Wednesday, October 15

Early Bird Extra

The Houston Chronicle holds a video boot camp from 1 to 4pm. Contact Diane Cowen for details.

Conference Registration

Registration begins at 2pm at Hotel ZaZa.

New Members Reception

Help us welcome our fellowship winners and new members.

Starting the Party

The 2008 AASFE conference, hosted by The Chronicle, opens with a significant dose of culture at The Menil Collection, a museum which houses the private art collection of Houston philanthropists John and Dominique de Menil. The collection is recognized worldwide for its distinctive presentation and eclecticism. Visitors can see everything from prehistoric artifacts to the pop art of Andy Warhol.

Thursday, October 16

Show & Steal

Bigger, brighter, bolder: Check out these section fronts and fresh, practical approaches that you can take back to your newsroom. This year's categories are One-Day Dandies, Holiday Hoo-Ha, Play Dates, New and Improved, Readers Are Our Friends and The Diverse Palate.

Awards Luncheon

Best-selling author Chitra Divakaruni explores storytelling and the craft of writing followed by the presentation of awards in AASFE's 19th Annual Writing competition and acknowledgement of the 20 finalists in our Best Sections competition.

General Session

Life in Features, through the eyes of a visual dot-com journalist. Ron Coddington, a senior designer at USAToday.com will talk about the new world as he sees it, embedded as a senior designer with USA Today's Life section.

Workshops

The Post's David Maraniss talks about editing projects. And a panel of editors discuss niche products, including arts & entertainment, and building relationships within your advertising department.

Silent Auction & Best Sections

Hotel ZaZa's unique spaces allow us to combine two conference favorites into one reception. Hear the announcement of our Top 10 feature sections and talk with editors about how to succeed in these demanding times. Through the adjoining French doors, the last bidding for items in the Silent Auction is taking place. Join the fun and bid generously: The auction helps support our diversity fellows program! 

Friday, October 17

Show & Steal, Part II

Joined by our colleagues in the Association of Food Journalists, we look at standout food coverage in a category called "the diverse palate." Then we move on to more fabulous ideas from the remaining categories.

This is the first in a thread of programs Friday for both food and feature editors. In general session Rob King of ESPN.com talks about managing your career, and workshops include integrating food coverage throughout the paper and multimedia packages.

A second thread of programs beings after Show & Steal in Rob King's general session, and is aimed at those with specific interests in arts and entertainment and storytelling. Presenters include Matt Thompson, who created the A&E website Vita.mn, and novelist Ana Castillo, Neiman Narrative Director Constance Hale and Mimi Swartz, a Texas Monthly executive editor.

Luncheon Address

Legendary editor Judith Jones talks about her life and career and her role in shaping modern American cookbook publishing.

Winding Down

This year's President's Reception unfolds at the hip Continental Club. We'll be entertained by the El Orbits band and munch on Tex-Mex from Tacos A Go-Go.

Saturday, October 18

Multimedia Showcase

We collect some of the best lifestyle A&E videos, slide shows and Flash presentations, and talk about what it takes to succeed on the Web.

Fashion Statement

Chloe Dao of "Project Runway" shows us her first national clothing line, which debuts this fall, in a poolside fashion show.

Encore

AASFE conference closes at noon, followed by optional post-conference tours.