Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has agreed to open the World Newspaper Congress, World Editors Forum and Info Services Expo 2009, the global summit meetings of the world’s press, to be held in Hyderabad, India, from March 22-25, 2009.
The events, organised by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and hosted by the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), are expected to draw 2,000 newspaper publishers, managing directors, CEO, chief editors and other senior newspaper executives at a time when the global financial crisis is putting additional pressure on advertising-dependent media.
The congress takes the theme 'Newspapers: A Multi-Media, Growth Business', while the theme of WEF is 'Doing More with Less: the New Newsroom Challenge'.
“As newspapers all over the world continue to develop the exploitation of their content through digital media, WAN has decided to again focus on the dual challenge facing press companies everywhere: maintaining and expanding their core, print products, while seizing all available opportunities to extend their brands, audience and revenues through the new distribution platforms,” said Timothy Balding, the CEO of WAN.
“At the same time, in recognition of the new pressures brought about by the global economic crisis, we have added new sessions on cost-cutting and achieving greater business efficiency. Our events will also be a great opportunity for many participants to discover India, the world’s biggest democracy, where the press is not only free and fiercely independent - but undergoing extraordinary growth,” Balding said.
First confirmed speakers for the Congress include: David Kirk, CEO of Fairfax Media, Australia; Olivier Fleurot, Executive Chairman, Publicis Worldwide; Tim Brooks, Managing Director, Guardian News & Media, United Kingdom; Ana Paula Pessoa, Vice-President, Corporate and Strategic Resources, Infoglobo, Brazil; Ravi Dhariwal, CEO Publishing, Bennet, Coleman & Co (Times Group), India; William Powers, Media Columnist, National Journal, United States; and Gerd Finkbeiner, Chairman, manroland AG, Germany.
The events will be accompanied by a rich social programme, tours, meetings with local and international political, business and cultural leaders, and much more.
Other highlights of the congress, which focuses on business issues of the press, include:
- 'World Trends in the Newspaper Industry: An Update', the annual state of the industry address by Balding.
- Presentation of the best from the 2009 strategy reports of WAN’s major SFN research project, analysing developments and opportunities in the press industry.
- The 2008 Global Report on Innovations in Newspapers by the Innovation International Media Consulting Group.
- A release of a major new research project, 'Newspaper publishing: creating a sustainable future', undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers, in cooperation with WAN. Based on surveys of consumers, publishers and advertisers, enriched by industry and company reports, analyst reviews and PwC expertise, the presentation will include an examination of how newspaper publishers react to changing consumer behaviour. It will also take into account a range of new technologies which influence the way that consumers interact, communicate and seek information and how these changes are impacting newspapers.
The registration information and other details are available at visit www.wanindia2009.com.
