Eastern Region Community Media Conference 2011

May 5 & 6, 2011 

Save the Date

Three community media groups partner for a one-of-a-kind conference.

The Alliance for Community Media Mid-Atlantic & Northeast Regions and The Jersey Access Group have partnered once again to present a conference that will pool the resources and expertise of all three groups to provide two days of learning and sharing. The conference is designed for staff and volunteers that are producing and disseminating community media. The theme "Power of Partners Version 2.0" will be the focus from the moment you arrive at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale,  www.omninewhaven.com. New Haven is the home of Yale University and an array of exciting restaurants and clubs.

Events planned to focus on partnerships.

Pre-conference begins Wednesday, May 4 with the "Meet and Greet" on the top floor of the hotel providing a beautiful panaramic view of the city. Raffle tickets for door prizes provided to all that attend with additional tickets awarded to those that win games available on one of the two Wii video game systems. This will be your first opportunity to make new friends, share ideas, build new partnerships, and renew and strengthen relationships with old friends.

On the next day plan to spend time with the partners that provide the products and services that make it possible for community media to exist. This is a one day trade show, May 5 from 9:00am - 4:00pm, consisting of over 50 exhibitors presenting the newest technology suitable for the needs of PEG stations. There will be multiple presentations every 1/2 hour throughout the day demonstrating the latest in system applications and hardware that will have just been release weeks before at The National Association of Broadcasters Conference.

Through partnerships with vendors there will be a full TV production studio consisting of the latest equipment being exhibited at the trade show. The studio will be taping programs throughout the day with ample time for attendees to visit and examine this state of the art  facility.

Our partnering will additionally reach out to the educational community to include the area high schools, vocational schools, colleges, and universities. Students interested in media will be afforded the opportunity to participate in a day-long program that will include time to visit with the exhibitors.

May 6 will be a day of workshops, focusing on the partners that keep community media a vital element in our society. Staffers and volunteers will hear from experts on subjects of technology, operations, and production. From concept to completion workshops will discuss skills to increase the quality of programs, workflow, distribution, and community involvement. Don't plan on a lot of lectures. Many workshops will invite attendees to participate and share their knowledge and experience.

There will be 24 workshops that will be presented in four groups of six. You will undoubtly be faced with making a choice and missing out on some workshops. A good reason to think about bring another member of your staff and splitting up to cover more workshops.

Value out weighs cost.

Early bird full conference registration is $185 (before April1) for members and includes the "Meet and Greet", breakfast with the vendors the first day and a breakfast plenary the second day, lunch with guest speakers both days, and an amazing special evening event complete with lots of food, live music and dancing. And if you can get four others from your center to join you the price is just $160 each. There will also be many door prizes given away, valued at over $5000.

The Omni has agreed to provide special discount parking and if you join their Loyality Program you'll get lots of extras including free internet.  Hotel accommodations are only $119.00 per night.

Amtrak train station is just 10 minutes away, $8.00 by cab or complimentary shuttle via CT Transit.

So tell your staff, volunteers, and friends of community media to save the date and join us for two days as we celebrate the "Power of Partners Version 2.0."

Make checks payable to ACM Mid-Atlantic Region. Mail purchase order and payment to ACM Mid-Atlantic Region, PO Box 405, Metuchen, NJ 08840.

Thanks for your attention and we look forward to seeing you, your staff, your volunteers and others supporting community media at this years Power of Partners conference.

Sincerely,

Rich Desimone

Conference Coordinator

rjdesimone@verizon.net

732 603-9750