This week, more than 250 newspaper professionals from across the Midwest will attend a groundbreaking one-day summit, "Newspaper Evolution: Survival of the Fittest in the Digital Age."
We at the Telegraph Herald are proud that Thursday's event will be in Dubuque.
When attendees gather in the Grand River Center, they will hear and participate in forward-thinking discussions and debates about the economics of the news industry as it addresses the challenges and opportunities of digital products and content delivery.
On the day-long program at the Grand River Center are several nationally recognized speakers and panelists. Among their topics will be changes in the newspaper industry, restructuring the business and new revenue opportunities.
The keynote speaker will be journalist-turned-businessman Alan Mutter, author of the blog "Reflections of a Newsosaur." Also, representatives of IBM will discuss their research in a presentation titled "Beyond Advertising: Paving the way towards consumer-centricity."
The event was the brainchild of my predecessor as Iowa Newspaper Foundation president, Jo Martin, of Times Citizen Communications in Iowa Falls. That it will be held in Dubuque is credit to this community's transformation. Several months ago, when Jo presented to the foundation board her vision for this summit, she proposed that it be held in Dubuque. Not Dubuque and other cities as considerations. Dubuque. What better place to discuss the transformation of newspapers than in a city that underwent a successful transformation itself?
The Iowa Newspaper Foundation has organized the event and secured co-sponsorship commitments from state press associations in Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska. The Iowa Department of Economic Development also stepped up to support the summit, recognizing the role that newspapers play in their communities' vitality.
With so many prominent guests coming to town, the TH is proud to host registrants at a private reception Wednesday evening. We will be pleased to show them around our facilities, including our recently remodeled newsroom. And, I just bet that our visitors will find complimentary copies of the TH in their hotels on Thursday morning.
Anyway, if you are in a Dubuque restaurant, hotel or watering hole on Wednesday evening or Thursday, and happen to overhear lots of newspaper talk, you'll know why. Please help us make our community's guests feel welcome.
Cooper's e-mail address is bcooper@wcinet.com.
