A good conversation can be the beginning of a podcast. So can an unanswered question, an absorbing local history or the conviction that something important's being overlooked.
What happens after that is more demanding. There are recordings to edit, contributors to find and listeners to reach. Somewhere between the first promising idea and the next episode lies the question of how to keep going.
Those practical challenges are at the centre of PodFest North, a new conference taking place at The Liner Hotel in Liverpool on Friday 13 November.
Hosted by the rather brilliant broadcaster and entrepreneur Ngunan Adamu, the day is set to bring together people starting out in podcasting with experienced producers, audience specialists and organisations working across audio. Its programme ranges from editing and audience development to income, video and artificial intelligence.
For independent creatives, cultural organisations and community groups across the North, it offers an opportunity to ask how audio might serve the stories they want to tell - and what making it well actually involves.
“We’re aiming to establish a thriving network of podcasters across the north of England, North Wales and the wider region by helping creators develop the skills, contacts and commercial opportunities needed to grow successful podcasts,” says organiser Mick Ord.
A former BBC manager, Ord co-presents Misadventures in Music with musician Ian Prowse. He and the organising team hope this inaugural gathering will become an annual event.
The programme brings different experiences of building an audience into the same room.
John Gibbons of The Anfield Wrap will discuss the editorial and commercial development of a Liverpool-based operation whose football coverage reaches listeners internationally. BBC audience specialist Adam Bowie will explore who listens to podcasts and what listening patterns can tell producers about the people they hope to reach.
Those are closely-connected questions. Knowing a subject intimately is valuable; understanding how to introduce it to someone else, earn their attention and give them a reason to return is another part of the work.
For a museum, that might mean finding an engaging way into a collection. For a community organisation, it could involve making space for voices that seldom appear in its public communications. For an independent producer, the task could be to find a sustainable audience for an enthusiasm that initially seems rather specialised.
One session will examine Crime Next Door: The Beast of Birkenhead, with producer Gemma Maull and BBC Radio Merseyside executive editor Ben Anderson discussing the series.
Its inclusion brings questions of place and editorial responsibility into the programme. Stories rooted in a particular community require care, research and an understanding of the people whose lives enter the recording. The ability to distribute a programme widely doesn't diminish those local responsibilities.
Science broadcasters Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham, the team behind Space Boffins, will share lessons from their long experience of specialist podcasting, including what they wish they had known when they began.
Their session should offer a useful perspective for anyone wondering whether a particular interest can sustain a series. Experience includes the things that proved difficult, the approaches that changed and the productions that didn't work as expected.
Later, Married to the Machine co-presenters Stephanie Power and Professor David Reid will address AI in podcasting. A discussion about the medium’s future is also scheduled to include Professor Caroline Mitchell of the University of Sunderland, whose work encompasses community media and participation, and Audio Academy managing director Aradhna Tayal Leach.
Together, those contributions place technical and commercial developments alongside questions about who gets to make audio and whose experiences it represents.
The organisers’ ambition extends beyond the speaker sessions.
AudioUK expert “poser tables” will give delegates opportunities to ask questions throughout the day, with workshops covering editing and other practical skills. A live podcast recording is also planned, followed by post-event drinks and networking sponsored by AudioUK.
“There is a growing ecosystem of podcasters, producers and content creators across the North, but many lack opportunities to access specialist expertise, develop business contacts and learn from others in the sector,” says Adamu.
For a small creative organisation, access to that knowledge can matter as much as access to equipment. A microphone can't advise on shaping an interview, finding a collaborator or deciding whether a proposed series is manageable alongside other work.
A day in Liverpool is a good way to look closely at the pressure facing independent production. It can also put someone with an idea in conversation with people who understand the next difficult step.
That's a worthwhile ambition for a new Northern gathering: helping more people develop the means to tell their stories, find their listeners and make another episode.
When: Friday 13 November 2026, 9.30am–4.30pm
Where: The Liner Hotel, Lord Nelson Street, Liverpool, L3 5QB, next to Lime Street station
Standard ticket: £50, plus booking fee; refreshments included
MagNorth readers receive 10% off the £50 ticket price with code MAGNORTH1311, reducing the ticket to £45, plus booking fee. Organisers have confirmed a booking fee of 72p per ticket.
The reader offer is available until 12 November. Check the final price and availability when booking.
View the programme and book through PodFest North.
MagNorth is a reader partner of PodFest North. The partnership provides the reader discount above and a linked acknowledgement of MagNorth on the event website.
Programme details may change.
Header: PodFest North logo and host Ngunan Adamu (PodFestNorth)
