On Wednesday, June 12th, 2024, we hosted our first-ever ReachFWD Festival, gathering the advertising industry’s finest to celebrate the power of journalism and showcase Reach Studio through three live sessions, in the gardens of Down Hall Hotel & Spa.

The first session was a fiery debate titled “Polls Apart: The Mirror vs The Express.’ Comedian Rosie Holt moderated the discussion, attempting to get a word in edgeways between Kevin Maguire, Associate Editor and John Stevens, Political Editor of the Mirror and the opposing side featuring Gary Jones, Editor-in-Chief and Sam Lister, Political Editor of the Daily Express. The debate centred on the upcoming general election posing the question; “Only here for the Keir or is Rishi the right man?”

Next up, ‘My Life in Tabloids’ where host, Caroline Waterston, Mirror Editor-in-Chief, sat down with Ferne McCann for an intimate chat. Ferne shared candid stories about her life and career, giving the audience a glimpse of her world behind the headlines.

With England being the bookies’ favourite to win the Euros, the final session was a brilliant live panel of Reach’s top sports journalists to discuss their predictions, as well as an exclusive sneak peek of our brand new Euros podcast “Euro Thrash,” featuring ex-Man Utd and England International, Wes Brown.

We were lucky enough to have senior representatives for multiple advertising brands joining us and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive;

“One of the best media owner events I have ever been to…”
Patrick Dolan, Head of Display and Audio, the7stars

“Thank you so much for an excellent day, night and morning. I had such a good time. The event was planned fantastically, never a dull moment. Your editorial teams were great too and showed how joined up you are.”
Nick Brown, Publishing & Audio Commercial Director, Starcom

“It was a great event – the perfect balance between insightful content and fun. If it’s something you’re planning to do each year you’ve found a cracking format.”
Martin Broad; Managing Partner, Head of Investment, MGOMD

“We have more competitors in the advertising market than ever before and it’s become increasingly important to stand out and spend quality time with our partners to reinforce our sales messaging. The inaugural ReachFWD festival allowed us to bring together over 50 of our most influential clients for a celebration of our trusted journalism and it couldn’t have been more fitting timing with the Euro’s kicking off and the general election just around the corner. We are delighted with the feedback and positive next steps to follow up on, so I would like to thank the many people involved across the business, who made this such a resounding success.”

Emma Callaghan
Director of Advertising & Strategy
Reach Plc

“We set out to inspire our key clients through the live showcase of our editorial talent and provide a unique opportunity to meet and network with the engine of our business – the campaigners, the change-makers, the content creators. We wanted to immerse our clients into our world of news, sport and entertainment, providing a clear understanding of who we are and our USP. ReachFWD not only delivered for us, but it also affirmed our point of differentiation in the market versus our competitors.

Nigel Black
Head of Marketing
Reach Plc