After a one-year absence, both AAN West and the Web Publishing Conference are returning to the Bay Area this winter.
The Web Publishing Conference will take place Jan. 27-29 at the Argonaut Hotel near San Francisco’s famed Fisherman’s Wharf. The conference will begin with a reception on the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 27, which will be followed by one and a half days of programming, ending at noon on Friday, Jan. 29.
The programming will feature a mix of of plenary sessions and workshops, with many panel discussions and AAN-member-led sessions discussing web publishing issues on both the business and editorial side, including social media, local ad sales, email newsletters, search engine optimization, interface design, iPhone apps and how different papers handle the new web-based work in their organizations. Confirmed speakers include Evan Smith of the newly launched TexasTribune.org, as well as in-house talents like Village Voice Media’s Bill Jensen, The Stranger‘s Tim Keck and Creative Loafing’s Patrick Mersinger.
Early registration rates are $275 per person for AAN members and $400 per person for non-members. After Jan. 11, rates for both will increase by $50. Registration fees include the Jan. 27 reception and a lunch on Jan. 28. The room rate for the Argonaut is $120 for a single or a double. To register, click here.
For companies interested in becoming exhibitors at the conference, there are a limited number of tabletop exhibits available. Contact AAN’s Debra Silvestrin (debra (at) aan.org) for more information and rates.
Across the bay in Berkeley, the AAN West conference will start on the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 29. (There will be plenty of time for folks who want to attend both conferences to make the trip over and not miss anything.) AAN West programming, which will focus on line-level staff in sales, editorial, design and business tracks, will continue all day on Saturday, Jan. 30.
The conference will be held campus-style, with boutique hotel accommodations and intimate meeting spaces all within a one-block radius in close proximity to the BART mass transit system.
More information on programming and lodging options will be available soon.
Early registration rates for AAN West are $75 per person for AAN members and $150 per person for non-members. After Dec. 16, both rates will rise by $25. Registration fees include a Friday cocktail reception from 6 to 8 pm at Blake’s and a lunch on Saturday. To register, click here.
Like the most recent AAN West conference in 2008, this one is being organized by a planning committee of California-based AAN members — Deborah Redmond, Tim Redmond (no relation), Mike Naar, Bradley Zeve, Jody Colley, Judy Hodgson and Robby Robbins — with modest logistical and on-site assistance from the AAN staff.
