Here’s the latest on the 2012 Texas APME convention March 30-April 1 in Dallas-Fort Worth…
The convention hotel will be the newly opened Omni Dallas Hotel adjacent to the Dallas convention center. The APME has secured a room rate of $129 a night, an exceptional value for a hotel of this quality.
The Saturday night awards dinner and auction will be at the exclusive Fort Worth Club in downtown Fort Worth, across the street from the new offices of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Program topics include politics, digital innovation …
In a nod to the 2012 election, our convention program will feature a political panel that will look at prospects for Gov. Rick Perry after his unsuccessful presidential run — and we’ll hear from experts about what Perry’s experience might mean for Texas politics moving forward.
We also plan two sessions dealing with the increasingly urgent move toward digital platforms. One will discuss the effort to balance revenue between print and digital products: What’s working, what’s not, and what are some of the best ideas for growing digital revenue? The second will examine the pros and cons of using social media to gather news and to extend your brand.
On Sunday, we plan sessions with Freedom of Information experts and a follow-up on access issues surrounding sports coverage — a subject that’s becoming increasingly complicated.
Look for a full program and registration materials in two weeks.
Don’t forget about the auction …
Celeste Williams at the Star-Telegram is our auction chair and is looking for your contributions for both the live and silent auction. Popular silent auction items include iconic photos, gift baskets and books about Texas people and places.
Live auction winners include vacation homes or packages, tickets to sporting events and airline tickets. Think creatively about what you or your newspaper might donate and get in touch with Celeste at cxwilliams@star-telegram.com.
Remember, the Buster Haas auction funds scholarships for worthy Texas journalism students
A word about our sponsors …
The Star-Telegram and The Dallas Morning News are the legacy sponsors for the 2012 convention. But two Texas universities — Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Texas Christian University in Fort Worth — will co-sponsor convention transportation between the two cities and will be featured at different times in the convention program.