The Atlantic Coast region meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday, May 2, at the new Charlotte Observer office, located in the NASCAR Tower in Uptown Charlotte (550 S Caldwell St.).
The Hyatt Place Downtown, only a few blocks away, has a rate of $139 for Sunday night; please mention APSE when reserving through Wednesday (if you decide last-minute, Hotels.com’s mobile app at times can provide good late deals). Parking is available in street lots and parking decks nearby at rates starting at $6 per day. Lunch will be through Jason’s Deli; cost is $10 per person. For those coming in Sunday evening, we can set up a dinner/drinks time if necessary.
Schedule
10 a.m. — Welcome, intros, business requirements
10:30 a.m. — Creating good projects on a limited timeframe: We’re all wanting to do things beyond a good Sunday Sports centerpiece, but time and manpower seem to get in the way of some plans. These folks will show you tips and thoughts that helped them produce special content in a short amount of time. Panelists: Mike Svetitz, Richmond Times-Dispatch; Steve Hemphill, Roanoke Times
11:30 a.m. — Keynote: Charlotte men’s basketball coach Mark Price
12:30 p.m. — Lunch + Open Discussion on Perils and Positives of Merging Content — Best tips (and horror stories!) for working with sister papers and/or a design hub in this time of conglomerated media companies.
1:30 p.m. — Overcoming Limited Access: It is becoming increasingly difficult to cover college athletes and teams due to limited access.This panel discusses the challenges and solutions to reporting with limited or no access, developing alternative sources and breaking out from the pack. Panelists: NFL staff of Charlotte Observer; Steve Wiseman, Durham Herald-Sun; Kami Mattioli, The Sporting News
2:30 p.m. — New digital tools + social media strategy: What’s out there to make your story a little bit more attractive and reader-friendly online, but won’t suck up all your time or require you to learn how to code? Then, how do you get more people to read it when you’re done? Panelists: Bret McCormick, Rock Hill Herald; Dan Spears, Wilmington StarNews
***One piece of homework: We’re asking everyone to bring one tool they’ve used already with success, or that they want to use in the near future. Even if we have duplicates, we’ll have a bunch of options for folks to take home.***
3:30 p.m. — Reminder about national convention … links, etc., on APSE website and Facebook page … Student time, more discussion, etc.
