sales Trainer, Brain Swell Media
This is an interactive training session where multi million dollar seller Ryan Dohrn will dig deep on the most common objections. Today’s media sellers need to be able to get past objections quickly and with ease, without making the client feel like you aren’t hearing them or missing actual roadblocks. Bring all your objections to this session and we’ll solve them!
Track Host: MediaOS
Breakout #3 – AUDIENCE & MARKETING GROWTH TRACK: 100,000 Followers! 10 Proven Ideas to Boost Social Engagement with your Readers
Zach O’Brien, Publisher, Active NorCal
Zach shares specific examples of how Active NorCal grew their social channels to over 100,000 engaged followers.
Breakout #4 – EDITORIAL TRACK: A Fresh NEW Look at your OLD Content
Eric Shanfelt, Founding Partner, Nearview Media
Most editors and content creators think about NEW content constantly, but evergreen (OLD) content is absolutely critical for all publishers to get more traffic to their site and rank better in search and AI answer engines. Learn how to set up a process of regular evergreen review, re-sourcing and publishing that will increase your content without looking like the “same old, same old”.
Track Host: 032 Outsourcing
Breakout #5 – DIGITAL STRATEGY TRACK: CDPs..To Invest or Not Invest?
Melissa Chowning, Founder & CEO, Twenty-First Digital
Discover how a Customer Data Platform can revolutionize your audience engagement, drive revenue, and unlock the full potential of your data! We’ll dive into the key factors to consider when deciding if a CDP is right for your business, including cost-benefit analysis, explore alternatives, and provide practical insights for selecting the right solution.
Track Host: January Spring
11:00am-11:30am – Sponsor Tour Card Break: Meet your next resource partner & get those Sponsor Tour Cards signed for a chance to win a free pass to the Niche Media Conference in 2026!
11:30am-12:30pm – 5 Breakout Sessions: Choose Your Topic!
Breakout #1 – PUBLISHER STRATEGY TRACK: Secrets to Building a Superstar Media Sales Team
Dane Taylor, CRO and John MacKenzie, VP Global Sales Director, Key Media
Hiring amazing salespeople is one of the hardest jobs for any media company. Key Media’s CRO Dean Taylor and Global Sales Director John MacKenzie have cracked the sales recruitment code! They’ll break down their hiring process and internal media sales academy that is setting up their sales teams for tremendous revenue success. Use their process to re-invigorate your sales hiring and teams!
Track Host: Publication Printers
Breakout #2 – SALES TRAINING TRACK: Selling to the 4 Faces of Personality in Every Advertiser
Mark Shaffer, Owner & Publisher, MyMagazineCompany.com / MYVEGAS Magazine
Boost your sales strategy by digging in deep on who you are actually meeting with, and learning to connect better, smarter, and faster with nearly anyone you meet. Seasoned media pro Mark Schaffer will share his secrets of selling almost anything to anybody by identifying their personality type.
Track Host: MediaOS
Breakout #3 – AUDIENCE & MARKETING GROWTH TRACK: Building the Ultimate Email Machine
Troy Ericson, Owner, EmailMarketing.com
What’s next for your email strategy? When’s the last time you analyzed and improved what you’re sending? Dig deep on the data to see significant revenue and engagement results. Troy Ericson, the “Email Paramedic” has generated over $20 million in found revenue on email lists by increasing open rates and clicks, refreshing content, analyzing email send times, generating email list growth, and more!
Breakout #4 – EDITORIAL TRACK: Enhancing Editorial Processes with AI: Tools and Techniques
Vatrice Chestnut, Chief Relationship Officer and Media AI Expert, Affinity Media Consulting LLC
The editorial process takes a piece of writing all the way from an idea to distributed material. How fast it gets from A to B is another story! Learn how AI tools can assist with ideation, content creation, editing, proofreading and publishing. PLUS how to establish a documented AI flow and resource guide all editorial staff can use rather than one-off, reactionary processes.
Track Host: 032 Outsourcing
Breakout #5 – DIGITAL STRATEGY TRACK: Using Event Tech to Drive Revenue
Richard Green, Founder & CEO, Evvnt Inc.
From local events to national companies with industry events, Publishers are growing revenue by promoting events of all shapes and sizes to their readers. Richard Green, Founder of event tech giant Evvnt, shares the step-by-step details of what any Publisher can do to leverage this unique revenue stream to boost the bottom line and increase readership as well. Whether you have an ongoing event in your portfolio, or want to launch one, this session will help you!
Track Host: January Spring
12:30pm-2:00pm: Power Lunch and Keynote featuring in-demand keynote, comedian and magician Devin Henderson
Being Resilient in an Ever-changing Business World
12:30pm-1:00pm: Lunch is served! Sit with a Sponsor and bring your Tour Card for more sign-offs!
1:00pm-2:00pm: Devin speaks
In this exhilarating keynote, Devin will share strategies for you and your team to remain resilient in the face of change, and to manage fears that could otherwise sabotage what’s possible. He’ll also inspire you to rethink goals and uncover untapped potential, as well as learn how to collaborate for achievement. You’ll find surprising takeaways, even as you marvel at Devin’s magic demonstrations and laugh at his stories!
Devin Henderson has logged thousands of performances as an award-winning comedian and magician and in-demand keynote speaker over his two-decade professional career. He is the host of The Possibility Mindset Podcast. Devin’s passion is using his unique talents and experiences to inspire individuals and organizations to discover their greatest potential and resilience to keep going no matter what. Devin was voted into the “Top 10 Event Motivational Speakers” by Smart Meetings Magazine.
2:00pm-2:30pm – Sponsor Tour Card Break: Meet your next resource partner & get those Sponsor Tour Cards signed for a chance to win a free pass to the Niche Media Conference in 2026!
2:30pm-4:00pm – TACTICAL AFTERNOON EXTENDED BREAKOUTS!
5 Sessions: Choose Your Topic!
Breakout #1 – PUBLISHER STRATEGY TRACK: The Great Cost-Cutting Debate
Brandon Foreman, CEO, Family Resource Group, Inc.
WE’ll kick off this extended session with 10 ideas to cut expenses without harming your company culture and creativity. Then we’ll poll the room to share your best cost-cutting idea (or mistakes) and keep a tally so everyone goes home with a full list of ideas.
Track Host: Publication P
rinters
Breakout #2 – SALES TRAINING TRACK: Sales Proposal Mania!
Moderator: Nancy O’Brien, Sr. Director, Industry Affairs & Events, AIN Media Group
Sales superstar Nancy O’Brien hosts three other media sellers as they share their proposal secrets and samples. See what other reps are doing to successfully explain options and close deals, then share your own proposal challenges and templates for feedback!
Track Host: MediaOS
Breakout #3 – AUDIENCE & MARKETING GROWTH TRACK: The New Face of SEO and What ALL Publishers Need to Know to Attract and Keep Audience
Eric Shanfelt, Founding Partner, Nearview Media
7 SEO action items you need to pay attention to on your media company website, right now, to maximize site traffic and conversions.
Breakout #4 – EDITORIAL TRACK: Covers, Covers and MORE Covers!
Jim Nissen, President & Creative Director, Command+Shift+Option
What makes a great cover? Is beauty really in the eye of the beholder? Or, are there things you could be doing to increase readership and sell through rates as well? Veteran magazine designer Jim Nissen breaks down the top 10 things every editor and designer needs to do to create compelling cover design.
>> Details on submitting your magazine cover for inclusion coming soon!
Track Host: 032 Outsourcing
Breakout #5 – DIGITAL STRATEGY TRACK: Media Website Reviews for Max Engagement, User Experience and Conversions
Featuring: Bill Ostendorf, Owner & Founder, Creative Circle Media Solutions; Stephanie Carey, Sales Director, BLOX Digital; and Chad Hussain, VP International Partnerships, Quintype
6 media companies put up their websites and our panel of design experts share kudos, suggestions and quick fixes for best user experience (UX) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
>> Details on submitting your website for inclusion coming soon!
Track Host: January Spring
4:00pm-4:30pm: Refresh back in your room for tonight’s Party and Vegas fun!
4:30pm-6:00pm: HAPPY HOUR PARTY ON THE LAWN – HOSTED BY 032 OUTSOURCING AND JANUARY SPRING!
Join us for that Vegas “party in the desert” vibe on the gorgeous Virgin Hotel open air event lawn.
6:00pm–Midnight: Dinner on your own. Afterwards, join your Niche Media Conference friends at one of the FOUR lounges on site at the Virgin Hotel for Vegas vibes and great conversation.
Friday, April 25, 2025:
8:00am-12:00pm: Show Office and Registration Open
8:00am-9:00am: Caffeinate and Circulate! Grab your hot breakfast and favorite morning beverage, then meet up with your team or new Niche friends, and finish up those Tour Cards. Make sure your FULL name and phone number are on your Tour Card, and turn in at the Show Office by 10:30 a.m.!
9:00am-9:15am: Niche Friday Kickoff featuring $1,500 in Prizes!
9:15am-10:00am: Morning Power Keynote: The Future of Print in a Digital World, featuring Mr. Magazine™, Dr. Samir Husni!
Mr. Magazine™, Dr. Samir Husni, has been a prophetic voice in the publishing industry for over 40 years. He will share his vision of the future of our media companies, and in a town like Vegas, he’s betting on print! From leveraging existing print readers to drive digital audience growth, to the content dilemmas associated with moving to all digital publishing, Mr. Magazine will give you hope (and validation) in a world of negativity about our industry, plus tactics that can keep you competitive as we move into and beyond 2025.
10:00am-10:30am – LAST CHANCE! Sponsor Tour Card Break: Meet your next resource partner & get those Sponsor Tour Cards signed for a chance to win a free pass to the Niche Media Conference in 2026!
>> Turn your completed Tour Card in at the Show Office by 10:30 a.m.!
10:30am-11:30am – 5 Breakout Sessions: Choose Your Topic!
Breakout #1 – PUBLISHER STRATEGY TRACK: 7 Reasons Why Every Publisher Should Open an Agency Next Week!
Graham Kilshaw, CEO, Lectrix
Publisher, entrepreneur, now agency owner – Graham Kilshaw will walk you through the ins and outs of what you need to know to make serious revenue from owning your own in-house advertising agency. Learn how to set up your menu of services, balance with existing staff workloads, when to hire or outsource additional staff, how to set up to complement, not compete with, your existing publishing business, and more. Graham makes more on the agency side than the publishing side – find out how!
Track Host: Publication Printers
Breakout #2 – SALES TRAINING TRACK: Prospecting and Research: Secret Tactics for New Leads and Instant Connections!
Nancy O’Brien, Sr. Director, Industry Affairs & Events, AIN Media Group
How to research companies, clients and competitors to create the most relevant outreach, ad packages and renewals!
Track Host: MediaOS
Breakout #3 – AUDIENCE & MARKETING GROWTH TRACK: The New Reality of Audience Development and What You Need to Know to Thrive
Breakout #4 – EDITORIAL TRACK: Designing Efficient Editorial Workflows: Best Practices and Strategies
Vatrice Chestnut, Chief Relationship Officer and Media AI Expert, Affinity Media Consulting LLC
Efficient workflows are crucial for any editorial team. This session provides practical, actionable advice that attendees can implement immediately to improve their operations. We’ll focus on designing and implementing editorial workflows that maximize efficiency and productivity, as well as discuss strategies for task management, collaboration and process automation.
Track Host: 032 Outsourcing
Breakout #5 – DIGITAL STRATEGY TRACK: Setting Up Your Digital Solutions to Sell Better and Faster
Laurie Laykish, Publisher, Local Life Hilton Head
Not a salesperson session – sorry! This session is for media staffers tasked with digital platform integration for their publishers. Learn how to set up your digital marketing platforms and plan for maximum efficiency, no redundancy, and streamlined tools that make sense for the whole team!
Track Host: January Spring
11:30am-1:00 pm: Friday Lunch Power Keynote and Final Giveaways
11:30am-12:15 pm: Lunch is served!
12:15pm-12:45pm: Keynote
12:45pm-1:00pm: Final giveaways! **You must be present to win.**
The end… SEE YOU IN 2026!
The above schedule, topics, and speakers are subject to change.
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