AAN Charleston Conference Guide
2024 AAN SCHEDULE
The opening reception, vendor booths and both tracks take place in the Turtle Creek Ballroom, which is the separate conference center across from parking and past the pool from the hotel. We will also catch the buses on Thursday from the Turtle Creek Ballroom’s vendor foyer.
Turtle Creek is split into three rooms. Room A is Editorial/Design, Room B is Food/Breaks/Meetings, Room C is Revenue/Marketing.
The Annual Meeting on Friday is in Oak Lawn Terrace, which is in the main hotel on the lobby level.
Huge thanks to our host publication:
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THURSDAY (7/11/24)
Editorial/Design Track (Room A)
Breakfast and Registration (8-8:50)
ChatGPT, Podcasts/Audio Stories, Transcriptions, Newsletters, FOIA.
Come meet our representatives from the Google News Initiative, get answers about programming for publishers and ask your questions!
Speaker: Ben Petrosky
Senior Manager, Public Policy (AI, News, Geo and Assistant), Google
Ben leads a team working on public policy issues in some of our marquee Knowledge & Information products, including News, Geo/Maps and Google Assistant. Before joining the public policy team, Ben was a product counsel for Nest Labs, Inc., where he advised teams on wide-ranging issues including Internet law, privacy, and intellectual property.
Speaker: Casey Pallenik
News Industry Relations Manager
Casey oversees Google’s partnerships with local news publishers in the US, working to develop programs and opportunities to meet their business, technology and innovation needs. Before joining Google in 2019, Casey worked in business and operational roles at a number of media organizations, including The Atlantic, National Journal, PBS NewsHour and National Geographic Channel.
Reporter Elisha Brown from States Newsroom, Editor-in-chief Galina Espinoza from Rewire and Managing editor Sayaka Matsuoka from Triad City Beat will lead a discussion on best practices when it comes to reporting on reproductive rights and talk about how red state trends are spreading across the country in the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal.
Before you leave the hotel, realize (a.) there’s a restaurant in the hotel with a special AAN lunch menu and (b.) puppies are coming! Visit the PRConenct table to see and play with the puppies.
Texas Representative Julie Johnson has announced for the U.S. House of Representatives and, if she wins, would be the first openly-gay U.S. Representative from Texas.
From her website: “As a legislator, Julie Johnson has earned a reputation for going toe to toe with the crooked and powerful. Last session, she helped kill 76 of 77 anti-LGBTQ bills. She authored the historic Live Well Texas bill, which would have expanded Medicaid in Texas, gaining bipartisan support from 9 Republican Co-Sponsors, and as Vice-Chair of the Women’s Health Caucus fights on the front lines for reproductive rights.”
Come learn more about the Innovation in Focus series where the Reynolds Journalism Institute Innovation Team works with newsrooms and journalists to test new ideas, tech and storytelling methods. We will have a collaborative activity to help you work together on ideas for practical solutions for common challenges in your newsrooms and fun surprises!
Speaker: Emily Lytle
Emily Lytle is the Innovation in Focus Editor on RJI’s Innovation Team. She produces the monthly web series Innovation in Focus, which experiments with new ideas, tech and methods of storytelling for local and community-centered journalism.
Sponsored by:
Coffee Break and Sweets
Jimmy Boegle, Coachella Valley Independent/Reno News & Review, will lead a conversation to generate great ideas to steal.
Ryan Williamson of Rochester CITY Magazine will host a look at the best covers from AAN publications from the year.
Join us as the world renown Nasher Sculpture Center (2001 Flora Street) for a mind-expanding networking mixer throughout the museum and into the sculpture garden. Wine and beer; appetizers by Wolfgang Puck catering.
We’ll bus you from the hotel and back. For dinner, you can eat in the Arts District, return to Oak Lawn, or we’ll bus you to Dallas’ main music district, Deep Ellum.
Revenue/Marketing Track (Room B)
Breakfast and Registration (8-8:50)
ChatGPT, Podcasts/Audio Stories, Transcriptions, Newsletters, FOIA.
Come meet our representatives from the Google News Initiative, get answers about programming for publishers and ask your questions!
Speaker: Ben Petrosky
Senior Manager, Public Policy (AI, News, Geo and Assistant), Google
Ben leads a team working on public policy issues in some of our marquee Knowledge & Information products, including News, Geo/Maps and Google Assistant. Before joining the public policy team, Ben was a product counsel for Nest Labs, Inc., where he advised teams on wide-ranging issues including Internet law, privacy, and intellectual property.
Speaker: Casey Pallenik
News Industry Relations Manager
Casey oversees Google’s partnerships with local news publishers in the US, working to develop programs and opportunities to meet their business, technology and innovation needs. Before joining Google in 2019, Casey worked in business and operational roles at a number of media organizations, including The Atlantic, National Journal, PBS NewsHour and National Geographic Channel.
Reporter Elisha Brown from States Newsroom, Editor-in-chief Galina Espinoza from Rewire and Managing editor Sayaka Matsuoka from Triad City Beat will lead a discussion on best practices when it comes to reporting on reproductive rights and talk about how red state trends are spreading across the country in the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal.
Before you leave the hotel, realize (a.) there’s a restaurant in the hotel with a special AAN lunch menu and (b.) puppies are coming! Visit the PRConenct table to see and play with the puppies.
Texas Representative Julie Johnson has announced for the U.S. House of Representatives and, if she wins, would be the first openly-gay U.S. Representative from Texas.
From her website: “As a legislator, Julie Johnson has earned a reputation for going toe to toe with the crooked and powerful. Last session, she helped kill 76 of 77 anti-LGBTQ bills. She authored the historic Live Well Texas bill, which would have expanded Medicaid in Texas, gaining bipartisan support from 9 Republican Co-Sponsors, and as Vice-Chair of the Women’s Health Caucus fights on the front lines for reproductive rights.”
Come learn more about the Innovation in Focus series where the Reynolds Journalism Institute Innovation Team works with newsrooms and journalists to test new ideas, tech and storytelling methods. We will have a collaborative activity to help you work together on ideas for practical solutions for common challenges in your newsrooms and fun surprises!
Speaker: Emily Lytle
Emily Lytle is the Innovation in Focus Editor on RJI’s Innovation Team. She produces the monthly web series Innovation in Focus, which experiments with new ideas, tech and methods of storytelling for local and community-centered journalism.
Sponsored by:
Coffee Break and Sweets
Jimmy Boegle, Coachella Valley Independent/Reno News & Review, will lead a conversation to generate great ideas to steal.
Ryan Williamson of Rochester CITY Magazine will host a look at the best covers from AAN publications from the year.
Join us as the world renown Nasher Sculpture Center (2001 Flora Street) for a mind-expanding networking mixer throughout the museum and into the sculpture garden. Wine and beer; appetizers by Wolfgang Puck catering.
We’ll bus you from the hotel and back. For dinner, you can eat in the Arts District, return to Oak Lawn, or we’ll bus you to Dallas’ main music district, Deep Ellum.
FRIDAY (7/12/24)
Editorial/Design Track (Room A)
Breakfast and Registration (8-8:50)
ChatGPT, Podcasts/Audio Stories, Transcriptions, Newsletters, FOIA.
Come meet our representatives from the Google News Initiative, get answers about programming for publishers and ask your questions!
Speaker: Ben Petrosky
Senior Manager, Public Policy (AI, News, Geo and Assistant), Google
Ben leads a team working on public policy issues in some of our marquee Knowledge & Information products, including News, Geo/Maps and Google Assistant. Before joining the public policy team, Ben was a product counsel for Nest Labs, Inc., where he advised teams on wide-ranging issues including Internet law, privacy, and intellectual property.
Speaker: Casey Pallenik
News Industry Relations Manager
Casey oversees Google’s partnerships with local news publishers in the US, working to develop programs and opportunities to meet their business, technology and innovation needs. Before joining Google in 2019, Casey worked in business and operational roles at a number of media organizations, including The Atlantic, National Journal, PBS NewsHour and National Geographic Channel.
Reporter Elisha Brown from States Newsroom, Editor-in-chief Galina Espinoza from Rewire and Managing editor Sayaka Matsuoka from Triad City Beat will lead a discussion on best practices when it comes to reporting on reproductive rights and talk about how red state trends are spreading across the country in the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal.
Before you leave the hotel, realize (a.) there’s a restaurant in the hotel with a special AAN lunch menu and (b.) puppies are coming! Visit the PRConenct table to see and play with the puppies.
Texas Representative Julie Johnson has announced for the U.S. House of Representatives and, if she wins, would be the first openly-gay U.S. Representative from Texas.
From her website: “As a legislator, Julie Johnson has earned a reputation for going toe to toe with the crooked and powerful. Last session, she helped kill 76 of 77 anti-LGBTQ bills. She authored the historic Live Well Texas bill, which would have expanded Medicaid in Texas, gaining bipartisan support from 9 Republican Co-Sponsors, and as Vice-Chair of the Women’s Health Caucus fights on the front lines for reproductive rights.”
Come learn more about the Innovation in Focus series where the Reynolds Journalism Institute Innovation Team works with newsrooms and journalists to test new ideas, tech and storytelling methods. We will have a collaborative activity to help you work together on ideas for practical solutions for common challenges in your newsrooms and fun surprises!
Speaker: Emily Lytle
Emily Lytle is the Innovation in Focus Editor on RJI’s Innovation Team. She produces the monthly web series Innovation in Focus, which experiments with new ideas, tech and methods of storytelling for local and community-centered journalism.
Sponsored by:
Coffee Break and Sweets
Jimmy Boegle, Coachella Valley Independent/Reno News & Review, will lead a conversation to generate great ideas to steal.
Ryan Williamson of Rochester CITY Magazine will host a look at the best covers from AAN publications from the year.
Join us as the world renown Nasher Sculpture Center (2001 Flora Street) for a mind-expanding networking mixer throughout the museum and into the sculpture garden. Wine and beer; appetizers by Wolfgang Puck catering.
We’ll bus you from the hotel and back. For dinner, you can eat in the Arts District, return to Oak Lawn, or we’ll bus you to Dallas’ main music district, Deep Ellum.
Revenue/Marketing Track (Room B)
Breakfast and Registration (8-8:50)
ChatGPT, Podcasts/Audio Stories, Transcriptions, Newsletters, FOIA.
Come meet our representatives from the Google News Initiative, get answers about programming for publishers and ask your questions!
Speaker: Ben Petrosky
Senior Manager, Public Policy (AI, News, Geo and Assistant), Google
Ben leads a team working on public policy issues in some of our marquee Knowledge & Information products, including News, Geo/Maps and Google Assistant. Before joining the public policy team, Ben was a product counsel for Nest Labs, Inc., where he advised teams on wide-ranging issues including Internet law, privacy, and intellectual property.
Speaker: Casey Pallenik
News Industry Relations Manager
Casey oversees Google’s partnerships with local news publishers in the US, working to develop programs and opportunities to meet their business, technology and innovation needs. Before joining Google in 2019, Casey worked in business and operational roles at a number of media organizations, including The Atlantic, National Journal, PBS NewsHour and National Geographic Channel.
Reporter Elisha Brown from States Newsroom, Editor-in-chief Galina Espinoza from Rewire and Managing editor Sayaka Matsuoka from Triad City Beat will lead a discussion on best practices when it comes to reporting on reproductive rights and talk about how red state trends are spreading across the country in the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal.
Before you leave the hotel, realize (a.) there’s a restaurant in the hotel with a special AAN lunch menu and (b.) puppies are coming! Visit the PRConenct table to see and play with the puppies.
Texas Representative Julie Johnson has announced for the U.S. House of Representatives and, if she wins, would be the first openly-gay U.S. Representative from Texas.
From her website: “As a legislator, Julie Johnson has earned a reputation for going toe to toe with the crooked and powerful. Last session, she helped kill 76 of 77 anti-LGBTQ bills. She authored the historic Live Well Texas bill, which would have expanded Medicaid in Texas, gaining bipartisan support from 9 Republican Co-Sponsors, and as Vice-Chair of the Women’s Health Caucus fights on the front lines for reproductive rights.”
Come learn more about the Innovation in Focus series where the Reynolds Journalism Institute Innovation Team works with newsrooms and journalists to test new ideas, tech and storytelling methods. We will have a collaborative activity to help you work together on ideas for practical solutions for common challenges in your newsrooms and fun surprises!
Speaker: Emily Lytle
Emily Lytle is the Innovation in Focus Editor on RJI’s Innovation Team. She produces the monthly web series Innovation in Focus, which experiments with new ideas, tech and methods of storytelling for local and community-centered journalism.
Sponsored by:
Coffee Break and Sweets
Jimmy Boegle, Coachella Valley Independent/Reno News & Review, will lead a conversation to generate great ideas to steal.
Ryan Williamson of Rochester CITY Magazine will host a look at the best covers from AAN publications from the year.
Join us as the world renown Nasher Sculpture Center (2001 Flora Street) for a mind-expanding networking mixer throughout the museum and into the sculpture garden. Wine and beer; appetizers by Wolfgang Puck catering.
We’ll bus you from the hotel and back. For dinner, you can eat in the Arts District, return to Oak Lawn, or we’ll bus you to Dallas’ main music district, Deep Ellum.
Things to do in Charleston
Make the most of your time in Dallas by immersing yourself in the lively art and music scene while savoring Southern cuisine.
Thursday’s event at the Nasher Sculpture Center in the vibrant Arts District is a perfect opportunity to explore the city on foot or by bus. The Arts District is home to world-class museums like the Dallas Museum of Art, the Perot Museum, and the Sixth Floor Museum.
Afterward, indulge in a diverse range of culinary delights from the food trucks at Klyde Warren Park, and be sure to witness the captivating fountain performance or take a and explore the lively Deep Ellum known for its vibrant street murals, quirky art galleries, live music, cocktail bars and delicious eats.
Dallas is full of fun activities after the conference is over! Check out the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Texas Rangers game. Enjoy a panoramic view from Reunion Tower or have a drink or two on Margarita Mile, a free self-guided tour of the best and brightest margaritas in town.
Restaurant Recommendations Near the Francis Marion Hotel
Within Walking Distance
The Landmark at The Warwick Melrose | New American | (214) 224-3152 | $$
Mattito’s | Tex-Mex | (214) 526-8181 | $$
Enoteca Italia | Italian | (972) 685-2112 | $$
Steel Sushi | Asian | (214) 219-9908 | $$$
Snooze an AM Eatery | Breakfast | (469) 480-7250 | $$
Eatzi’s | European Market & Deli | (214) 526-1515 | $$
Parigi | Italian | (214) 521-0295 | $$$
Hunky’s | Hamburgers | (214) 941-3322 | $
Si Lom Asian Fusion | Asian Fusion | (214) 780-0983 | $$
3 Mile Radius
Neighborhood Services| American | (972) 803-5563 | $$$
Al Biernat’s | Steak and Seafood | (214) 219-2201 | $$$$
East Hampton Sandwich Co. | Sandwiches | (214) 443-7925 | $$
Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse | Steak and Texas Seafood | (214) 744-3287 | $$$
Loro | Asian Fusion | (214) 833-4983 | $$
Uchi | Japanese | (214) 855-5454 | $$$
Ocean Prime | Steak and Seafood | (214) 965-0440 | $$$
AAN ASSOCIATION GUIDANCE DOCUMENT
AAN exists to provide services and leadership that ensure the success of its members, and to strengthen alternative journalism through advocacy and education. Our association bylaws, found on our website, outline the fundamental rules for our governance.
This year, we’ve developed an Association Guidance Document which outlines how AAN functions in service of our bylaws: how we communicate, how we make decisions, how we manage conflict, how we hold accountable and more. We ask you to review this document by following the QR code pictured here.
AAN CODE OF CONDUCT
AAN’s board of directors and staff welcome you to the 2023 Annual Convention in Dallas! We’ve looked forward to this gathering in a spirit of curiosity, collaboration and respect, and discussing our vital work together—while having a lot of fun in the process.
AAN has developed a Code of Conduct, which you can view by scanning the QR code pictured here. Our goal, as always, is to ensure a safe and productive environment for all members, employees, volunteers, sponsors, speakers, and friends of AAN.