2017 SFJ conference schedule: Success Stories

June 29, 2017

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 27

4-5:15 P.M. | SFJ board meetingThe Star’s Press Pavilion, 1601 McGee St.Board and committee chairs gather to discuss last-minute details about the conference and begin planning for next year.

6-9 p.m. Opening reception at the hotelBrookside Room at the Westin Kansas City at Crown Center, 1 E. Pershing RoadCome meet your fellow features creatures, register for the conference and relax.

THURSDAY, Sept. 28

Location: The Star’s Press Pavilion, 1601 McGee St.

8-9 a.m.: Shuttle service from hotel to Press Pavilion. Continental breakfast and registration at the Pavilion.

9-10 a.m.: Robb Armstrong of "Jump Start" (an Andrews McMeel syndicate) will tell us how he went from a college student at Syracuse University with a comic strip to becoming a nationally syndicated cartoonist. He's also written a memoir, "Fearless: A Cartoonist's Guide to Life."

10-11:15 a.m.: Digital tools you shouldn’t live without, by Jennifer Brett of Atlanta Journal Constitution.Topics she’ll cover include:

How to repurpose user-generated content from Facebook without an embed code. (once you have secured the content creator’s permission, of course)
How to use geo curation to enhance social searches
How to repurpose ephemeral Snapchat or Instagram Stories
How to create engaging social pushes to promote your content using a combination of apps
Facebook Live tips

11:15-11:30 a.m.: Break.

11:30 a.m. to noon: Visit KC, KC's tourism bureau, welcomes us.

Noon-1:30 p.m.: Awards luncheon.

1:30-2 p.m.: Break

2-3 p.m.: SFJ winners tell all.They’ve received their awards – now hear about their work. Jim Haag, a contest coordinator and retired Virginian-Pilot features editor, will lead a panel discussion with Rashod Ollison of The Virginian-Pilot, Jeneé Osterheldt of The Kansas City Star and Christopher Wynn of The Dallas Morning News.

3-4 p.m.: Show & Steal. Sharon Chapman and Laura Coffey.One of the most popular segments of the conference, editors share their best ideas from the year past for anyone to steal.

4-5 p.m.: Shuttle service back to hotel.

5:30-6:30 p.m.: Shuttle service to Andrews McMeel from hotel lobby.

6-9 p.m.: Silent Auction at Andrews McMeel, 1130 Walnut St.If you have “Doonesbury,” “For Better For Worse” or “Phoebe the Unicorn” in your paper, then you’re an Andrews McMeel client. The syndicate is hosting this year’s Silent Auction in its lovely art deco digs.

FRIDAY, Sept. 29

Location: The Star’s Press Pavilion

8-9 a.m.: Shuttle service from hotel to Press Pavilion. Continental breakfast

9-10 a.m.: How to dive deep, author Candice MillardKansas City-based bestselling author and journalist Candice Millard has written three award-winning New York Times bestsellers: “The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey,” “Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine & the Murder of a President” (about James Garfield) and her latest, “Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill.” Candice will explain how she does her meticulous research and how she finds the story that no one else has told.

10-11:30 a.m.: SPJ-Google News Lab Training: Google Tools Fundamentals with Abigail EdgeFreelance journalist Abigail Edge will give an overview of how Google's tools can help you research stories, fact-check, find what's trending, and locate useful datasets. The workshop will highlight: advanced Google Search techniques, Google Trends, Google Public Data Explorer, and more to ensure you're covered on how to fully uncover things.

11:30-noon: Break

Noon-1 p.m.: Lunch + Diversity Fellows presentationGrab a bite to eat while listening to our amazing Diversity Fellows, Rashod Ollison of TheVirginian-Pilot and Michelle Zenarosa of Everyday Feminism and Woke magazines.1-2 p.m.: Facebook Live shows: How to do them, and do they make money?The Kansas City Star has launched several regularly scheduled Facebook Live shows, some of which are sponsored. Here are some lessons The Star has learned, presented by Brittany Coale (digital sales manager), Rachel Crader (growth editor), Jill Silva (Chow Town Live host and barbecue writer) and Shelly Yang (video journalist).2-3 p.m.: Atten-TION! with Jennifer Rowe of Missouri School of JournalismHelp your stories get noticed with exciting headlines and compelling leads. This session will provide tips for how to write attention-grabbing headlines and story leads with contemporary and classic examples from award-winning features. Learn how to sell your stories and start them off so that readers just can’t turn away.3-4 p.m.: Lynden Steele: Life after the Pulitzer -- how to find the story after the storyLynden, assistant managing editor for photography at The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and his team won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for its coverage of the protests in Ferguson. But the stories don't end with journalism's highest honor; Lynden will share how the newsroom followed up with even more award-winning coverage.

4-4:15 p.m.: Meet the futureWe’ll introduce our student attendees.

4-4:15 p.m. | Changing of the guardIt’s a time-honored tradition: The current SFJ president, Kathy Lu, turns over the gavel – and a few other surprising pieces of clothing – to the incoming president, Jim Haag. Then, sadly, it’s time to wrap it up.

4:30-5:30 p.m. | SHUTTLE BACK TO HOTEL

Free evening. Students heading to Royals game. Meet at the lobby to board the bus.

SATURDAY, Sept. 30 (Campus connection)

This session is designed for our college participants. However, journalists who would like to volunteer to help provide feedback or network with the students are welcome.

Location: The Star’s Press Pavilion, 1601 McGee St.

8-9 A.M. | Shuttle service + hot breakfast Pick up shuttle at the hotel; breakfast

9 a.m. to noon: Network & feedbackProfessional journalists -- Jim Haag, Kathy Lu, Margaret Myers, Jeneé Osterheldt, Alice Short, and Emily Spicer -- will spend time with each student who wants feedback on various topics, including on resumes, clips and interview tips.

12:30-1:30 p.m.: SFJ board meeting, with lunchThe planning for next year begins now, as the new officers and committee members begin setting goals for 2018.

OPTIONAL FOR CONFERENCE ATTENDEES (please RSVP at registration)

BB+J (BASEBALL, BARBECUE + JAZZ) TOUR This tour is designed for any conference participant who wants to get to know a little bit about the city we’re meeting in.10 A.M. | Depart hotel on bus10:15-10:30 A.M. | Visit American Jazz Museum, 1616 E. 18th St.Explore the museum’s history in the changing exhibit, “The Legacy Plays On,” which celebrates the museum’s 20th anniversary.10:45-11:15 A.M. | Tour the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, 1616 E 18th St.Video presentations and memorabilia chronicle the history and heroes of the leagues – from their origin after the Civil War to their demise in the 1960s.11:20-11:50 A.M. | More time at AJM, 1616 E. 18th St.Linger at the place that honors jazz masters such as Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Big Joe Turner and hundreds of others.NOON-1 P.M. | Lunch at Gates-Bar-B-Q, 1221 Brooklyn Ave.Enjoy a family-owned Kansas City tradition, cafeteria-style. Owner George Gates will offer a history of his place and KC’s role in the world of barbecue.