There is a lot to report from the 100th anniversary convention in Indianapolis!  For chapter leaders, I will be sending you more detailed information over the coming week.  Here are some broad strokes:

Changes to the the ranking and reporting procedures for professional chapters.  The star system remains in place with a few key changes designed to allow pro chapters a bit more breathing room:
1 – The requirement for “meetings” changes to “activities,” which leaves room for more creativity in programming.
2 – A pro chapter can keep its head above water in the two-star category by sending a delegate to EITHER a regional or national conference in a given year.
3 – A waiver option applies to any chapter which — for legitimate reasons — cannot send a delegate to the national conference.  Chapters should apply to the regional director for the waiver.
4 – Regional directors will do quarterly “check-ins” with chapters.  This is so that the RDs can keep better abreast of chapter activities and spot trouble areas early.  Chapters will still be required to submit their annual reports.

Omaha, here we come! Attendees at the regional business meeting agreed that Omaha and Creighton University would be great for the 2010 regional conference.  We are looking at dates in March.  Because there is no pro chapter in Nebraska, I’ll be calling on our other pro and student chapters to help come up with programming ideas (including finding panelists and speakers).  Headquarters staff will be able to help with logistics.  Ideas should focus on multi-media and career in addition to SPJ’s other missions.

Teaming up with RTNDA for 2011 Convention.  SPJ and the Radio Television News Directors Association (soon to be renamed the Radio Television Digital News Association) will hold a joint national convention in 2011.  Two cities under consideration are Orlando and New Orleans, but the destination is by no means final.

Executive Director Search.  The search continues for a successor to the late, great Terry Harper.  The search committee has narrowed things down to 20 candidates and will futher winnow the list in September.  After that the full board of directors will get to Q&A with the finalists via conference call.  The committee hopes to have someone in place by October.  I understand we got a very high caliber of applicants.

Future of Journalism Committee.  President Kevin Smith is committed to bringing SPJ to the forefront of the discussion of this issue.  He’s formed a great committee with the task of developing the organization’s leaders into the leading go-to experts.  I sat in on a meeting and I can tell you there are some great ideas and work already perculating.

Jobs and Career Support.  The board unanimously approved my idea to beef up our offerings to members in this area via our national web site.  The “Career Toolkit” (working title) would offer a blog where members can share their concerns, success stories, questions.  Guest bloggers from the employer and recruiter ranks are also part of the plan.  Also, there would be guides and links to help members use free tools for navigating the world of multi-media, developing e-portfolios, mastering social media, and other resources.  I also hope we can include a resume and cover letter clinic, and a career advice e-hotline with a rotating group of volunteer experts.  If any members out there have ideas for this project, please let me know! Especially if you have a story to tell that would make a great blog entry.

National web site.  The headquarters staff is doing an overhaul of the site to better serve the needs of members, with easier access to members-only features and greater interactivity.

Also from the the conference…

Lots of great ideas and resources for fresh programming that will pull in new members and keep current members excited and committed to your chapter.  Stay tuned!

In the age of doing more with less, the Iowa Pro Chapter pulled off a great event! HE

As a new chapter, one of our main goals for this year was to host an outreach event that would also offer professional development for our current members. Our strategy was simple: If we could get editors and freelancers in the same room, they would have the opportunity to build mutually beneficial connections.

With major publishing entities like Meredith Corporation, The Des Moines Register, and the Des Moines Business Record nearby, we knew we could count on first-class representation from the editor set. Plus, central Iowa was brimming with freelancers. It was a perfect match. We just had one major roadblock — we didn’t have any money. (Well, we had a little bit, but not much).  Thanks to a dedicated committee, and one too many hours in a downtown coffee shop, we hatched a low-budget plan that turned out to be a great success.

Our first annual freelance summit took place on July 18, featuring eight editors and 25 freelancers. The event consisted of two parts. The first half was a series of 10-minute round tables, where freelancers were able to chat in small groups with the editors. Next, one of our board members moderated a panel, comprising editors and veteran freelancers, about must-know freelancing tips.

With the event behind us, we’re already thinking about how we can do it better next year. Here are a few things we learned along the way:

DO find an online registration service that works for you.
For us, Eventbrite was a lifesaver. The site allowed us to create a custom event page that synced up with PayPal. Plus, it offered tons of extras such as the ability to make discount codes, track invitations, print name tags, and publish information directly onto Twitter and Facebook.

DON’T be afraid to try an unconventional venue.
We initially looked into hotels and restaurants, but they just didn’t fit into our budget. Then, we checked out the newly opened Des Moines Social Club, a nonprofit organization built to foster the city’s art scene, and knew it was just what we were looking for. The Social Club provided a creative, laid back atmosphere that matched perfectly with our vision for the event.

DON’T limit your event to print.
Like all journalists, most freelancers are looking broaden their opportunities beyond traditional print media. In addition to representatives from local newspapers and magazines, we recruited graphic/Web designers, online editors and bloggers.

DO try DYI catering.
By opting out of in-house catering, we were able to stay in control of our food costs. We ordered sandwiches from a local grocer and stocked up on extra snacks (and breakfast) from Costco. Plus, we took advantage of one of our board member’s barista skills and made our own coffee.

DO promote the heck out of your event.
We added our event to every community calendar possible and posted dozens of fliers around town. Additionally — thanks to Eventbrite — it was simple for us to push our event on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Delicious, etc. We also used discount codes as a way to get people’s attention on Twitter. That being said…

DON’T freak out if you don’t get registrants until the last minute.
Admittedly, we almost canceled our event two weeks before because we didn’t have any registrants. We realized just because journalists like to procrastinate, it doesn’t mean they’re disinterested. (Go figure!) Now we’re so thankful we didn’t.

Questions?  Contact Marie Elizabeth Oliver:  mdemahy@gmail.com

I would like to cast a wide net for our next regional convention host city. Any ideas?

Wichita?  KC?  Des Moines?  Omaha?  Lincoln?  Springfield, MO?  I am open to ideas! What about the Lake of the Ozarks?

A city does not have to have a strong pro chapter — or any pro chapter — to host. SPJ headquarters staff can do most of the heavy lifting in terms of planning (logistics, venue, etc), with lots of help from me. There would need to be a small and dedicated local committee to handle things on the front lines.

One of the positives about having the conference in a city where the pro chapter is struggling, dormant, or non-existent is that it may have the effect of boosting interest among local journalists.

If anyone out there is interested, please contact me. I would love to be able to float ideas at our regional meeting in Indy during the national convention later this month.

You can also touch base with the St. Louis conference committee chair Dave Nicklaus to find out what’s involved. The St. Louis pro chapter did an outstanding job with the regional in April, in the midst of tough economic times. His email is DNicklaus@post-dispatch.com.

A group students from our region will take home national Mark of Excellence Awards when they attend the upcoming Society of Professional Journalists National Convention and Journalism Conference in Indianapolis Aug. 27-31.

Congratulations are in order for the following!!!

Feature Writing
• Winner: Thor Nystrom, University of Kansas, “To Hell and Back”

Sports Writing
• Winner: Thor Nystrom, University of Kansas, “Both sides of the scalp”

Radio Feature
• Winner: Kyle Stokes, University of Missouri, Columbia, “Lincoln School memories”

Breaking News Reporting
• Finalist: Molly Hottle, Grand View University, “Husband accused of murder in I-235 shooting”

In-Depth Reporting
• Finalist: Brenna Hawley, University of Kansas, “Parched future of the plains”

Feature Photography
• Finalist: Nick Gallo, Creighton University, “Let the cards fly”

Photo Illustration
• Finalist: Dan McClanahan, Iowa State University, “Logging out for good”

Congratulations again to all these students for their great work!