More than 1,000 newspaper owners, publishers, chief executives, senior editors and managers are expected to attend. The events, ranging from panel discussions to presentations, primarily focus on developments that are shaping tomorrow's newspaper.
The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) will launch its 'Shaping the Newspaper of the Future' project which will track and publicise all significant developments in the industry globally.
One such development is e-paper, an ultra-thin, lightweight screen that can be rolled or folded like a newspaper. This product now makes it possible to offer digital, downloadable versions of daily newspapers via the internet, in the same form as they appear on the newsstand, including all advertisements, graphics and photographs.
New York Times' chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. said this recent development provides the "missing link" between online and print editions of the newpaper.
E-paper, produced by a team from Bell Labs and E Ink Corporation in the United States, shows electronic text on thin, flexible sheets that look and feel like paper. It is put together in the form of a book or newspaper, with electronic pages downloaded using wireless technology.
This new prototype is made from inexpensive, re-usable material and is fabricated with a low-cost printing process. E-paper, therefore, is not only a technological but also a financial advantage for the newspaper industry.
In three to five years' time, production companies hope to have an electronic newspaper that can be rolled up to pocket size.
Another recent development that will bring substantial changes to the current newspaper industry is the tailored newspaper. This concept tailors the newspaper to the needs of the readers by providing them with only those parts of the newspaper that interest them. This will allow publishers to gauge what material is not being read, allowing them to work more efficiently. But it will also set them the challenge of planning how to distribute different newspaper sections to different reader groups.
For more information, visit WAN's website at www.wan-press.org.
Free daily newsletter
If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).
Related articles
- Audiences, AI and audio apps: five talking points from Perugia
- From Reuters to The New York Times, Big Oil pays 'most trusted media brands' to push greenwashing
- Four digital media trends to watch: generative AI, Gen Z, business models and news formats
- #MeToo inside the newsroom, with Jane Bradley and Lucy Siegle
- The NYT bets on edgy comedians and vloggers to make its opinion videos go viral
