Looking back on the 1000+ days since its last live get-together, INMA executive director Earl Wilkinson says it hasn’t been all bad.

In the end, challenges faced during the pandemic were not only manageable, but also brought about positive change and improved the group’s overall position.

In an interview with freelance writer Ernst Poulsen for INMA’s “sellout” INMA Media Innovation Week in Copenhagen, he recalls the moment in a bar in midtown Manhattan in early 2020 while “wrapping up” from a subscriptions summit, when he first read about the encroaching COVID pandemic.

“Suddenly, conferences were cancelled across the world, and over the course of the evening, it became clear to me that major change was on the way,” Wilkinson says. Before leaving the bar, he jotted down the first questions on a napkin: “Go digital” and ‘investigate Zoom”, and noted the need to “consult with a lot of people”.

The group launched master classes and free local conferences and doubled the amount of content on its website. “In a way, we became much more intimate with our members,” he says.

New communities were also launched and grown around initiatives on data, advertising, readership, newsroom and product. INMA also opened a new office in Africa and reinforced its Pacific-Asia position.

Wilkinson says news companies around the world faced similar challenges. “Most importantly, everyone realised some changes can indeed happen overnight – and sometimes, it really is necessary.

“A major Latin-American publisher told me that the urgency meant that he was able to shove his entire 2023-24 development plan into a four-month period,” he said.

While that type of quick transformation is now understood, two years ago it was a surprise to learn that everyone could work-from-home while still running a media company. “Without physical meetings, it has become more obvious than ever that digital innovation is important.
“Digital subscriptions became something that everyone finally paid full attention to. And although subscriptions may not solve all our financial problems, journalism did in fact become much more sustainable during the last two years.”

Wilkinson points to automation, bundling of content, and data in business decisions as three major challenges media CEOs need to focus on in coming years. “The challenges are not new, but they are now more important than ever.”

He mentions the “sharp rise in news-avoidance” and expansion of “weaponised misinformation”, as well as possible headwinds from rising inflation and slow growth. However, the “seemingly constant battle with Big Tech” may come to a détente, while a new understanding of the value of data will help the industry transition to better position with more personalised content.

Meanwhile, INMA doubled its membership, and sold out the Copenhagen event – its first live conference.

For Wilkinson, the pandemic has also returned the 130 days a year that he used to spend travelling the world, giving him more time with his family, and for a new found love of country music and Stetson hats.