The 2014 Excellence in Journalism conference kicks off Thursday, attracting over 900 journalists from across the industry.
Held in the Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, the conference will go through Saturday, September 6th.
This year will mark the third annual year of the convention, which combines members from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA).
Attendees will have a chance to showcase their line-dancing skills at the opening night event Thursday at the Wildhorse Saloon. Sponsored by CNN Newsource, the event will offer live country music, line-dancing lessons and an opportunity to mingle with other journalists.
Other event highlights include a Freedom Sings concert on Thursday, a Super Session with technology journalist Kara Swisher on Friday and the first-ever EIJ dance party on Saturday evening.
Chris Vachon, Associate Executive Director of the Society of Professional Journalists says she is most looking forward to the Freedom Sings concert. “It’s all about free speech and the first amendment but in a fun, entertaining way instead of just some dry person standing at a podium talking about it,” she said. “Doing it through music will definitely be a highlight.”
With so many conference events scheduled to choose from, there’s only enough space here to highlight a few. Take a look at the full EIJ program yourself and leave a comment on other events on your radar.
Out of the 900 attendees registered, 47% are SPJ members, 19% are RTNDA members, 5% are both and 30% are non-members. Though the program cost is a little less for those who are members, the conference tries to appeal to all journalists.
“Our theory is that if you’re not a member and come, you will leave and think, ‘I need to join one of those.’ So it’s like a recruitment tool,” Vachon said.
Though the number of EIJ conference attendees hasn’t grown significantly since 2012, it hasn’t declined either. Members hope to see the number grow in the future.
The 2015 conference is set to take place in Orlando, Florida. Returning and new attendees can typically begin signing up for registration in the spring.
“We do hope to see the conference grow in numbers in future years,” Vachon said. “But for now, a 900 person conference is not bad.”
September 4, 2014 • 2014: Nashville