The Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA) is seeking member input regarding its annual national convention.
Members are asked to download the three-page survey using the link provided below. Completed surveys should be faxed to the CCNA office at 416-482-1908 by Friday, July 22, 2005. Feedback is welcome from all members, regardless of whether you have attended a convention.
Through the last half-decade, the registration by publishers, editors and sales managers at the CCNA national convention has continued to decline. Several variations have been tried to increase participation. Historically the CCNA convention served as an opportunity for independently owned newspaper publishers to take family vacations and travel across Canada, meeting and learning about the various economic and political issues of the country.
The CCNA convention provided an opportunity for taking workshops on publishing issues, staff retention, good hiring practices, and best business practices. Historically the trade show provided an opportunity for suppliers of equipment and services to the publishing industry to meet with independent publishers and show off the latest in equipment and products.
The CCNA convention also had an important family component. There are members of the board who attended their first convention with their parents.
The CCNA board has experimented with hosting the convention in conjunction with a regional association’s annual convention. The convention has been moved from mid summer to the last week in May. The convention has also recently been held in conjunction with Les Hebdos du Qu├®bec.
CCNA President Lynn Hennigar has created a taskforce to review the convention’s present format and come up with recommendations to the board. The taskforce’s mandate is to survey member publishers across Canada to discover what aspects of the convention they find valuable, and also to determine ways the convention can be improved.
For more information, please contact the CCNA office at 1-877-305-2262 or info@ccna.ca.