News Xchange 2013 (©Stefano Santucci)

News Xchange, Eurovision’s news-industry leading conference, kicked off 13 November in Marrakech, Morocco, with a dinner sponsored by pan-Arab TV news station Al-Arabiya. Earlier in the day over 100 delegates attended several optional workshops and a screening of the award-winning documentary “Mamma Illegal”, by EBU Austrian Member ORF.

The main event starts Thursday morning with more than 490 delegates from over 50 countries expected in the main conference hall to hear the key-note address from CNN’s award-winning chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour.

News Xchange Managing Director Amy Selwyn said the workshops had become extremely popular with delegates.

"This is the third year we have offered the workshops and the participant numbers just keep going up. People come to News Xchange to learn really practical things, not just to network. So our workshops, ranging from Design Thinking to YouTube's role in Bringing the News, and from Live Broadcasting to Technology's Role in Broadcast give people the early start on that learning and knowledge sharing.”

News Xchange is in its twelfth year and today attracts executives, managers and journalists from the world’s biggest broadcasters. In Marrakech there are a record number of delegates from 52 countries including, for the first time, Iraq, Oman, Brunei, Jamaica, Ivory Coast, Sudan, Libya and Iraq.  

More than 40 news organizations are represented for the first time this year, including Young Turks, Syria Untold, Vice, Global Girl Media and Metrography (Iraq’s first independent photo-journalism agency), demonstrating the breadth of interest in News Xchange from across the news industry. 

The event’s host broadcaster is Moroccan EBU Member SNRT, the first time a non-European broadcaster has played the role. 

“The Opening Night Dinner sponsored by Al Arabiya captured the excitement of being here in North Africa -- the very first time we've been outside of Europe”, explained Selwyn,  “And our record-breaking number of delegates loved it!"

For those unable to attend the main events in Morocco, News Xchange 2013 can be followed on Twitter via #NX13 or through Facebook. Recordings of all main News Xchange sessions will be available to download for free from Eurovision’s WorldLink service.