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Zach_Lepard
mEmployee
March 9, 2026

The Road to Summit Reporting Challenge Starts Today! Say Hello 👋

  • March 9, 2026
  • 15 Replies
  • 385 views

The Road to Summit Reporting Challenge has officially begun! 

 

Starting today, you can use Meltwater to uncover a trend in your industry, turn it into a report, and compete for a VIP Summit ’26 experience, including tickets, a travel voucher, and a hotel stay in New York City. If you’ve been thinking about entering, consider this your green light to hit the road running! Be sure to subscribe to the Road to Summit Challenge page so you never miss an update!

 

In the meantime, we want to know more about you, so let’s kick off some introductions. In the comments below, let us know:

  1. What’s your name?
  2. Where in the world are you located?
  3. Have you attended Meltwater Summit before?
  4. Do you have a favorite book or TV show you’d reccomend? 

 


 

Just in case you need a reminder, here’s how to compete: 

 

Step 1: Get training (optional, but recommended)
Join a Product Workshop to sharpen your search building and  reporting skills

  •  Get Started with Media Monitoring - Mar 10
  • Advanced Trend Spotting & Media Monitoring — Mar 19
  • Get Started with Report Building — Mar 23
  • Advanced Report Building — Mar 20

 

Step 2: Spot a trend in Meltwater.

  1. Choose an industry you care about.
  2. In Explore, create an Industry Search using relevant keywords, competitors, or topics.
  3. Adjust your date range and filters.
  4. Review volume, sentiment, recurring themes, and emerging patterns.
  5. Once you are happy with it, save the search.

 

Tip: If you have access to Mira Studio, you can use your saved search to explore upcoming or emerging trends for additional insight.

 

Step 3: Create your report 

  1. Click Analyze
  2. Click the Get Started (or some users might see Create a Unified Dashboard) purple button
  3. Start with a template, we suggest Brand or Crisis for this.
  4. Select your Saved Search 
  5. Choose the visualizations that best explain the trend, supporting data, and key takeaways. 
  6. Download it to PDF

 

Step 4: Post your report to enter

  1. Create a post in the Road to Summit Channel
  2. Add a clear title
  3. Include a short explanation of your trend and what you learned
  4. Upload your Industry Report PDF

 

Your next report could be your ticket to New York City 🗽 🌆 🏙 🚕

 

 

👉🏼 View the full competition overview and get started today!

    15 replies

    Zach_Lepard
    mEmployee
    March 9, 2026

    Kicking things off here! 
     

    1. My is name Zach Lepard and I’m the Education Program Manager here at Meltwater ( and I love it!) 
    2. I’m based in sunny San Diego, lot’s of time for surfing, snorkeling and tennis. 
    3. This year will be my 4th Meltwater Summit! 
    4. I just finished Seven Dials on Netflix (based of the Agatha Christie novel) and loved it! 
    Zachary Lepard
    Maria Dehne
    mChampion Level 3
    mChampion Level 3
    March 9, 2026

    I love LOVE Agatha too! 

    1. I just finished Seven Dials on Netflix (based of the Agatha Christie novel) and loved it! 
    Will Swope
    mChampion Level 3
    mChampion Level 3
    March 10, 2026

    Been hearing a lot of great mentions about it after some initial reviews that weren’t great. If you also liked it, that’s enough to sway me to add it to my list!

    Will Swope
    Explorer
    March 9, 2026
    1. My is name Natalie and I’m a Social Media focused Consumer Specialist at Mead Johnson Nutrition 
    2. I’m based in Evansville, IN.
    3. This year will be my 1st Meltwater Summit! 
    4. I just finished the book Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica and loved the thrill and mystery it contained! I did not expect the reveal at the end, kept me guessing who throughout the book!
    Cris Rice
    mEmployee
    mEmployee
    March 9, 2026
    1. My is name Cris Rice and I’m the Global Customer Communications Manager here at Meltwater
    2. I’m based in warm Miami 🌞 with plenty of sand, volleyballs and latin music!
    3. This year will be my 2nd Meltwater Summit
    4. I’d recommend the book, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides if you’re into a solid thriller! 
    Maria Dehne
    mChampion Level 3
    mChampion Level 3
    March 9, 2026
    1. My name is Maria Dehne and I’m on the social media team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
    2. I’m located in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
    3. I have not attended a Meltwater Summit yet 
    4. I’d recommend any Stephen King book, I’m trying to make my way through all his books (and Agatha Christie’s too)
    Explorer
    March 10, 2026
    1. My name is Sara Gioanola 
    2. I am based in Italy, but work for a Dutch superyacht builder
    3. I have never attended the summit before
    4. I am currently reading the fourth volume of L’Amica Geniale by Elena Ferrante 
    Explorer
    March 10, 2026

    Hi everyone! Super excited to be here and connect with you.

    1. My name is Elaina Eichorn and I am the Social Media Manager at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.

    2.  I live in Chicago, IL and love the downtown life. Summer please come sooner!

    3. I have not attended summit before but really hope I am able to attend this year, or in the future!

    4. Gravity Falls. It may be a “kids” TV show, but it has the best storyline, secrets and lore. It’s been my favorite for almost 15 years.

    Zach_Lepard
    mEmployee
    March 10, 2026

    Welcome to the competition ​@Maria Dehne ​@natalie.mann ​@SaraGioanolaHeesen so glad to have you competing this year!! I’ve already added all of these book recommendations to my Goodreads, amazing suggestions 😊 I’ve been on a Dona Tartt tear lately and have not stopped talking about The Secret History since I finished it! 

     

    If you have any questions or need pointers to get you started on your report journey just let me know!  

    Zachary Lepard
    Explorer
    March 10, 2026

    Hello everyone!

    My name is Kudakwashe Tinarwo, joining from Harare, Zimbabwe.
    This will be my first Meltwater Summit, so I’m looking forward to learning and connecting with professionals from around the world.

    One book I always recommend is “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, it offers powerful insights on how small daily improvements lead to meaningful results.

    Zach_Lepard
    mEmployee
    March 11, 2026

    @Kudakwashe Tinarwo Atomic Habits was a great read, it totally changed my perspective on how I tackle my goals! 

    Zachary Lepard
    Explorer
    March 12, 2026

    Absolutely! It has has a way of breaking down growth into simple, practical steps. It really shifts how you approach daily routines and long-term goals. What was the biggest insight you took from it?

    Will Swope
    mChampion Level 3
    mChampion Level 3
    March 10, 2026
    1. My name is Will Swope, I work on the Issues Management team at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
    2. Located in Denver, grew up in L.A., also lived in New York, Minnesota, West Virginia and Florida
    3. Attended Summit for the first time last year and also had a chance to be a speaker on the first day
    4. Just about any cookbook is a favorite book and lately I’ve been watching The Reluctant Traveller with Eugene Levy on Apple, looking forward to the new season of One Piece tonight and really enjoyed A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms 
    Will Swope
    gregbarta
    Influencer
    Influencer
    March 10, 2026

    Hi everyone!

    My name is Greg Barta.

    Live in Orange County CA, originally from San Diego.

    attended Summit last year and am looking forward to attending again!

    One great show I just finished was Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars.

    Will Swope
    mChampion Level 3
    mChampion Level 3
    March 10, 2026

    Hi Greg, thanks for the recommendation on Knife Edge! I’ve been curious about it but haven’t had time to check it out. 

    Will Swope