I’m sorry to report that the WPA has cancelled its 2009 Publishing Conference. Executive Director Jane Silbering and many others worked very hard to draw attendees to the event. Unfortunately, the faltering economy is forcing publishing professionals to hang on for dear life, or at least hunker down until they see some daylight. NOTE THAT THE MAGGIE AWARDS DINNER ON FRIDAY, APRIL 24 WILL PROCEED AS PLANNED.
Here’s the official announcement from the WPA:
Los Angeles, CA – March 24, 2009 – Low registration has caused the Western Publishing Association to cancel its media publishing conference, April 23-24, at the Westin Hotel at Los Angeles Airport.
An annual event for the media publishing community in the western United States, the conference has, in prior years, drawn upwards of 230 people, offering more than two dozen educational sessions covering all areas of print, digital and event media. In addition, vendor tabletop exhibits were available as well as other vendor sponsorships.
“It was an extremely difficult decision to make,” said Jane Silbering, Executive Director. “We have a responsibility to our sponsors to deliver attendance worthy of their expectations and dollars spent, and to our speakers, to deliver an audience worthy of the time and effort spent in preparing their presentations.” Silbering went on to say, “The WPA Board felt the decision to move forward or cancel had to be made in a timely manner, to give attendees, speakers and sponsors appropriate notice.
“Our industry typically registers close to the event,” stated Peter Craig, WPA Conference Chairman. “But in this case, we had to make our decision sooner rather than later. Based on the current state of the publishing industry, we simply couldn’t wait any longer.”
The 58th Annual Maggie Awards Banquet will proceed as planned, scheduled for April 24th, at the Westin Hotel at Los Angeles Airport. The WPA will award 78 Maggies for excellence in editorial, design and promotion in both print and digital media publishing. Reservations are available online at www.wpa-online.org.
About WPA
The Western Publishing Association is a non-profit association dedicated to the advancement of the media publishing industry, providing continuing education, in the western United States.