Midwest Newspaper Summit 3
September 10, 2010
Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza
Kansas City, Missouri
• • •
Take part in a hands-on Innovation Project that will bring
measurable and profitable results to your newspaper!
The Midwest Newspaper Summit 3 will feature a unique hands-on, learn-by-doing platform. By attending, participants from newspapers of all sizes and at all stages of innovation will implement an Innovation Project at their newspaper.
Presented by:
Iowa Newspaper Foundation
Illinois Press Association
Kansas Press Association
Minnesota Newspaper Association
Missouri Press Association
Nebraska Press Association
South Dakota Newspaper Association
Wisconsin Newspaper Association
Eight Midwest state press associations are working together to conduct the third in a series of educational events aimed at developing new ways to ensure the successful future of the newspaper industry. The Midwest Newspaper Summit 3, Newspaper Evolution: Make Change Happen, will be held Friday, Sept. 10 at the Marriott Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. Using Midwest Newspaper Summits held in September 2009 and February 2010 as its spring board, the Midwest Newspaper Summit 3 will feature a unique hands-on, learn-by-doing platform.
The theme for Midwest Newspaper Summits 1 and 2 was Newspaper Evolution: Survival of the Fittest in the Digital Age. These events featured industry leaders engaged in a cutting-edge discussion about the economics of the news industry and how it might move forward in the digital age. Nationally recognized speakers and panelists discussed the rapid changes newspapers are experiencing, new ways to structure the newspaper business, new revenue models and many other critical topics.
Attendance and interest at the first two summits clearly indicated the need for continued expansion of innovation and technology in the newspaper industry. The Midwest Newspaper Summit 3 is the next step in the evolution of these events and will offer newspapers of all sizes and at all stages of innovation an opportunity to implement an Innovation Project at their newspaper. Participants will be divided into groups based on their newspaper’s current stage of innovation and/or willingness to implement a new project. Under the guidance of a facilitator, teams will work together throughout the day to hone their ideas and discuss implementation. The day will wrap up with brief presentations on the implementation plans for each Innovation Project, providing for feedback from the full group.
The day-long event will kick off with an address by Sarah Miller Caldicott, a great grandniece of Thomas Edison. Inspired by a family lineage of inventors dating back five generations, Caldicott began her 25-year career as a Marketing executive with major brand-driven firms, including Quaker Oats and Unilever. She co-authored the first book ever written on the subject of Edison’s world-changing innovation methods, entitled Innovate Like Edison, The Five-Step System for Breakthrough Business Success. Caldicott travels the world inspiring audiences on how they can employ Edison’s timeless innovation methods today. She has presented at companies such as Google and Motorola and appeared as an innovation expert on PBS television, CNBC, the Fox Business Network and NPR.
A special welcome reception is being planned for Thursday, September 9 for those planning to be in Kansas City the evening before the event.
Click here for a Schedule of Events and Registration Information.
Attendees will choose to participate in one of three Innovation Projects:
| Innovation Project #1 |
|---|
| The newspaper representatives that choose this project will be engaged in developing a cooperative venture that has great potential to reduce costs while providing newspapers with the opportunity to monetize archived and current content by sharing their data with others. This potential archive of content from newspapers across the Midwest would provide a wealth of information on subjects of interest to many newspapers, as well as a new revenue stream. |
| Innovation Project #2 |
| Imagine an electronic system that allows you to write a story for the printed newspaper and then, without any format modifications, upload it to your website, to a mobile app or to a social networking site. This system would allow newspapers to prepare their print and digital content from one platform, making it easy and cost-effective to be online and in digital formats. |
| Innovation Project #3 |
| The participants who embrace this innovation project will have a keen interest in moving their news product to a mobile platform. Those engaged with this project will produce information in a format suitable for a mobile application and will explore ways to share mobile content and provide for financial transactions, thereby monetizing the application. |