Brant Houston, executive director of the Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc., will lead the IRE workshop that will be held Saturday, Jan. 28, from 9 a.m. until noon in the Editorial stream. Houston, who was managing director of the National Institute for Computer Assisted Reporting for two years before he took the reins at IRE. [posted December 29, 2005]

Ron Nixon, projects editor on the New York Times computer assisted reporting team, will lead the Investigative Reporters and Editors workshop that will be held Saturday, Feb. 18, from 9 a.m. until noon in the Editorial stream. Nixon drew rave reviews from attendees when he presented a workshop at AAN West in Jan. 2004. "Ron Nixon was a pro -- very engaging," said one AAN member responding in the post-conference survey. "Ron Nixon was all that and a bag of chips. He knew the unknowable," enthused another. [posted December 29, 2005]

By the time you return to work from your Thanksgiving holiday weekend, several copies of the AAN West informational brochure will have arrived at your newspaper. In it, you'll find hotel info, the conference schedule, detailed descriptions of all sessions and speaker bios. The same information may be found by exploring the menu bar on the right-hand side of this page. If you'd like to beat the rush and register early, you may download a .pdf of the form now. The early registration deadline for AAN West is December 30, 2005. Be sure to check back to this page often for updates. [posted November 17, 2005]

By the time you return to work from your Thanksgiving holiday weekend, several copies of the AAN East informational brochure will have arrived at your newspaper. In it, you'll find hotel info, the conference schedule, detailed descriptions of all sessions and speaker bios. The same information may be found by exploring the menu bar on the left-hand side of this page. If you'd like to beat the rush and register early, you may download a .pdf of the form now. The early registration deadline for AAN East is January 20, 2006. Be sure to check back to this page often for updates. [posted November 17, 2005]

The deadline for The M Street Hotel (formerly the Center City Hotel) reservations at the special AAN rate is Tuesday, January 17, 2006; however, we encourage you to book early as AAN’s block of rooms could be reserved prior to the deadline. To make your reservation, call the hotel directly at (202) 775-0800 and ask for the AAN group rate. [posted November 14, 2005]

The first 25 registrants in Design and Production will receive a CD-Rom entitled Prepress for Adobe Photoshop. This eight-hour video, authored by Taz Talley, is from the lynda.com training library. [posted November 13, 2005]

The San Francisco Bay Guardian is hosting free drinks on Saturday immediately after the conference. Each registered AAN West delegate will receive two free drink tickets. We’ll include a map to the venue location, conveniently located near the hotel, with your drink tickets. Mix and mingle with your AAN West friends before heading out to dinner and enjoying a night on your own in San Francisco! [posted November 13, 2005]

The first 25 registrants in Design and Production will receive a CD-Rom entitled Prepress for Adobe Photoshop. This eight-hour video, authored by Taz Talley, is from the lynda.com training library. [posted October 28, 2005]

Looking to engage in your favorite sport while in San Diego? We've added information in the link on the left entitled Recreation Activities. Bring your rollerblades, cross trainers, whatever you might need. [posted June 2, 2005]

June evenings in San Diego can be a bit cool, so pack a light jacket or sweater along with your Bermuda shorts. [posted May 25, 2005]

Blood. Frogs. Vermin. Hail. Locusts. Slaying of your first editor. Whatever. If you publish a paper long enough, sooner or later you will be hit with a disaster. With eleven papers to worry about, the folks at New Times are always thinking about these things, and they have agreed to share their disaster-recovery plans with business-stream attendees on Saturday, June 18 at 4:45 pm. [posted May 20, 2005]

The Westin Horton Plaza is nearly sold out for some of the nights of the Convention. If you are unable to obtain a room at The Westin, please call The Westgate Hotel at (800) 221-3802 and ask for the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies rate of $163. More information is available on the Staying Here page. [posted May 12, 2005]

InDesign® CS2 and InCopy® CS2: At 10 am, Convention Sponsor Adobe's Lisa Forrester will show you the newest features in both programs, offer tips and answer your questions. Then, at 11:45 am, graphic designer and illustrator Martin Gee will talk about the inspiration that is all around and how to find it. Complete descriptions can be found on the D&P program page. [posted May 6, 2005]

Folks interested in participating in the Marketing, Branding and Promotion idea-sharing session in the Retail track, as well as Show Me the Money in the Classified track, should contact AAN sales and marketing assistant Tiffany Kildale. Space is extremely limited in both sessions and only the first 50 to sign-up will be able to participate. [posted April 20, 2005]

Stacey Lindsay, former New Times/Ruxton marketing and non-traditional revenue guru, will lead a fast-paced, action-packed session in the Retail track. Attendees will learn how to craft a sponsorship proposal that will sell, how to set up an effective marketing program at their newspaper, and much, much more. [posted April 7, 2005]

Due to the on-going success of the AAN CAN program, all member newspapers receive one free, non-transferrable registration for their classified manager or director. [posted March 29, 2005]

Register by April 22, 2005 and save $50 per attendee off the regular registration rate. See registration materials for details. [posted March 25, 2005]

Programming at this year's convention includes a half-day trip to Mexico. Get an insider's look at fascinating areas rarely seen by San Diegans, including border smuggling routes, poverty and riches, sites where journalists and political candidates were assassinated, and a tour of Tijuana's alternative paper. Attendance is limited to the first 90 registrants. A separate fee of $40 includes bus fare and gourmet lunch at La Diferencia, one of Tijuana's best restaurants. To sign-up, please see your convention registration materials. [posted March 24, 2005]