Location: Windsor Ballroom
Attendees: Everyone

Location: Windsor Ballroom
Attendees: Everyone
Type: Keynote Presentation

Speaker: Jackie Wong

Forging new pathways in a changing industry.

Many of us who work in publishing today will agree: internships aren’t what they used to be, for both the interns and their supervisors. With the changing media landscape building capacity in the next generation of journalists is critical. And doing so successfully relies on thoughtfully renovating traditional models of apprenticeship towards more meaningful mentorship, support and capacity building. That work includes working with emerging journalists to build emotional resilience in a tough industry, modelling a healthy workplace culture, and addressing industry-wide under-representation of equity-deserving groups. This interactive session will key off reflections from Jackie Wong, an educator and senior editor at The Tyee, with the aim of creating productive space for participants to learn from each other.

Location: Windsor Ballroom
Attendees: Everyone
Type: Keynote Presentation

Speaker: Katrina Ingram

The rise of Artificial Intelligence is evident in all aspects of our lives, from predictive text on our phones and in our email apps, to AI-powered music generation. For those in media, the rapid pace of the advancement and infiltration of AI-generated content creates concern as much as it shows opportunity to spark new ideas.

In this keynote address, Ethically Aligned AI Founder and CEO Katrina Ingram will delve into some of the critical questions that creators and media outlets are grappling with in the age of AI.

• How do machines learn? What is our role in teaching them, and how can we demand more transparency from the corporations that are developing these tools for profit?
• How will human learning be impacted by AI simplifying our day to day?
• What is the future of creativity? Will AI replace human creators, or can it be a collaborator?
• How do we ensure that the news landscape stays free of deep fakes, and inform our audiences about the role of AI in content creation?
• What lies at the intersection of technology and social justice, or as we call it, AI + EDI? How can organizations align with societal values to build a more diverse, inclusive, equitable world by taking responsibility for the actual technologies they build and use.

Everyone with a stake in how information and art are created, shared and consumed will want to attend. This thought-provoking hour will include a Q&A with Katrina Ingram.

Location: Windsor Ballroom
Attendees: Everyone
Type: Keynote Presentation

Speaker: Mike Schnaidt

In the editorial world, your superpower is pacing: the art of sequencing words and images to craft a visually compelling story. But what if you apply those same principles of pacing to the trajectory of your career? In this craft-focused talk, Mike will go behind the scenes of the creative direction of Men’s Health and Fast Company, and dive deep into how he is pacing the next stage of his career, evolving from a creative director to the author of Creative Endurance.

Location: Ballroom A
Attendees: Publishers
Type: Breakout Session

Speaker: Sharon McAuley

Feeling lost in the day-to-day? Are your goals just out of reach? Turnaround specialist Sharon McAuley will equip you with the tools and strategies you need to chart a clear course for success.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• How to define your vision and set achievable goals
• A step-by-step framework for strategic planning (that actually works!)
• Practical tips for overcoming common planning roadblocks
• How to translate your strategy into actionable steps

This session is a perfect fit for you if:

• You’re tired of feeling overwhelmed and unsure of your direction
• You want to achieve your business goals
• You’re looking for a clear and actionable plan for success

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to take control of your future!

Location: Ballroom B
Attendees: Workshop Part 1
Type: Breakout Session

Speaker: Joe Amditis

This afternoon session is in two parts and separated by a break.

Looking to reclaim some time from tedious tasks so you can actually spend it doing meaningful journalism? This workshop will demonstrate how AI tools can manage routine tasks, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: human-centred reporting and community engagement.

Important note: This workshop is NOT for those who want to replace journalists or outsource their actual writing and reporting to an army of robots! Instead, you’ll learn how to use automation and AI tools to assist with repetitive, behind-the-scenes tasks, freeing you up to invest more in face-to-face reporting and storytelling.

Joe Amditis, associate director of operations at the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University, will guide you through practical applications of automation and assistive AI in media and journalism workflows. Joe has published guides on how newsrooms can use AI tools and creating custom assistive AI bots, and his expertise lies in helping newsrooms automate non-journalistic tasks to increase efficiency and reduce redundancy.

During this hands-on session, you’ll work with Joe to integrate tools like Airtable, Zapier, and Slack with AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT. You’ll create workflows for:

• Documenting meetings and Slack discussions
• Extracting useful info from long meeting minutes and transcripts
• Drafting alt or descriptive text for images and social media content
• Prioritizing inbox messages and action items
• Other documentation workflows and record-keeping tasks

You’ll explore multiple approaches to understanding the strength of these tools when it comes to supporting (not replacing) journalistic work.

Bring your laptop and be prepared to participate. You’ll also have a chance to vote on a specific workflow challenge to address during the session. No coding experience is required—all skill levels are welcome!

Location: Desert Palm Room
Attendees: Designers
Type: Breakout Session

Speaker: Mike Schnaidt

What does it take to design one of the world’s most recognized and respected magazine brands? In this small group chat, Mike Schnaidt, author and Creative Director, Fast Company, will share his perspective on the evolution and future of magazine design, building and re-building a strong visual identity for a brand, how to work collaboratively across art and editorial, and more.

Participants will have a chance to listen, ask questions, and discuss magazine design in an informal format. Mike will also share behind the scenes on some of his favourite pieces of work.

Seats are limited! Registration is capped at 8 spots!

Location: Ballroom C
Attendees: Alumni and Member Magazines
Type: Breakout Session

Speaker: Kim Pittaway

How can you create an editorial structure and strategy that allows you to convey your organization’s key messages, cover those “yup, it’s the annual awards again” events, keep key stakeholders happy—and produce a magazine readers will not only find informative but actually enjoy? Join Kim Pittaway for a session focused on covering your key pillars, maximizing replatformed content, managing stakeholder expectationsand creating a magazine you’ll be proud to publish. We’ll look at how to make the most of front and back of book sections, creating impact with long-form and visual features, and ideas for how to fill the gaps when features fall through.

Location: Ballroom D
Attendees: Writers
Type: Breakout Session

Speakers: Curtis Gillespie and Omar Mouallem

How do writers adapt to a changing media world? Where does inspiration come from? How do the best writers turn ideas into captivating stories that please their editors’ and hold readers’ attention?

Join us for this lively conversation between two of Alberta’s most acclaimed writers, Curtis Gillespie and Omar Moaullem. In this candid talk, they’ll peel back the curtain on their creative process, revealing how the spark of an idea is turned into a winning story, how they adapt their tone for long and short features with different editors and publications, and how they overcome common writing hurdles. Attendees will learn valuable tips including a deep dive on the research process, how to redevelop your niche topics for multiple audiences, and more.

This is a unique opportunity to gain insights from two established voices and get a glimpse into the world of magazine writing. Whether you’re a new or seasoned writer or editor, this hour promises to be both informative and inspiring.

Location: Foyer
Attendees: Everyone
Type: Break

Location: Ballroom A
Attendees: Publishers
Type: Breakout Session

Speaker: Sharon McAuley

Discover Powerful Tactics to Restore Profitability and Growth.

Your business isn’t firing on all cylinders. Ad sales are down, costs are rising, and the future feels uncertain. You need a plan, and you need it fast.

Turnaround specialist Sharon McAuley will unveil powerful turnaround strategies used by media companies to overcome challenges and achieve lasting success.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• The critical first steps to diagnose the root causes of your business struggles.
• Effective cost-cutting measures that preserve value and fuel growth.
• Proven revenue-generating strategies to reignite customer interest and sales.
• Leadership tactics to keep your team motivated and focused during a turnaround.
• Real-world case studies demonstrating turnaround success in action.

Location: Ballroom C
Attendees: Editors
Type: Breakout Session

Speaker: Kim Pittaway

Just like a great music festival, each issue of your magazine needs a compelling “headline act.” It might be a gripping long-form feature. It could be an editorial package that kicks butt. Or maybe it’s a photo feature that delights the eye and engages the mind. Join Kim Pittaway for a session exploring how to conceptualize, assign, edit and manage these headline features – and how to execute them well without killing your contributors or staff in the process.

Location: Ballroom B
Attendees: Workshop Part 2
Type: Breakout Session

Speaker: Joe Amditis

This is in two part 2 of the workshop.

Looking to reclaim some time from tedious tasks so you can actually spend it doing meaningful journalism? This workshop will demonstrate how AI tools can manage routine tasks, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: human-centred reporting and community engagement.

Important note: This workshop is NOT for those who want to replace journalists or outsource their actual writing and reporting to an army of robots! Instead, you’ll learn how to use automation and AI tools to assist with repetitive, behind-the-scenes tasks, freeing you up to invest more in face-to-face reporting and storytelling.

Joe Amditis, associate director of operations at the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University, will guide you through practical applications of automation and assistive AI in media and journalism workflows. Joe has published guides on how newsrooms can use AI tools and creating custom assistive AI bots, and his expertise lies in helping newsrooms automate non-journalistic tasks to increase efficiency and reduce redundancy.

During this hands-on session, you’ll work with Joe to integrate tools like Airtable, Zapier, and Slack with AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT. You’ll create workflows for:

• Documenting meetings and Slack discussions
• Extracting useful info from long meeting minutes and transcripts
• Drafting alt or descriptive text for images and social media content
• Prioritizing inbox messages and action items
• Other documentation workflows and record-keeping tasks

You’ll explore multiple approaches to understanding the strength of these tools when it comes to supporting (not replacing) journalistic work.

Bring your laptop and be prepared to participate. You’ll also have a chance to vote on a specific workflow challenge to address during the session. No coding experience is required—all skill levels are welcome!

This afternoon session will be in two parts and separated by a break.

Location: Ballroom
Attendees: Everyone
Type: Awards Gala

The Alberta Magazine Awards program honours and celebrates the work of magazine makers who collectively bring passion and insight to our unique Alberta culture and ensure Alberta voices and stories are shared throughout the province and beyond our borders.

Hosted by Omar Mouallem, join us as we celebrate the work of magazine makers – the editors, art directors, writers, photographers, and illustrators in 18 written, visual, digital, and integrated Showcase Award categories and 5 Alberta Achievement Award categories.

The celebration begins with cocktails followed by the 2024 Awards Dinner and Gala!

Omar Mouallem is National Magazine Awards winning journalist and magazine editor who has contributed to such outlets as The Guardian, Rolling Stone, NewYorker.com.