NEWS LIVE LIFE LESSONS
Read all about it Understanding what your customers want is of paramount importance. News Live’s Natasha Banjo and David McLean discuss the power of content and the future of News UK’s new events division
you’re in charge of W hen organising more than
200 events for a major media player, and you have great content at your disposal, is your job easier or harder? Is the pressure to create a successful event more intense? And is there such a thing as having too much great content? What do you choose to use, and which ideas do you park? This very scenario is one faced by Natasha Banjo and David McLean, who have been instrumental in the launch of News Live, News UK’s new events division. Banjo, director of operations at News Live, oversees a significant events portfolio and is responsible for bringing events to life for several digital, print and broadcast brands that are owned by News UK, including The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, talkSport, and Virgin Radio.
Alongside her colleague, David McLean, News Live’s managing director, Banjo oversees the operational output and strategy of the new events business, generating commercial revenues and supporting key brand objectives.
WHAT CUSTOMERS WANT
News Live launched during the pandemic, in September 2021. It inherited events such as RunFestRun and Life Lessons, which it has brought in-house, relinquishing News UK’s relationship with Brand Events. It also has plans to launch events in the coming months. McLean explained: “We like to look and see what things we can do that make a difference to our readers and our visitors. Putting a new lens on and looking at our events closely opens new content opportunities.
“Take RunFestRun, for example. We have to look at it and think what that event looks like for The Times audience and what does it look like for The Sun audience,” McLean said. “It’s important to understand what customers want.” Banjo concurred. News UK has “amazing brands, content and journalists” that can be leveraged. Loyal readers and listeners are crying out for new events, so it’s News Live’s aim to deliver.
FUN AND THE SUN
In fact, both Banjo and McLean are working on new events now, including an event that “embodies talkSport” and a concert series for Sun readers. “We’re launching an event for talkSport listeners,” McLean explained. “It embodies talkSport and will take place next year. We have the concept and we’re not
releasing any details yet, but people will go ‘wow’.” Banjo continued: “We’re also launching an event for Sun readers. People struggle to think of what a Sun event is. The Sun readers want fun. “We conducted some reader research around music concerts and so we’re going to put on an 80s music concert. We can offer our readers something slightly different as we have access to celeb talent and if the concert goes well then we will look to launch them across the country.”
PRIVILEGED POSITION
According to Banjo, metrics help the company to build content and commercial opportunities. She said it’s important to conduct research to safeguard new opportunities and it’s important that she picks the right things to do at the right time.
We like to look and see what things we can do that make a difference to our readers and our visitors. Putting a new lens on and looking at our events closely opens new content opportunities 40 n www.standoutmagazine.co.uk
