PRO SESSION FAQ

How does MediaFest work when three organizations – ACP, CMA, and SPJ – are running it?

ACP and CMA choose sessions aimed at students, while SPJ chooses those aimed at pros.

Of course, anyone can attend any session. Advanced students often prefer pro sessions, while pros who need refreshers will sometimes sit in student sessions.

What’s the selection process?

Sessions submitted through this form are split between those for students and those for pros. We’re booking pro sessions first, because that process takes longer.

We’re listing all pro sessions on this page and asking SPJers to comment on which ones tingle their toes. Feel free to comment on those yourself.

What happens with those comments?

Hopefully, they start conversations. Those will take place on the SPJ Refresh listserv (which is free to join even if you’re not an SPJ member) and among SPJ chapters, committees, and communities. 

You can also tell us your thoughts by clicking the CONTACT US button below.

We’ll gather all those comments so they can inform the folks who choose the sessions.

Who chooses the sessions?

Pro sessions will be selected in three ways, and those folks will use the aggregated comments as their guide…

• All freelance sessions will be presented in one room hosted by SPJ’s Freelance Community. That community will propose its own sessions and curate others submitted through the form.
• SPJ’s International Community will vet international-oriented sessions. 
• Other pro sessions will be chosen by SPJ president Emily Bloch, MediaFest convention director Michael Koretzky, SPJ board member Nicole DeCriscio, and SPJ member Michele Boyet. All of them have planned media conventions before.

When is the deadline to submit sessions?

We haven’t posted a deadline yet. That’s not an oversight. We’ve learned the hard way: Set a deadline, and everything gets submitted that day. Totally overwhelming for a volunteer convention crew.

But just between us, the deadline is Sunday, June 1. We’ll announce that in May. Hopefully, sessions will keep trickling in before then.

Given the fast-moving times we live in, a handful of slots will be kept open til the last minute for topical sessions.

How many pro sessions will be presented at MediaFest?

SPJ has a wing of four rooms that can accommodate 56 sessions from Thursday through Saturday morning, Oct 16-18. Depending on the quality and mix of those pro sessions – and the quality of the college sessions – we may add more pro sessions in other rooms.

Do speakers get free or discounted convention registration?

Sadly, no. We hope teaching is its own reward, because we’re three journalism organizations with tight budgets.

Do speakers have to pay convention registration?

That depends. Are you swooping in to present your awesome session and swooping out? Then, no. Are you sticking around to visit other sessions and programs? Then, yes. Will we ever know? Probably not. We rely on the honor system.

What about AV and all that?

Once we choose sessions, we’ll give presenters all the details they need. No sense bugging you with that right now.

Any other questions, contact us below…