March 9-11, 2021

Piano Academy is back! Over three days we will tackle data, case studies and thought leadership across subscriptions, personalization, analytics and more! Join us for an informative, action-packed, virtual event - featuring speakers and content from the world's biggest media players.

Tuesday, March 9

Subscriptions

Attend our jam-packed Day 1 session showcasing content specifically around subscriptions.

  • 8:30am
  • 9:15am
  • 10:00am
  • 11:00am
  • 11:45am
  • 12:15pm
Watch the recording

8:30am EST

Networking + Introductions

Grab your coffee or tea, and jump in to meet your fellow conference-goers, virtually!

Speakers

  • Emcee: Ashley Deibert, CMO, Piano

9:15am EST

How local and national publications are transforming their businesses through reader revenue

Publications targeting different audiences will clearly vary in how they approach subscription models. However, there are more similarities than you might think when it comes to how both national and local publications developed their models.

Speakers

  • Paul Lopreiato, Associate Director of Audience Products and Analytics, Philadelphia Magazine and Boston Magazine
  • Nina La France, SVP, Consumer Marketing & Business Development, Forbes Media
  • Moderator: Ashley Deibert, CMO, Piano

10:00am EST

Supporting News Accuracy and Diversity in a Post-Fakebook World

Journalists have fought against misinformation, disinformation, racism and more over the last year, and these challenges still remain in 2021. Hear industry veterans discuss their strategies for continuing to fight the good journalism fight and how the rest of the industry can support the cause.

Speakers

  • Interviewer: Brian Morrissey, Founder, The Rebooting
  • Jay Yarow, SVP, Executive Editor Digital, CNBC

11:00am EST

Post-Pandemic Retention: How publishers can retain readers in post-COVID surges

Now that we are past the initial surge in subscription sign-ups brought on by the COVID pandemic, learn how to optimize your business model to continue capitalizing on the trend from both an acquisition and retention perspective.

Speakers

  • Verónica Milo, Director of Product, El Español
  • Marc Isler, Chief Revenue Officer, Tamedia
  • Svein-Erik Hole, Head Of Digital Media, Teknisk Ukeblad Media
  • Michael Silberman, SVP of Strategy, Piano

11:45pm EST

Breakout Sessions

Choose your own adventure and join one of five breakout sessions for a deeper dive into industry topics.

  • Hiring talent for subscription programs
  • How print and digital can succeed with subscriptions
  • How to boost subscription revenue in 10 days
  • Pricing and Paywalls: What strategy is right for your business?
  • Turn Window Shoppers Into Subscribers-Strategies for acquisition

Speakers

  • Dan Hockley, Product Director, Membership, Insider Inc.
  • Nini Diana, Director of Consumer Marketing, Harvard Business Review
  • Patrick Appel, Director of Research, Piano
  • Travis Bernard, Senior Director, Membership, TechCrunch
  • Casper Woolley, Founder, Sifted

12:15pm EST

Numbers that Matter and How to Use Them

Get an exclusive look at Piano benchmark data where we'll share what media companies just like yours are seeing as they evolve their subscriptions businesses.

Speakers

  • Michael Silberman, SVP of Strategy, Piano
  • Patrick Appel, Director of Research, Piano

Wednesday, March 10

Personalization + Data-Driven Strategies

The third-party cookie will phase out after this year. Is your business prepared?

  • 8:30am
  • 9:15am
  • 10:00am
  • 10:45am
  • 11:45am
  • 12:15pm
Watch the recording

8:30am EST

Networking + Introductions

Grab your coffee or tea, and jump in to meet your fellow conference-goers, virtually!

Speakers

  • Emcee: Ashley Deibert, CMO, Piano

9:15am EST

Preparing for Third-Party Cookie Deprecation

A survey of 450 marketers, advertisers, publishers and technology providers released by Aroscop and Brand Equity last December found that only 8% had deployed alternate solutions to prepare for a world without third-party cookies. We'll explore why investing more in first-party and zero-party data is the key to thriving in a cookieless world.

Speakers

  • Moderator: Joanna Catalano, Chief Growth Officer, Piano
  • Brian Lesser, CEO, InfoSum

10:00am EST

Using Data to be Dynamic in Onsite Experiences

Whether for targeted experiences, content recommendations or ads, publishers can use zero- and first-party data to dynamically personalize what's on their websites. Hear how two different publishers have achieved this with Piano.

Speakers

  • Lauren Bertolini, Chief Product Officer, The Daily Beast
  • Ken Sheldon, Vice President Customer Experience, Arizent
  • Michael Silberman, SVP of Strategy, Piano

10:45am EST

Post-Cookie Identity from All Sides: A Roundtable

The end of third-party cookies impacts publishers, brands, consumers and tech companies. How can each side work together collaboratively to use the deprecation of this legacy technology to improve the consumer value exchange and positively influence business performance?

Speakers

  • Jason Wolfson, VP, Product Marketing, Piano
  • Andrew Smith, CPO, OpenSlate
  • Travis Clinger, Senior Vice President of Addressability and Ecosystem, LiveRamp
  • Moderator: Ashley Deibert, CMO, Piano

11:45am EST

Permission as the New Currency

Permission is now second only to cash. See why that’s a good thing for publishers as they increasingly use their direct relationships with users to build better customer experiences.

Speakers

  • Hanna Waldenmaier, Vice President, Global Partnerships, Usercentrics

12:15pm EST

Turbocharging Personalization with Analytics

Intelligence is key to any decision you make. When working to optimize your customer touchpoints, learn how Analytics can help design even more relevant content and personalized experiences for your customers.

Speakers

  • Declan Owens, Digital Analytics Expert, Piano

Thursday, March 11

Piano Masterclasses

We’ve got a lot in store for you in 2021.

  • 8:30am
  • 9:05am
  • 9:30am
  • 10:30am
  • 11:00am
Register

8:30am EST

Networking + Introductions

Grab your coffee or tea, and jump in to meet your fellow conference-goers, virtually!

Speakers

  • Emcee: Ashley Deibert, CMO, Piano

9:05am EST

The Present and Future State of Piano

Our CEO Trevor Kaufman kicks off our final day with a discussion on where we've been, where we're going, and why data driven strategies are important to achieving better customer relationships.

Speakers

  • Trevor Kaufman, CEO, Piano

9:30am EST

The Piano Roadmap

Get a sneak peek at Piano's product roadmap through 2021 to see the upgrades we are making across subscriptions, personalization and analytics.

Speakers

  • Annbjørg Medhaug, VP Product, Piano
  • Rachael Sydnes, Vp of Product, Piano

10:30am EST

Strategic Services - What's New for 2021

Our SVP of Strategy Michael Slberman shares how we are planning to help clients drive revenue by creating the best possible customer journeys in 2021 by leveraging audience insights and analyzing exclusive data.

Speakers

  • Michael Silberman, SVP Strategy, Piano

11:00am EST

Masterclasses

Dive deep into specific areas for a hands-on approach to your digital business.

  • Masterclass: Getting started with subscriptions (ENGLISH, SPANISH and FRENCH)
  • Masterclass: Pricing and promotion strategies (ENGLISH)
  • Masterclass: New paid strategies: when machine learning makes sense (ENGLISH)
  • Masterclass: Personalizing the customer journey (ENGLISH)
  • Masterclass: Retention and churn tricks of the trade (ENGLISH)
  • Masterclass: Working web analytics into your audience strategy (ENGLISH, FRENCH)

Launched in 2020, Piano Academy began as a three-month virtual semester focused on a favorite topic here: starting and growing a subscription business. You can access this content and more below.

Piano Academy 2020