PINF Local News Forum 🗞️

Once a year, the Public Interest News Foundation (PINF) hosts the greatest gathering of local news providers in the UK — and this is your ticket to join them!

🎉 Why join?

1. Your people, in one place! Get inspired by stories of brilliant local journalism. Meet local news providers like you from across the UK. Last year, attendees met on average 10 new people they'd not met before! 
2. Escape the screens to spend some quality in-person time with your peers. Build stronger connections with fellow providers so you can help each other all year round.
3. Help imagine the brilliant future of local news and set the agenda for support for small independent providers going forward.
4. The forum will not be televised! You have to be there...

We welcome local news providers (including friends from the Republic of Ireland!) and everyone who's working on supporting or researching local news: from funders to researchers to thinktankers to other journalism support orgs.

📍 Where? 

This year we're excited to host in beautiful Belfast, one of the most storied cities in the UK.

We'll be in the stunning Metropolitan Arts Centre (the MAC) in the heart of Belfast's Cathedral Quarter. The address is: 10 Exchange Street West, Belfast, BT1 2NJ. The main entrance is off the square. 

Stick around after the forum to enjoy all Belfast and Northern Ireland has to offer: from the Titanic Quarter and Maritime Mile, to the natural beauty of the Giant’s Causeway.

🎙️ What you said you loved last year...

• "I got a huge amount of value from the workshops and general chit-chat in between sessions."
• "Getting to chat to other publishers, working as an indie is often isolating and lonely."
• "The open tables. Getting to meet so many inspiring people. The evening social was a lovely chance to get to know more people in a relaxed setting too."
• "The highlight is always the getting to see everyone again - for many its the only time in the year that we do that."
• "Met many people in my region - a first - as networking opportunities are poor. Met the Bristol Cable folks, and many people I’ve been in LinkedIn with as well as wholly new people."

📆 The agenda (...more to come)

Before the forum kicks off, we are looking to arrange a newsroom visit on Friday morning. Watch this space.

The forum opens with lunch on us from 1pm-2pm on Friday. We'll kick off in earnest at 2pm and run til late afternoon. The Friday is set to feature inspiring speakers, chewy discussions and — it is PINF — plenty of ice-breakers and activities to get you thinking. 

On Friday evening, we'll find a great indie venue to put on a spread and you can spend the evening making new friends and catching up in an informal setting. 

We'll be back at the MAC on Saturday morning, where you set the agenda for workshopping and plotting — before we formally close around 1pm. There's a good cafe at the MAC for those who fancy sticking around for lunch on Saturday, and we might have something unofficial cooking for the afternoon...

We'll be adding details of speakers, panels and workshops — and any special extras — nearer the event. But move quickly — early bird tickets last until 30 June!

⛵️ How to get to Belfast

"For much of the UK, getting to Belfast is cheaper and quicker than getting to London!" Unnamed source.

There are flights from all over the UK to Belfast City or Belfast International. For more, see the Visit Belfast website.

But allow us also to introduce you to a well-kept secret — the RailSail ticket! Make it an adventure and grab a bargain train+ferry ticket for around £50 from all over the UK. Your best route will depend on where you're based, but Man In Seat 61 can help. ScotRail has a page here and Transport for Wales here.

Don't forget to book your hotel room now for the best deal.

🎟️ Buying tickets

Buy tickets by hitting the button below/alongside this blurb — book before the 30 June and save! 

Bringing the whole team? Get in touch for some team discounts.

🫶 We want you there!

Local news providers come in all shapes and sizes. If travel and accommodation costs present a problem for you, please get in touch — we hope to have some bursaries available. If you'd like to sponsor the bursaries (or any other part of the forum), we'd love to hear from you.

💛 Code of conduct

Attendance at the forum is subject to agreement with this simple code of conduct.

Looking forward to seeing you in Belfast!