The sun sets on another regional conference season

SPJ’s regional conferences are an important networking tool for professionals.
National conferences have more opportunity for journalists to get lost in the crowd. The regional conference gives journos a chance to show their stuff and it’s also more saturated with colleagues immediately affecting the surrounding area.
Previously I’ve blogged about why journalists should attend their regional conference. Since then, I attended the 2014 Region 7 conference held at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas. The organizers did a first-class job hosting the event — complete with a Kansas City barbecue dinner to open the festivities.
Among the most interesting conference sessions was one presented by the Shawnee Police Department’s public information officer, Bill Hissle. Hissle spoke about PIO/journalist interaction during breaking news situations and his day-to-day responsibilities.
While Hissle’s presentation was among the highlights of the conference, the event was chalked full of great information for both veteran journalists and students.
If you haven’t attended a regional conference before, consider attending in 2015. Place yourself in situations where you can learn to be a better reporter and meet people who can help help your career. Few events do that better than the SPJ regional conferences.