WAN conference to attract young readers

Do young people read newspapers? The conventional wisdom says no, but the reality is different; there are plenty of newspapers that successfully attract the young, and they'll be sharing their strategies at the 8th World Young Reader Conference & Expo, to be held in Prague, Czech Republic, from 27 to 30 September 2009.

The conference will present cost-effective and revenue-producing strategies for connecting with the young on multiple platforms. The biennial event attracts publishers, chief editors, marketing and other newspaper executives for workshops, conference sessions, social events and networking opportunities.

“Newspapers have to work harder to attract young people, but not because they offer anything less than they ever did, but because we are competing with far more than ever before - not only other news platforms, but social networks, video streams and even game platforms,” said Aralynn McMane, director of WAN Young Reader Programmes. “The conference revolves around incorporating new developments into the traditional approaches for attracting young people to news.”

The conference is organised by the World Association of Newspapers and supported by Norske Skog, the Norway-based global paper producer, and the Czech Publishers Association.

Topics include:

• How social networks and online activity are translating into newspaper loyalty among the young.
• How newspapers are monetising young reader content and approaches, including the use of free content provided for this purposed by WAN.
• The benefits of adopting a "Total Youth Think" approach to staffing, content, platforms and attitude in a way that appeals to the young - and those who advertise to them - but that does not alienate older readers.
• The new audiences that newspapers in education programmes are creating among important new young adult target groups, including parents and young professionals, and the very newest ways to approach all newspapers in education efforts.
• Great ideas from the 2009 World Young Reader Prize winners, who were honoured for devising the best projects and activities in the past 24 months to develop young readership. ("Young reader" refers to those under age 25.)
• How newspapers can exploit the latest technologies to interact with, and deliver information to, young people.

Early registration discount

Full details, including an early registration discount available to 15 June, are available at www.wan-press.org/prague2009.

Newspapers also have the chance to win a free registration to the conference and a €1000 prize in each of the six categories in this year's World Young Reader Prize competition. Entries are due on 15 June in the WAN secretariat. Details are at www.wan-press.org/worldyoungreaderprize.

Suppliers to the newspaper industry who are interested in joining the exhibition can find details at www.wan-press.org/nie/articles.php?id=1955.