FIPP and VDZ's Digital Innovators Tour to the USA: What previous participants say

FIPP and VDZ established the DI Tour in 2014 as an exclusive opportunity for senior executives in publishing from around the world to meet innovative companies and business leaders on either the US East or West Coast. The upcoming tour is the 5th DI Tour. It presents an exclusive opportunity to meet face to face with entrepreneurs, founders, thought leaders and senior management from some of America’s most innovative publishers and other media-related organizations in NYC and Washington D.C.

If you would like to participate in this valuable and exclusive opportunity, please contact Anja Mumm at A.Mumm[at]vdz.de for more.

What a few of our participants from previous years have to say.

Rupert Heseltine, Executive Chairman, Haymarket Media, UK

"I really enjoyed the recent Digital Innovators Tour to the West Coast, not only was it run like a military operation, ferrying the group from one office to another, but it was all done with a smile. The companies we visited were incredibly welcoming and informative, and were always very open when answering questions. Since my return I have shared many of my findings with my colleagues and we have begun to change some of our behaviours as a result of the trip. The trip allowed the group to immerse itself in the culture of digital innovation in a way not possible without getting out into the field, and over dinner in the evening many of the things we had seen were the focus of the conversation, and how we could implement them in our own companies and cultures. I have already had discussions about going back on an annual basis; I can’t thank you or the team enough."

Sébastien Lamunière, Vice President Digital Ventures, Edipresse Group, Switzerland

"An inspiring experience, shared with some of the industry's top executives, which beyond a certain sense of vertigo due to the pace of change, showed great opportunities"
Ewa Redel-Bydlowska, Member of the Board, Edipresse Polska, Poland

"By far my best learning experience ever!  It was a great mix of inspiration, practical knowledge and useful contacts - plus smooth organisation and an interesting group of participants. I hope to attend it again in the near future!"

Sean Fitzpatrick, Chief Creative Officer, Edipresse Media, Hong Kong, China

""The Digital Innovators' Tour puts you right in the front line of US digital strategy. You visit media brands at different evolutionary stages and which are operating at different financial scales - but all of them have a story to tell about how they have succeeded in a fast-changing media-landscape. The things we learned are invaluable and still help us drive our own companies' digital strategy, almost a year after we went on the tour."

Marianne Gram, Editor-in-chief, Egmont Publishing Magasiner, Denmark

"I was very impressed by the level of people we got access to. Founders, CEO's, chief editors who sat down and talked to us in a free conversation, very willing to share their insights with us. This grand tour gave me a very useful overview of burning platforms and new ideas in the digital part of our industry."

Svein-Erik Hole, editor, TU Media, Norway

"I've attended quite a few study trips over the years, and the 2015 Digital Innovators' US Tour is so far the most useful of all. I enjoyed the combination of visits to established giants like Google and Huffington Post, to new trend setters like Quartz and more academic discussions at the Nieman Journalism Lab.

The delegates were taken really good care of, with top class logistics and social events. The discussions continued long after the visits to the media companies, and I still have a professional relationship to some of the participants from other countries. The networking was really good."

Dominik Grau, Chief Innovation Officer, Ebner Media Group, USA/Germany

"The Digital Innovators' Tour is a rewarding, insightful and very enjoyable experience. Both the conversations with executives, start-ups and media innovators as well as the conversations with other participants have proven to be very helpful for our company. I've come to understand that by immersing oneself in the ecosystem of start-ups and digital companies through the DIS tours one has a unique opportunity to learn about the latest trends, key technologies and forces that shape our market in the near future. I can highly recommend the DI tours to curious executives, forward-looking managers and editors with an intrinsic desire to listen and learn. Transformation is communication – there's hardly a better place than the DI tour for that.”

Nicholas Krause, CEO, knk Business Software AG, Germany

"Seeing how fast startups can move is frightening but inspiring, too  – I got insights how they do it and what to change at home."

Patricia Sparacio, Group Publisher, VNR Verlag für die Deutsche Wirtschaft AG, Germany

"I really enjoyed being on the Digital Innovators Tour, it was a great experience that opened my eyes to what is happening in media. Having said that, it was not only the companies that we visited that was valuable but also the exchange with the other attendees."

Eric Blok, CEO G+J, The Netherlands

"The 2015 Digital Innovators' Tour to New York and Boston has given me valuable insight into some sustainable digital media business models. In these times of uncertainty for 'classic' print publishers it was good to find new angels that have really helped my company to develop a digital strategy. It was an intensive, yet well-organised program. But it was also fun to meet other international publishers providing stimulating conversation, with whom I have stayed in touch since then."

Jonas Triebel, Publisher, IDG Tech Media, Germany

"This tour delivers pure value. I came home with some great ideas for our business and the tour connected me with many smart media executives."

Kerstin Schiefelbein, Head of Digital Burda International, Germany

"A great opportunity to inhale the innovation power of start-ups and successful established digital companies and learn a lot about the digital culture that drive success around Silicon Valley. Valuable for everyone who is interested to extend the network for future publishing business and discuss digital trends and developments with market experts as well as with other tour participants from international media companies."