Early registration has begun for the 2014 AAN Digital Conference, where members of the alternative news media will gather with the top minds in tech and marketing for two-and-a-half days of hands-on learning and networking.
The event will take place Jan. 23 through 25 at the Argonaut Hotel in San Francisco, with sessions featuring the latest tools and trends for both publishers and editorial departments to excel in the year ahead.
The early rate for AAN members is $225 per person through January 10. The non-member registration rate is $250 per person through January 10. Registration fees include lunch on Friday and Saturday. Click here to register.
Session topics will include:
Digital Services: What do your customers and prospects need to thrive in this new world? How can you maintain and build long-term relationships and make money helping your customers? Includes basic information on GoogleLocal+, directory/citation listings, basic social media and web presences, basic SEO and starter content marketing, i.e. blog posts and SEO-friendly, consumer engaging content.
Redesigning the Alt-Weekly Model: Design Thinking for Alt-Weeklies: A fun, creative, very interactive 2-hour session designed to get you (editors, publishers, web folks, art folks, and anyone else who’s interested) out of your seat and coming up with awesome ideas to reinvigorate, rethink, and maybe even revolutionize the way our papers function. We’ll put to use some of the creativity tactics used by Stanford University’s famous d.school and build on research done by Alexa Schirtzinger, a John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford, who’s working on innovative business models for alt-weeklies.
Monetize My Digital: Online display ads aren’t going to cut it by themselves, so this session explores the future of how to monetize your brand’s websites, also on mobile, by deepening direct consumer relationships and building online engagement. Includes additional services like online and social media promotions, online ordering, local information networks, audience extension and engagement tools, including ticketing, deals and the velvet rope model of membership.
Covering the Surveillance State: How invasive is your muckraking? What kind of stories are worth covering on local level? Experts will share tips on newsgathering practices – e.g. Protecting sources. Plus – Your alt-weekly’s privacy policies and online tracking.
5 Recent Copyright Issues and What We Can Learn From Them: AAN attorney Kevin Goldberg will cover some recent copyright lawsuits you may or may not have heard of may or may not bear resemblance to issues you may or may not have experienced
Metrics in News and in Media: How do you take data and use it in a smart way? How can we apply the concepts of big data to our own newsrooms?
Platform ≠Content: The importance of improving experiences by designing platforms with a user-centered model.
Digital Staffing Strategies: Yes, you may need to rethink who you hire, what their job looks like and how they do it.
Mobile Strategy: How do you develop a mobile strategy on the cheap?
Roundtables for Publishers and Editorial: Bring your ideas, questions, challenges, and solutions to share.
Show and Tell: Your chance to show one cool digital thing that you did this year — in five minutes or less.
All of this and much, much more …
Exhibitor Info
There will be a very limited number of table-top spaces is available for exhibitors. Exhibit space fee includes one 6′ skirted table, and lunch on Friday and Saturday. The AAN Associate Member rate is $450 for table-top space and one exhibitor; $225 for each additional exhibitor. Non-member rate is $500 for table-top space and one exhibitor; $250 for each additional exhibitor.
Associate members can register here, and non-members can email Debra Silvestrin at debra[at]aan.org to register.
Hotel Info
The fabulous Argonaut Hotel is our home for the Digital Conference once again. Click here to make your reservation. Note: use the “Edit Dates” button to select your specific arrival and departure dates. The rate is $170 per night single/double. Make your reservation prior to the cut-off date of Jan. 10 and you will receive a $20 per room per night rebate at check-out. Don’t delay.
Argonaut Hotel
495 Jefferson Street at Hyde
San Francisco, CA 94109
Tel: (415) 563-0800
Toll-free: (866) 415-0704
For a map and directions to the Argonaut Hotel, click here.
