Last year we organised our first “Data Journalism Unconference” in New York City to discuss and tackle data journalism challenges across borders. Over 60 of the greatest data journalism minds gathered together, coming from 20 different countries, representing the five continents and a wide range of skills related to data journalism. It was such a huge success, that we want to do it again!

So it is with no surprise but with great excitment that the Global Editors Network is organising the second edition of the Data Journalism Unconference, a FREE, invitation only event, on 23 May 2017 at the BBC Old Broadcasting House in London, UK.

Organised in partnership with BBC News, with support from Google and Chartbeat, the event will gather around 60 participants from the five continents. We will learn from our experience of last year and build a top quality event, with some incredible guests coming from all over the world. It is a unique and exclusive opportunity to exchange ideas on how teams, techniques and models vary from one country to the other, with the ultimate goal to initiate fruitful international collaborations.

All the latest trends will be tackled: VR, drone journalism, machine learning, sensor technologies, but also themes such as trust or monetisation, in sessions shaped and picked by the participants themselves. At the end of the day, the shortlisted projects of the Data Journalism Awards 2017 will be revealed.

So far we have confirmed guests coming from all over Europe and as far as Asia, representing news organisations such as The Guardian, The Financial Times, Al Jazeera English, The Economist and Deutsche Welle, to name a few. Some are data journalists or editors, some are designers, or startups founders, but all of them share the passion for data journalism and interactive news. If you think you should also be part of this incredible event, you can request an invite now.

On the day before and after the unconference (22 and 24 May 2017), the Global Editors Network will organise Study Tours in four of the most famous data journalism newsrooms in London (list still to be confirmed). These study tours will be exclusively open to guests of the unconference.

The goal of this unconference is to give to the audience the keys of the debate through sessions and presentations that are short and engaging.

We’re dropping the format of a traditional conference and creating a creative space for peer-to-peer learning where everybody’s voice is heard. Fishbowl discussions, human spectrograms, rapid case studies, workshops and group talks – all of this will be included. The content, however, will be decided by the participants. Every participant is given the chance to actively take part in the day’s sessions and to shape the agenda of the unconference. Facilitators will be present to help the day go smoothly.