News
April NATJA Press Room
In keeping with the sentiments of their tagline -- Redefining Professional Development -- the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) will present a solid program of educational seminars led by top industry professionals at their 2008 conference. Slated to be held in Oklahoma City on June 24-26, the 2008 NATJA Conference will feature three days of professional development workshops, media tours, informal networking sessions and a media marketplace.
Pauline Frommer will kick off the festivities with a keynote speech after the opening dinner and cocktail reception on June 24. Pauline’s byline has appeared in hundreds of publications, from Budget Travel Magazine and Marie Clair to Nick Jr. and the Dallas Morning News. She spent two years as the travel editor of MSNBC.com, and she currently co-hosts The Travel Show with her father, travel legend Arthur Frommer.
The next day will feature a long list of professional development seminars, including presentations by Georgia Hesse, the former editor of the San Francisco Sunday Examiner & Chronicle, and Lonely Planet Commissioning Editor, Jay Cooke. Other seminars slated for that day will cover a variety of topics, from breaking in to blogging and branding for travel writers, to how to get an editor to call you back and writing for custom publications.
A new editorial pitch session will also be featured at this years conference. Unlike the traditional editorial panel, this session will allow writers to pitch their best ideas to a panel of assigning editors. This process not only teaches writers how to refine their pitches, but it also allows for immediate editorial feedback. The inflight publications of enRoute, Continental, Hemishperes and Spirit will be represented on this panel.
A full calendar of photography workshops will also be offered to conference attendees. John Montgomery and Michael DeFreitas will lead a one-hour seminar about breaking into digital photography during the conference, and also present pre- and post-conference workshops for intermediate and advanced shooters. These three-day workshops will include visits to a variety of sites, with shooting conditions typically found on group press trips. There will be lots of one-on-one help plus a nightly critique session. Registrants will receive information about applying for one of the workshop slots after their conference registration is processed by NATJA.
Last but not least, Jeff Greenwald will present the keynote breakfast speech on the closing day of the conference. Jeff is author of five best-selling travel books, including Shopping for Buddhas, and he currently serves as the executive director of Ethical Traveler, a global alliance of travelers dedicated to human rights and environmental protection.
Registration for the 2008 NATJA conference is now open, but space is expected to fill up fast, so sign up early to avoid disappointment. For more information or to register for the conference,visit the Oklahoma City Conference Web Site.