NOW WE ARE TALKING: FINAL SPEAKERS AND SHIP 2026 PANELS REVEALED

It’s all coming together. The final speakers are joining SHIP 2026, the panels and sessions are now live, and four days in Šibenik are suddenly looking very real.

There are still a few things to reveal, but for now, here are the latest.

Meet the final speakers:

• Aleksandra Pavlović // Music programme organiser at the Student Cultural Center in Kragujevac and ESTAM World Music Festival, active in international music networks.

• Anastasia Connor // Founder of Noise Unit PR working with European showcase and independent festivals, with a background in music journalism and artist promotion.

• Anastasia Klochkivska // Music Agent at UTA working across headline touring, festival strategy, international market development and artist growth across the UK, Europe and beyond.

• David Mandić // Radio Tvornica editor and host, creator of Scenica! radio show and platform for independent Croatian and regional music, and New Faces 2026 participant.

• Emily Pilbeam // Presenter of the BBC Introducing Mixtape on BBC Radio 6 Music and co-host of BBC Introducing in Leeds and Sheffield, with a background in A&R.

• Georgi Kazasov // Event coordinator at Smiles Music and co-organiser of Caravan Party Festival, with experience in festival production, touring and artist development.

• Nenad Marčec // CEO of HDS ZAMP and CISAC Supervisory Board member, with 20+ years of experience in collective rights management at national and international levels.

• Nikša Bratoš // Music producer, arranger, composer and sound engineer with 40+ national music awards and over 200 album credits, currently President of HUZIP.

• Richy Muirhead // SAMA Events founder and director, PITCH Scotland festival director, and Scottish Alternative Music Awards founder, championing emerging artists and music export.

• Thomas Smith // Billboard UK Editor with a decade in music journalism and a particular focus on emerging musicians and grassroots industry stories, leading Billboard’s UK coverage.

• Toni Starešinić // Keyboardist, composer, producer and arranger with 20 albums of original material, 12 national music awards and 15 music critics’ awards, and organiser of JazzIst festival.

• Karla Rogožar // Event curator running cultural organisation All is good and former Network Development, Sustainability and Project Manager at IMPALA.

• Nick Yule // Head of Legal at AEPO-ARTIS with 15 years of experience in performers’ rights, focusing on music streaming and, recently, the impact of AI.

• Veronika Černe // Sound engineer, event organiser and music journalist, active in the alternative electronic scene as DJ and producer Raketa, and head of Tresk Festival.

• Veronika Friedlová // Music business freelancer and production manager with a background in booking and programming, focused on jazz and emerging artists.

• Zhelyazko Ganchev // Independent music professional working across artist development and live event operations, co-leading Zvuk I Kartina / BubbleGum Records.

And now that we know who’s joining us, the obvious question is: what are we talking about?

Quite a lot, actually. From AI, fair deals and the money beyond streaming and touring to tastemakers, fan dynamics and the uncomfortable question of whether the music industry has become a silent burnout machine.

Add listening sessions, workshops and speed networking to the mix, and four days suddenly don’t seem that long.

Dive into the panels, check the conference timetable and start planning your SHIP 2026.

And if you haven’t got your ticket yet, now would be a pretty good time. PRO passes, festival tickets and single-day tickets are on sale via Entrio.

See you in Šibenik, 10–13 September.