MDDC will hold its annual conference and awards lunch on Friday May 3 from 9 am – 2:30 pm at the Doubletree Annapolis hotel. Join colleagues and industry experts for two sets of panels and discussions on topics of interest, speed networking in our new “Mixing Bowl” session, and the presentation of Best of Show awards during a festive Mexican buffet lunch.
(First and second place awards will be announced in our pre-conference video drops during the week of April 29th.)
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Conference Schedule for Friday, May 3rd
More information available as speakers are finalized
Registration
9:00 am –9:30 am Enjoy networking and coffee before the program begins.
Mixing Bowl
9:30 am – 10:15 am Real life discussions on various subjects in small groups. Including speed mentoring from industry veterans or untangling your toughest problems for discussion.
Training & Discussion tracks—Session 1
10:15 am —11:00 am Roundtable discussions led by industry experts, on a variety of topics. The schedule will be posted as it becomes available.
- Editorial
- Advertising
- General
Training & Discussion tracks—Session 2
11:15 am — noon Roundtable discussions led by industry experts, including:
- Editorial
- Advertising
- General
Speakers
DRIVING REVENUE WITH E-NEWSLETTERS
Join Chris Forhan and Nhan Ngo from The Baltimore Banner as they share key strategies for boosting e-newsletter revenue through engaging content, personalizing messages, and smart advertising integration, while keeping unsubscribes low.
HOW CAN NEWS PUBLISHERS CAPITALIZE ON ELECTION SEASON TO DRIVE GROWTH?
Join Chad Hussain of Quintype Technologies and learn how credible reporting and visual storytelling can not only boost credibility and loyalty with readers, but also drive growth during the 2024 election cycle.
BEST-OF BRILLIANCE: GROW ENGAGEMENT & REVENUE IN 2024 WITH CONTESTS AND PROMOTIONS
Join Konrad LaPrade of Independent News Media and Dawn Gessel of Gannett/LOCALiQ, moderated by Reinig Morris of Friends2Follow to hear how their organizations create contests and promotions that not only engage audiences, but also strengthen relationships with advertisers. Learn their strategies for engaging with high-quality prospects, crafting captivating campaigns, and generating serious revenue while generating a positive ROAS.
CONNECT AND COLLECT: WINNING STRATEGIES FOR NEWSMEDIA EVENT SUCCESS
Join us and hear from two masters of events planning, marketing, and strategy, Lenora Howze of The Afro News and Kristi English of APG Chesapeake, moderated by Kevin Berrier of MDDC Advertising Services to learn proven winning strategies for making your event a solid revenue generator while building engagement and trust with your community and businesses.
How to use Content Partnerships
Join Allison Taylor Levine; Local Journalism Institute, Jeff Browne, Stevenson University, Toni Draper, the AFRO; Sam Hopkins, CSZ, moderated by Denise Rolark Barnes, Washington Informer on how Content is still king! But how do publications cover all the areas the community needs? In this session, we will hear from those who have successfully created content partnerships to better serve local readers.
Recruiting and Retaining Staff
Join moderator Andrea McDaniels, Baltimore Banner, and panelists Adrianne Flynn, Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland and Kaitlyn Llewellyn, Stanton Chase, a strong cohesive staff is critical to success as a news media organization. Our panelists will share their unique perspectives, from recruiting early in career professionals to retaining more seasoned staff. Hear from professionals in recruiting, placement and experts in how to build a newsroom.
National Trends coming to the local area – how does it affect the news?
Join Neil Quinter, News Media Alliance, moderated by Rebecca Snyder, MDDC Press Association on how the MDDC region is not immune from national trends. This discussion-oriented panel will cover national trends in journalism preservation, online privacy, business issues, and public notice trends that have shown up in state legislatures. Your questions welcome.
Buffet Lunch; Keynote Speaker
12:10pm —12:40 pm (Mainsail)
We’re excited to announce our 2024 Keynote Speaker, Allison Taylor Levine, MPA, founder and CEO of Local Journalism Initiative and it’s collaborative community-powered newsroom, Spotlight Delaware! Hear how Allison and her team are changing the landscape in local journalism in their region relating to critical issues like government oversight, elevating underrepresented voices, gathering and sharing information the community needs, and sharing stories that help readers understand their neighbors.
Awards Program
1:00—2:30 pm The Best of Show winners of the 2023 contest will be honored with a recap of first and second place winners. Organization-wide honors will be awarded, including Best Moves, Designer of the Year, Website of General Excellence, Editorial Rookie or the Year and the James S. Keat FOIA award.
Our First and Second Place awards broadcasts will post the week of April 29th. Go to our MDDC YouTube channel to see all our winners.
