Blogging beyond the printed word

This 15th annual international Beyond the Printed Word conference (www.ifra.com/beyond) is this year being held for the first time in the Irish capital of Dublin, 8 – 9 November. The joint chairs are Elan Lohmann, publisher of News24.com in South Africa, and Meredith Artley, executive editor of LAtimes.com in the US.

www.beyondtheprintedword.blogspot.com focuses on the latest innovations and possibilities of the digital era especially for newspapers. The blog, written in English, comments on news and findings from the Internet, and at the same time offers everyone dealing with online and mobile publishing at media houses who want to keep up with latest developments a forum for sharing ideas and opinions.

The opening lecture will be given by Prof Dr Jo Groebel, director of the Deutsches Digital Institut, who will talk on the topic “From the consumer to the prosumer”. The other lecturers from Africa, America, Asia and Europe will present innovative ideas and solutions for the digital publishing sector. In addition, “Networking Tables”, dedicated to specific topics, invite participants to exchange views and opinions.

Last year's Ifra conference in Vienna was attended by approximately 450 experts from five continents. According to Ifra, “Beyond” has established itself as one of the most important networking and informational venues for media strategists and decision-makers from all over the world who, faced with the rapid development of the media, want to extend their leading role to the digital world and expand it.

For more information about the international Ifra Beyond the Printed Word conference and to register – the Early Bird special rate has been extended until Friday 21 September – go to www.ifra.com/beyond or contact Karolina Dzeko, Ifra programme manager events on tel +49 6151 733 769 or email .

• Ifra (www.ifra.com) is an international organisation for newspaper and media publishing, with 10 locations worldwide. It has been registered since 1961 as an association with headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, and acts as the platform for decision-makers from the newspaper industry. A Board, comprising publishers as well as central, regional and specialised committees drawn from Ifra member companies, steers the work of the association.