It’s almost here! The 2016 Texas APME Convention is taking place in friendly El Paso, April 8-10, at the DoubleTree Hotel, 600 N. El Paso, in the heart of the city.
We haven’t been in West Texas for quite a while, so we’re looking forward to the Sun City’s renowned hospitality.
Editors from across the state will convene in El Paso to find out who’s the best in numerous categories in the annual Texas APME awards, along with the Star of Stars presented by the Headliners.
In panels on Saturday and Sunday, we’re going to discuss and debate key issues, including new digital approaches to boost page views, how to measure whether your online efforts are succeeding, maintaining quality in our mad, mad, mad digital world and all kinds of cases involving freedom of information (or lack thereof). We’ll talk about border affairs, including immigration, the economy and, yes, drugs. What’s really happening with our neighbors to the south and how does it affect us?
We’re also planning a great event at Southwest University Park, home of the El Paso Chihuahuas Triple-A baseball team, on Saturday night. Might even have a guest appearance by Lola, the team’s tough little mascot. At the top of the stands is a beautiful club with comfy seating, a great 360-degree bar and a spectacular view. That will be the site of our annual Jack Douglas Dinner, where we present the Jack Douglas Award, the state’s highest lifetime achievement award for journalists.
The dinner is followed by the ever-popular live auction, featuring everything from round-trip tickets to just about anywhere, vacation packages to numerous top-notch locations in Texas, sports tickets and other one-of-a-kind goods. The bidding can run fast and furious so bring your credit cards! All proceeds benefit the Buster Haas Minority Internship Program, which pays for scholarships and stipends for internships for up-and-coming young journalists.

Speaking of young journalists, editors who arrive on Friday will visit with students from area colleges and universities who are interested in pursuing careers in the news industry. It’s a great opportunity to get a first look at new talent. One of them could be your paper’s next bright hire!
The deadline for the TAP rate at the hotel has passed, but there’s still time to register for the conference. The cost for the conference is $205 per person, and that includes lunch at Saturday’s awards presentation and the Jack Douglas dinner.
Hope to see you there!