The FIPP Congress always promises to host world-class speakers and the chance to connect with a plethora of inspiring figures in global media, and after nearly three years away all attendees were raring to go as we descended on the Portuguese coastal town of Cascais.

FIPP CEO James Hewes opened the event with a call for businesses to be proud of their magazine heritage, and to celebrate the medium as an element of increasingly diverse business models. Yulia Boyle, FIPP’s first female Chair, followed with an address that highlighted equal representation, member value, inclusive content, and innovation as her key priorities for the organisation.

Other highlights included a talk given by Ralph Buchi, Chairman of the Axel Springer Supervisory Board, who warned that perpetual innovation is now necessary in the digital media age. He stated: ‘It would be very risky to think that we have done digital transformation now and that’s that. We have to be prepared for the next one.’

Juan Señor and Inês Bravo, authors of the Innovation in Media Report 2022/23, told the assembled media businesses that the phase out of third-party cookies is a great opportunity. The duo emphasised that first party data strategies should now boost subscriptions and advertising revenues in concert, rather than the two revenue streams being at opposite ends of a spectrum.

The insights and tips gleaned from the whirlwind two days were simply too numerous to mention here. However, despite the superb content on show, it was perhaps inevitable after so long apart the informal connections and chance encounters were the true highlights of this gathering of global media.

For an overview of the opening day's speeches at FIPP World Media Congress, click here.
For a report on five key takeaway trends from the event, click here.