As reported on HoldtheFrontPage in May, Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre will give the opening keynote speech of the gathering aboard Brunel’s historic liner, the SS Great Britain.

He will be joined at the conference, entitled Digital Heaven or Digital Hell?, by former BBC political editor Andrew Marr who will speak at the Society's annual Gala dinner where he will also present the new Bevins Prize for ground-breaking investigative journalism.

The prize is being awarded in memory of Marr's former parliamentary lobby colleague, Tony Bevins, who died in 2001.

Other speakers at the conference will include some of the country's top journalists and broadcasters, including Jon Snow of Channel 4 News, Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger, Paul Horrocks of the Manchester Evening News, John Meehan of the Hull Daily Mail, Malcolm Pheby of the Nottingham Evening Post and outgoing PCC chairman Sir Christopher Meyer.

The gathering will investigate the continuing development of digital media which has seen newspapers adding audio and video to their websites as and when news happens and broadcasters increasing their online content.

It will focus on the experience of editors across all sectors of the media, explore best practice and the best ways of winning new audiences and encouraging the revenue that goes with them.

Individual workshop sessions will explore newsroom integration, video and user-generated content, training multi-platform journalists and, crucially, how to provide content and platforms that can help maximise revenues.

The conference is attended by editors and senior executives from across the UK and beyond. It will be based at the Marriott Royal Hotel, Bristol, from November 9-11.

The "early bird discount" entitling delegates to £50 off the £734 booking fee is available until tomorrow. Members of the SoE are entitled to a further £50 reduction.