HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 6, 2012 – This is the year to tackle roadblocks in the news industry! While traveling along the road map to success, the America East conference is an exit you shouldn’t miss. Find out why by joining us March 12 to14 in Hershey at the largest regional conference for the newspaper industry and its suppliers. Through our innovative educational sessions and exciting trade show floor, America East provides the answers and ideas you need to drive your media company in the right direction!
As in the past, America East 2012 will provide attendees with a wide variety of speakers and panelists, each with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the media industry.
We are honored to have Mark Aldam, president of Hearst Newspapers; Steve Yelvington of Morris Publishing Group; and David Carlson of the Center for Media Innovation & Research at University of Florida, present the opening keynote address, “Innovation Among Legacy and Digital Products.” Newspapers around the globe are implementing ways to maximize the profitability of both their legacy and digital products. These industry leaders will discuss the plans to make, the actions to take and the results to expect in the opening panel.
On Monday morning, Steve Buttry, director of community engagement and social media at Journal Register Company, will host “Engaging Your Community,” a bonus kickoff session that will provide an overview of community engagement in which you’ll learn how to guide your organization in developing and executing a strategy using a broad range of tools and techniques. The new America East Online Contest Awards will be presented immediately following the session.
Alan Mutter, digital media strategist and author of “Reflections of a Newsosaur,” will explain how newspapers can best capitalize on social media efforts. He will answer questions including, “What strategies are your newspapers practicing that allow you to connect with your community for content and marketing?” and “How can you be more full-service to dealers looking for help building this new avenue of marketing?”
On Tuesday morning, Matt Bunk, publisher of the Great Plains Examiner, and Troy Teiszen, product development manager at the Great Plains Examiner, will present “Revenue Generating Ideas to Try Today.” Staying one step ahead of the competition is the mantra of this start-up newspaper in producing a solid product and garnering the revenue to keep it solid and growing. Editor & Publisher magazine has Bunk as “an entrepreneur on the road to success,” and he will share his strategies and tactics on the legacy product and all of the online endeavors.
The mystery surrounding QR codes will be revealed on Tuesday afternoon by Michael Balas, founder and CEO of VitreoQR, and Jody Shackelford, publisher of the Spring River Chronicle. They will explain what QR codes are, how they work and how they can be used to generate revenue. Only at America East will you be able to learn more about the ins and outs of QR code technology and hear how some newspapers are currently using these codes, both in advertising and content initiatives.
Finally, Jason Taylor, president of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, will present an hour-long session on Wednesday filled with creative ideas you can quickly take back to your company and implement. This fast-paced session will be followed by a Q&A roundtable discussion on the show floor.
Registration is now open at www.america-east.com.
The America East Newspaper Operations and Technology Conference is the leading regional trade show for the newspaper industry organized annually in Hershey by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association. For more than 50 years, the show has succeeded as an affordable and accessible avenue for vendors and attendees to reach one another.
The PNA, founded in 1925, is the nonprofit trade association for print and online media in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Its mission is to advance the interests of Pennsylvania newspapers, promote the importance of a free and independent press and provide a forum for critical and innovative thinking about the future of journalism and the newspaper industry. It has more than 300 newspaper and media members, including daily, weekly, and college newspapers and online publications.
CONTACT:
Tricia Wright, Vice President, Association Services
E-mail: triciaw@pa-news.org
Phone: (717) 703-3070