Former Australian communications minister Paul Fletcher is among speakers at the FIPP World Media Congress in Madrid in October.

He will discuss ‘Making the Rules Stick – Aligning Publishers, Platforms and Politics’ in a session with Future Media publisher Ricky Sutton.

Fletcher’s role within successive LNP government’s began in 2013, when as parliamentary secretary to communications minister Malcolm Turnbull, he was asked to take charge of the ‘mobile black spot’ programme.

He was communications minister when the News Media Bargaining Code was introduced in 2021, the legislation ultimately leading to commercial deals between major platforms and Australian media businessesworth an estimated A$200 million.

Another Australian speaker is Nick Shelton, who tells the story of Broadsheet in Australia and the UK, in an interview with Colin Morrison.

Entering its 101st year, the periodical publishers’ says it is bringing together the brightest minds in the media industry for “a masterclass in what’s next – sharing insights, challenging assumptions, and building the partnerships that will define our future”.

With the programme “still in build mode”, expect changes, but if current information is anything to go on, be ready to party.

The congress itself is from October 13-15, but October 11 (Monday) is a bank holiday for Fiesta Nacional de España, and the following day is reserved for an outing to the royal town of Aranjuez – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and wine tasting.

On Friday, delegates have the option of visiting the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, “a vast complex encompassing a basilica, monastery, school, library and royal gardens, set against dramatic mountain scenery”.

Oh, and the programme?

Wednesday’s speakers include:

Andres Rodriguez (SpainMedia), Christian van Thillo (DPG Media), Goli Sheikholeslami (Politico, USA), Juan Señor (Innovation Media Consulting), Dmitry Shishkin (Independent Media Advisor), Yulia Boyle (YPB Media, USA), Lulu Skantze (Storytime, The Netherlands), Erika Heilman (Harvard Business Review), Laura Múgica Codina (Unidad Editorial, Spain), Adam White (Front Office Sports), Andy Clurman (The Equine Network and Active Interest Media), Veebha Mehta (Crain Communications, USA), Cyndi Stivers (TED Conferences), Jonathan Roberts (People Inc., USA), Anne Marie O’Keefe (Mansueto Ventures, USA), Rainer Esser (Die Zeit, Germany), Enric Pastor (Manera Ediciones, Spain), and Georgie Holt (FlightStory, UK), and in the ‘FIP 101’ sessions, Michelle Myers (Wright’s Media, USA), Kevin Anderson (WAN-Ifra), Charlotte Cijffers (ITP Media Group, UAE), Kylie McCoy and Roy Lee (Newsweek, USA), Nina Wagner (Alive Media, Canada), Jean-Paul Reparon (AgriMedia, The Netherlands), and Stefanie Maier (Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany).

And on Thursday, Reeva Misra (Walking on Earth, UK), Selma Stern (Independent Advisor, Germany), Linda Thomas Brooks (Media Consultant, USA), Paul Fletcher and Ricky Sutton (Australia), Laura Williamson (The Athletic), Daisy Donald (The Economist Group, UK), Pooja Bagga (The Guardian, UK), Stephanie Kaplan-Lewis (Her Campus Media, USA), Irene Smit (Roularta Media Nederland, The Netherlands), a panel discussion including Hami Tran (Marie Claire, Vietnam), Minette Ferreira (Media24, South Africa), and Mariam M Mathew (Manorama Online, India) with Suprio Guha Thakurta; Reed Phillips (Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips, USA); and for FIPP1010, Nicia Rodwell (Marie Claire International, France), Nick Shelton (Broadsheet, Australia and UK), Alex Poderoso (RBA Revistas, Spain), Christian Toksvig (Cocoa Media, Denmark), Florencia Schiavon (Sifted, UK), and Gary Rathbone (Sportscape Media, South Africa).

More details on the website.