This post outlines your options if you might be affected by Hurricane Florence. We’re also reaching out directly to attendees, guest speakers and partners traveling from the impacted areas identified by the National Hurricane Center.

Registration

If your travel is impacted by the hurricane and you can’t make it to the conference, complete the refund request form. We’ll provide deferrals to next year’s conference and refunds to those directly impacted by the storm.

Flights

Please check with your airline or travel agent for relevant flight updates, and your options for cancellations or changes to your itinerary.

Hotel

The JW Marriott understands there are unforeseen events that can affect guests’ ability to make it to ONA18. The hotel will handle cancellation issues on a case-by-case basis. If you need to modify your plans, please contact the front desk immediately at 512-474-4777.

The ONA team will continue to proactively monitor weather conditions and updates from the National Hurricane Center throughout the week. We’ll work as quickly as we can to respond to your needs. For everyone traveling, we wish you safe travels.

The post Important update: ONA18 and Hurricane Florence appeared first on ONA18.

Go live on social in seconds with Reuters Connect.

Facebook’s Europe Head of Partnerships Rich Evans, said the average Facebook live video gets six times the number of interactions and 10 times the comments of a regular video, when speaking at the Newsrewired conference in London. Live streaming isn’t a fad — 61% of digital leaders are planning to focus on live video in 2018, according to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report.

Throughout the year, our editorial department has been gathering digital clients’ feedback on live video. Summarizing the insights, Global Multimedia Editor Jane Barrett observed:

“Live video is one of the fastest-moving areas of interest in digital. The immediacy of live is compelling and original — both of which are vital for younger audiences that don’t watch TV and dislike broadcasters’ “voice of God” reporting of events. There is also a huge trend towards “soft lives” — animals, weather, fun events both for OTT video services and mobile/viral fun.”

Reuters has been producing real-time coverage of the world’s biggest news stories for decades, covering everything from riots to rocket launches, political crises to panda births.

Here are three tips for producing digital lives that really make an impact:

1. Plan ahead!

On digital, Reuters observed that scheduled events consistently outperform breaking news stories. The lunar eclipse in February significantly outperformed earthquakes, terrorist attacks and historic peace talks according to Reuters’ digital client base. Why? Because digital lives work best if you can start building an audience well ahead of the event itself.

Clients knew months in advance when this live event would happen — to the second. This allowed them to plan a coverage strategy of complementary content, pre-promote the event and build an audience before it even started. The result was one of the most popular lives of the last year.

2. Keep people entertained

It might sound rudimentary, however poor performing lives often overlook the basics. What are you offering that will stop mobile viewers with a short attention span from swiping away? It could be anticipation — like waiting for an eclipse to happen or a rocket launch to be successful. What we know is that “wallpaper” lives that illustrate a news story but don’t evolve — the helpful bread and butter of live broadcasters everywhere — tend to flop online.

3. Push boundaries

Publishers who are most successful with digital lives are constantly experimenting. When the Washington Post covered the Senate hearing of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, they produced a live show with multiple camera angles, split-screen views and expert commentary, and broadcasted the signal on Twitch — the Amazon-owned live streaming site which claims to have 15 million daily active users.

One live signal — two completely different audiences engaged with.

Now, Reuters has made it even easier for clients to experiment across platforms. With Reuters Connect, publishers can send live content straight to a variety of social media.

The post 3 tips for creating successful live streaming video [Sponsored] appeared first on ONA18.

Consider these tips to help you approach all of the learning and professional development opportunities with confidence.

1. Conference prep for the unprepared

Download the Guidebook conference app and create your own schedule of sessions and networking events, chat and set up meeting times, leave feedback and access the social and activities feed.

Note: guidebook requires a passphrase when you search for a guide. Simply type ONA18 and you’ll be on your way!

Roughly map out your three days, sorting prospective activities into “must-do” and “other.” Remember to set reminders, arrive early and RSVP (where necessary) for high-interest sessions.

You should also take a look at the conference attendee list (sent to you via email) and think about who you want to meet, why, when, how you’d like to introduce yourself and which aspects of your professional and personal life to emphasize.

2. Making sense of a full program

With your schedule somewhere between full and bursting, you might feel like you need to be in several places at once. There are ways to get your program down to a manageable size, however, without missing wide swaths of the weekend.

You might sort the program by one of five ONA18 learning tracks:

• Audience engagement, growth + analytics
• Business models + entrepreneurship
• Mission, ethics, culture + career
• Product design + development
• Reporting tools + techniques

Or, consider whether you’d prefer a lean-back learning environment, like a masterclass, or an interactive one, like a workshop.

When in doubt, give yourself a break. Getting some rest will help you make the most of the intensive program. Go to bed early on one of the nights. Skip something cool to grab a bite with a new friend. Give your brain a moment to process. Virtually every session will have digital docs posted.

3. Networking doesn’t have to be so hard

Regardless of where you sit on the intro-to-extrovert scale, networking at ONA18 needn’t be a chore. About half of all attendees are first-timers, so when it seems like everyone knows what they’re doing, remember that they are more like you than you think.

Remember that your passion—your interests, ambitions, dreams and hobbies—is what makes you interesting. Lead with it, and try to discover the same in the people you are talking to. Show an interest by asking a question, and then follow up with three more.

When in doubt, dumbstruck by social terror or drowning in shop-talk, look to strike diverse connections. Seek out someone who doesn’t look like you, who is different in generation, area code, background and experience.

4. Things one recent first-timer wish she’d known

Corvaya Jeffries, an Associate Producer at CNN, had a whirlwind, exciting time as a first-timer at ONA17. Still, there are a few things that she wishes she had known coming into last year’s conference

For example, you cannot get to everyone in a day. You might not get to everyone in three days.

That you won’t get enough rest unless you plan to get enough rest.

That you should dress comfortably and like yourself, but make a point to stand out: If it’s your favorite bright lipstick or a conversation-piece button, make sure that people remember you, even just enough to say “Hi.”

That you should set a robust away message, explaining where you are and why, and give people a chance to check in with you on social media.

That you need to not only take notes, but read and edit them. If not every day, then at the close of the conference. The days are so packed, you’re bound to lose track of things you don’t note.

5. Taking it all back home

It is heartbreakingly possible to get through three days of high-intensity learning and networking, arrive back at your desk Monday morning and remember … virtually nothing you learned.

To counteract this, consider organizing a brown bag lunch to talk about specific lessons or share conference materials to prompt a broader conversation.

Here’s another tip: Identifying even a single experiment that you can take home to your work environment can make the difference between feeling like you came up empty and growing professionally from the experience.

Finally, if ONA18 proves to be the kind of productive experience that we know it can be, consider joining one of the dozens of ONA Local groups around the globe, or even starting one in your hometown to keep the inspiration and learning going beyond the conference.Join your ONA Local group, or start your own!

The post Tips and advice for ONA conference first-timers appeared first on ONA18.

Code of conduct

We want to remind everyone that ONA has a Code of Conduct for our events. We’re committed to providing a positive environment that is welcoming to all people, and we created the Code of Conduct to clearly state our expectations for staff, supporters, volunteers, speakers and attendees.

Reporting a problem

Please be sure to review the Code of Conduct before we get together in Austin. While there, be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert ONA staff if you notice what you assess to be a dangerous situation, someone in distress or violations of this Code of Conduct. You can also email Head of Programs and Events, Trevor Knoblich, trevor@journalists.org or Director of Programs, Jennifer Mizgata, jennifer@journalists.org.

Your badge

Please wear your badge and keep it visible throughout the conference. Check your email on Wednesday morning for the bar code you’ll scan to pick up your badge at the registration desk.

Registration Desk hours:

• Wednesday, 7–9 p.m.
• Thursday, 7 a.m.–9 p.m.
• Friday, 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
• Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

Conference help

If you need help with anything — whether it’s finding a specific room or getting first aid — find a volunteer wearing a bright orange “Volunteer” T-shirt. You can also visit the Registration and Help Desk across from the JW Grand Ballroom on the fourth floor or tweet with the hashtag #ONA18Help.

Help from the hotel

Mario Alejandro is the Director of Loss Prevention at the JW Marriott Austin. You can reach him at (512) 474-4777 Ext. 4546.

Hotel security personnel are certified in first aid and CPR.

Health and emergencies

In case of emergency:

• Dial 911; TTY 711 (if using a hotel phone, dial “0”)
• Crisis Text Line (connect to a trained crisis counselor): Text HOME to 741741
• Non-emergency police matters: (512) 974-2000
• In the event of an evacuation, follow EXIT signs throughout the hotel.

If you find yourself in need of medical or mental health care, these are some of the nearest facilities to the JW Marriott Austin.

Pharmacies

CVS Pharmacy (5-minute walk from the hotel).
Address: 500 Congress Ave. Austin TX. 78701
Phone: 512-474-2380.
Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Peoples RX (14-minute drive from the hotel).
Address: 3801 South Lamar, Austin TX. 78704
Phone: 512–444-8866.
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Urgent Care

Integral Care Psychiatric Emergency Services (12-minute drive from the hotel)
24-hour crisis hotline: 512-472-HELP (4357).
Non-crisis hotline: 512-472-HELP (4357) – Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Walk in Clinic: Richard E. Hopkins Behavioral Health Building
Address: 1165 Airport Blvd., Second Floor, Austin, TX 78701
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8am to 10pm, Saturday, Sunday and Holidays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

First Choice Emergency Room Care Center (10-minute drive from the hotel)
Address: 2020 E. Riverside Dr.
Phone: (737) 717-4100.
Hours: Open 24 hours, 7 days a week

Austin Emergency Center (11-minute drive from the hotel)
Address: 4015 South Lamar Blvd.
Phone: (512) 774-5780.
Hours: Open 24 hours, 7 days a week

Hospital and Emergency Room

Seton Medical Center Austin (8-12 minute drive from the hotel)
Address: 1201 W 38th St, Austin, TX 78705
Main Phone: 512-324-7000.
Emergency Department: 512 324-7010
For mini-emergencies, you can schedule an appointment.

Recharge

Your mind and body

“Have a recharge strategy” is Irving Washington’s most important advice to introverts for navigating the conference, and it definitely applies to the rest of us, too. While our schedule is packed with learning and networking opportunities, we encourage you to take breaks, whether to rest, reflect on conversations from the sessions or experience something new.

• Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate! (Need we say more?) ONA’s Meghan Murphy always has her collapsible water bottle on her conference packing list — it rolls up for easy stowage.
• Go outside with this guide to Austin’s great outdoors from Austin American-Statesman fitness reporter Pam Leblanc.
• See some live music at one of the venues recommended by Austin American-Statesman music critic Deborah Sengupta Stith.
• Grab a bite to eat at one of these incredible downtown Austin eateries serving everything from breakfast tacos to kolaches.
• Wander through the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum, which is offering ONA18 badge holders $3 off admission from Sept. 12-16.

Your devices

Here are a few places you can count on if you need to power up your devices powered to stay connected:

• Midway (Lone Star D): Head to the charging lounge sponsored by the Associated Press. There are also powerstrips in the back of the room and space to have impromptu meetings.
• Exhibit Hall (Level 2): Plug in at the charging station sponsored by Bing; sit down at the back of the room where there are powerstrips and space to have a meeting.
• Hotel Lobby: The JW Marriott’s lobby has comfortable seating, outlets and WiFi for work breaks.

The post Essentials for your health and safety during ONA18 appeared first on ONA18.

We’re thrilled to bring you the second annual Journalism 360 Immersive Storytelling Festival during ONA18! The festival will showcase projects from 2017 Journalism 360 Challenge, finalists in the Online Journalism Awards and other virtual reality and augmented reality explorations from the immersive journalism community. Join us on Friday, Sept. 14, between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Here’s a preview of a few of the projects we will feature.

Greenland Melting (PBS FRONTLINE/Emblematic Group)

Greenland’s glaciers are melting faster and faster. In this walk-around VR experience, you’ll go on a journey with a team of NASA scientists trying to better understand why and what it might mean for the world. Stand in front of glaciers, fly at low altitudes over some of the world’s most stunning scenery, and dive beneath the ocean’s surface to see what NASA’s studies are revealing.

Damming the Nile (BBC News)

Damming the Nile is the first Virtual Reality documentary series from BBC News, taking viewers on a deeply immersive journey down the Nile from its source to the sea through Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt with African correspondent, Alastair Leithead to explore the politics around a new dam.

The Deported (USC Annenberg/Jovrnalism)

Looking past headlines and statistics about deportation, you’ll find people who are caught in between a country that kicked them out and a country they don’t understand. They can often fall into depression or turn to addiction, which could lead to suicide. But there are nonprofits and churches trying to catch them and help them adjust to their new lives beyond the border.

Aftermath VR (New Cave Media)

Aftermath VR is an immersive documentary project about the Euromaidan revolution in Kyiv, Ukraine. It reconstructs the street where the bloodshed happened, as it is today, using photogrammetry and CGI. The viewers of the experience can repeat the path of the protesters who were reclaiming the street from police forces.

The Wall (USA TODAY/Arizona Republic)

Explore the unintended consequences of a dividing America in virtual reality. Partnering with local publications across the country, the USA TODAY NETWORK created an interactive experience that allows users to immersive themselves in 2,000 miles of conversation, possibilities, and outcomes on both sides of the borders.

David Bowie in Three Dimensions (The New York Times)

David Bowie was a musician, actor, painter, cultural pioneer and never what you expected. See what made him a fashion icon, up close and in augmented reality.

The festival runs Friday, Sept. 14 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Lonestar C. Several of the creators will be present to answer questions and lead you through the experiences.

Following the festival, join us for several immersive panels scheduled in the same room:

• 360 Video as a Reporting Tool: How and When to Break News with Immersive Video
• Augmented Reality is Your Next Immersive Content Experiment
• Drones: Innovative Storytelling Tools

The post A preview of the Journalism 360 Immersive Storytelling Festival appeared first on ONA18.

Geographic meetups

Several of the geographic meetups have more than one RSVP page because they’re co-hosted by multiple groups. You only need to RSVP with one group. We recommend picking the one closest to you, so you can easily stay in touch about their future events after the conference.

ONA Reno and ONA Sacramento will co-host a meetup before the Opening Night Reception. Come make new friends to team up and explore the conference. They’ll meet at Jo’s Coffee for introductions and then walk over to the Moody Theater together. Thursday, Sept. 13, 5-5:45 p.m., Jo’s Coffee, 242 W 2nd St. RSVP with either ONA Sacramento or ONA Reno.

ONA San Francisco and ONA Silicon Valley will co-host a meetup right before the Opening Night Reception. Join them for a drink starting at 5 p.m., then they’ll walk over as a group to the Moody Theater just after 6 p.m. Follow @onabayarea and @ONASiliconV for updates. Thursday, Sept. 13, 5-6 p.m., Corner Restaurant (ground floor of the JW Marriott Austin). RSVP with either ONA SF or ONA Silicon Valley.

ONA South Florida, ONA Gainesville and ONA Atlanta will co-host a breakfast meetup Friday morning at La Peña. Grab a breakfast taco and meet some of your neighbors attending the conference. Friday, Sept. 14, 9 a.m., La Peña, 227 Congress Ave. RSVP with ONA South Florida, ONA Gainesville or ONA Atlanta.

Join ONA Pittsburgh will meet up on Friday for lunchtime tacos at Torchy’s. Come to the JW Marriott lobby at noon to rideshare or meet them at 12:15 p.m. at the restaurant across the river. Friday, Sept. 14 at 12 p.m. in the JW Marriott lobby or at 12:15 p.m. at Torchy’s, 1822 S. Congress Ave.

ONA Seattle and ONA PDX will co-host a Pacific Northwest meetup Friday at the JW Marriott Lobby Bar, on the ground floor by the main entrance. Friday, Sept. 14 at 4 p.m. in the JW Marriott Lobby Bar. RSVP with either ONA PDX or ONA Seattle.

Meet ONA Philly Friday evening at the lobby bar for drinks and networking. Friday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. at the JW Marriott Lobby Bar. RSVP with ONA Philly.

Interest meetups

The annual Educators’ Meetup is an opportunity to hear from the 2018 Tow-Knight fellows and participate in discussions about how to evolve the ONA Educators’ group efforts. An ONA18 conference badge is required to attend. Thursday, Sept. 13 at 3:30-5 p.m. in Grand Ballroom 8 at the JW Marriott. More details on the ONA18 schedule.

Event planners, unite! For the second year, this group is getting together to meet other event planners at the conference. Thursday, Sept. 13, 5 p.m. Email trevor@journalists.org for more details.

The run streak continues: runners, meet in the JW Marriott lobby for a morning run. All levels welcome! Follow #ONA18Run for updates. Friday, Sept. 14, 7:30-8:30 a.m., leaving from JW Marriott Lobby.

As always, if you’re looking to find people tackling a very specific problem, Table Talks is the place to be. You’ll sit at a table with others who want to deep-dive into the same problem, and have a facilitated discussion with notes. Just head to the room that has the topics that interest you most, sit anywhere and our trained facilitators will you give you (very brief!) instructions on how Table Talks will work. An ONA18 conference badge is required. Friday, Sept. 14 at 10 a.m.-12 p.m., various locations at the JW Marriott. Check the schedule for details.

Woman founders, join moderator and News Deeply Executive Editor and CEO Lara Setrakian for a meetup to share experiences and lessons learned as women founders. No RSVP needed, but an ONA18 badge is required to attend. Friday, Sept. 14, 5-6 p.m., JW Marriott Room 502. More details.

Calling all visual journalists: There are two meetups for photojournalists, video journalists and multimedia journalists at ONA18.

• Follow up the Opening Night Reception with drinks and good company at Bangers Sausage House and Beer Garden, about a 15- to 20-minute walk from the Moody Theater. Tickets are not required, but the organizers request you sign up via Eventbrite so they can reserve enough space for all who plan to attend. Thursday, Sept. 13, 8:30-11:30 p.m., Bangers Sausage House and Beer Garden, 79 Rainey Street. RSVP on Eventbrite.

• Start Saturday with delicious breakfast tacos, provided by the Kalish Visual Editing Workshop. Gather at La Peña, a short walk from the JW Marriott. This meetup is open to all visual journalists attending ONA18 and will include vegetarian options. Come early, as the free tacos are limited and might go fast. Saturday, Sept. 15, 9-10 a.m., La Peña, 227 Congress Ave. Email Danny Gawlowski with any questions.

Looking for a pick-up basketball game while you’re in town? Byard Duncan is organizing the ultimate journalist hoops session. Time and location TBD; fill out this Google form to weigh in and stay in the loop when plans are set. Check in with Byard (@ByardDuncan) for more details.

If you want to gather a group that isn’t listed here, there’s a community space in the back of the ONA18 Midway that will be open for group conversations and impromptu meetups. Just check the Midway opening hours, then post a call on the ONA18 Facebook group or on Twitter using #ONA18 to spread the word.

The post Where to find your people at ONA18 appeared first on ONA18.

Led by Erika Aguilar, who initially pitched the podcast, the team will highlight snippets from conference sessions and conduct exclusive interviews with attendees. The feed will be available on Soundcloud, Google Play, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.

Full-length recorded sessions will also be available via Soundcloud — as well as through the listing on the ONA18 resources page — as they become available.

Meet the Audio Team

Erika Aguilar | @erikaaaguilar

Erika Aguilar is a podcast producer at KQED public radio in San Francisco. She works on the station’s local, storytelling news podcast called The Bay. Most of Erika’s journalism experience has been in radio, but she considers herself to be a digital native. This will be her second year at the ONA annual conference. This year, Erika is leading a team of volunteer audio journalists at ONA18 in Austin to produce original content for ONA’s new podcast, ONA on Air.

Camille Phillips | @cmpcamille

Camille is the education reporter at Texas Public Radio in San Antonio. She grew up in southwest Missouri and worked at St. Louis Public Radio for about four years before moving to Texas last year. When she lived in Austin as a baby, it snowed for the first time in years. This past winter south Texas had snow once more, but she swears she had nothing to do with it.

Evelyn Moreno | @EvelynM581

Evelyn Moreno is a bilingual multimedia journalist who recently graduated from the University of Texas at Austin where she majored in journalism and minored in geography. She is passionate about covering the environment, issues affecting marginalized communities, immigration and more and has previously interned at Democracy Now!, the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas and Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine. When she is not reporting she can be found at a park or a concert.

Olivia Allen-Price | @oallenprice

Olivia is the editor and host of KQED’s Bay Curious podcast, a show that explores listener questions about the San Francisco Bay Area. She has more than a decade of experience in digital media and audience engagement. She previously worked at The Baltimore Sun and The Virginian-Pilot, and is a graduate of Elon University. She enjoys cappuccinos and running in the mountains.

The post Introducing the ONA18 Audio Team – and the ONA on Air podcast appeared first on ONA18.

ONA on Air

We’re pleased to introduce our new podcast ONA on Air. Pitched by ONA18 Audio Team Chair Erika Aguilar, ONA on Air will share snippets from popular sessions, interviews with speakers and other stories from the conference. The feed will soon be available Google Play and Apple Podcasts; while you can find it now on Soundcloud and Stitcher. Listen to the trailer.

Livestream or watch later

Select sessions will be available on livestream. Check out the ONA18 Live page to see the schedule for livestream coverage and RSVP to receive a notification when the session begins. If you’re browsing the ONA18 schedule, you can also find these sessions by looking for the screen icon. Video recordings will be available as soon as the session concludes.

More audio resources

Audio recordings of select sessions will be available after the conference. Look for the speaker volume icon on the ONA18 schedule to see which sessions we’re recording.

Social media

There are a lot of ways for you to follow and join conversations on social media during ONA18.

Hashtags

• Watch #ONA18 for conference highlights and #OJA18 for the Online Journalism Awards.
• To make it easy to follow or join a conversation about a specific topic, we’ve created custom hashtags for each session. Relevant hashtags are available on the ONA18 schedule.
• The social team will post updates on Twitter, along with session attendees. You can find their highlights in the “Social Conversation” section of the individual session pages on our schedule. Feel free to join the discussion and ask questions!

Get social on Twitter

• Follow @ONAconf and @ONA on Twitter for updates from the ONA team. Follow @ONANewsroom for stories by the Student Newsroom and Innovation Lab.
• Lists galore! Check out Twitter lists of the ONA18 Speakers, ONA18 Social Team, ONA18 Audio and Video Teams and the Student Newsroom and their mentors.

Instagram
ONA is @online_news on Instagram. Follow along to catch fun, visual highlights and share your stories with us by tagging the account and including the hashtag #ONA18.

Facebook

• Connect with us on Facebook  and YouTube to watch takeaways from the ONA18 Video Team — they will post interviews with speakers and exciting moments from the Opening Night Reception and Online Journalism Awards.
• All sessions with the screen icon on the schedule will be available on Facebook Live, where you can use the comments section to discuss with other viewers.

Student Newsroom and Innovation Lab

The members of the ONA18 Student Newsroom will act as onsite reporters covering the conference and putting together multimedia packages with the guidance of experienced industry mentors.

Honoring the best in digital journalism

On Sept. 15, we will announce the winners of the 2018 Online Journalism Awards. We encourage you to RSVP to the livestream to get a reminder when it starts at 8 p.m. CT. Follow along and cheer for your favorites using the hashtag #OJA18.

If you’re looking for even more ways to soak up what’s happening at ONA18, the conference website is your best resource. After the conference, we’ll collect presentations and other materials from speakers and post them on the resources page, along with archives of social conversations and the video and audio recordings.

The post How to follow ONA18 from home appeared first on ONA18.

Your networking pro kit

Make sure you have tons of business cards on hand for all the networking that happens at the conference. I like to scribble myself a note on the back of each card about how to follow up, so I keep a Sharpie nearby. (Sometimes glossy cards resist pen and pencil marks.) Job seekers, you may want to print up a few copies of your resume just in case.

Speaking of which, if you’ve set up a job interview during the conference — go, you! — perhaps you’ll want to bring a thank-you note with a pre-stamped envelope so you can easily drop it into a mailbox before you leave town.

Comfortable shoes

If you pack one thing, make sure it’s footwear you can walk around in comfortably all day. The Midway and exhibit space is spread out over a couple of floors in the JW Marriott hotel, and with a schedule this packed with learning and networking opportunities, you won’t want sore feet to slow you down.

(Psst: If you’re like me and can’t quite bear to leave your favorite pair of heels at home, this post has tips for dealing with common issues I always run into at conferences, like foot pain and blisters. Thanks to Rachel Schallom for sharing it in a recent issue of The Cohort newsletter.)

ABC: Always Be Charging

Make sure you have all your charging accessories and portable batteries handy, because this conference will drain your devices like none other. You’ll find charging stations around the conference floor and a dedicated workspace in the back of the Midway will have power outlets and tables if you need to catch up on work for a minute. I bring two external batteries, so one can be charging in my room while the other is with me in my bag.

Take-home tools

You’re going to get a lot of ideas and inspiration at the conference, so make sure you have a good way to take notes. I like to go with the notebook and Sharpie method, but you’ll see folks taking notes on laptops, tablets and phones as well.

Set yourself a plan in advance for keeping the conference energy going back home and stick to it. Maybe you’ll synthesize your notes on the plane, set up a brown-bag for your colleagues where you share your favorite takeaways or join your ONA Local group to stay in touch. One simple idea: buy an Austin postcard and write yourself a message about something you want to follow up on after the conference. Address it, stamp it and send it home — or if you want to get a pick-me-up later in the year, enlist a friend to send it in a month or two.

Wardrobe

The ONA dress code is fairly casual — you will see jeans and tees in the educational sessions — but you’ll also fit right in if you prefer to err on the side of business casual. I always keep a sweater or light jacket in my bag during the day in case I end up in a cooler room.

People tend to get more glammed up for the Online Journalism Awards Ceremony + Banquet Saturday night. (Reminder: The ceremony requires a separate ticket from your conference registration.)

After hours

Downtown Austin is easy to get around and it should still be warm in September. If you’re into outdoor activities, make sure you’ve got the gear you need to walk, run, bike, kayak, yoga and swim to your heart’s content. Check out a local’s guide to getting outside for inspiration.

If live music is more your scene, plan your concert wear with this list of local music venue recommendations for conference-goers.

Snack and hydrate

There’s nothing worse than finding yourself hangry when you’re just kicking off a great session. I usually bring snack bags of nuts, dark chocolate, dried fruit or granola bars for emergencies. (When you need something more substantial, check out this list of places downtown to grab a bite.) My collapsible water bottle holds a full liter and rolls up for easy stowage. I’m an iced-coffee drinker, so I also bring an insulated travel mug to keep my ice cubes from melting.

Forget something?

The JW Marriott is right in downtown Austin, so don’t fret if you forget something. There’s a CVS Pharmacy just three blocks north of the conference hotel, at 500 Congress Ave.

The post Packing for three+ days in Austin appeared first on ONA18.

Sara Olstad is Deputy Director of the ICFJ Knight Fellowships

Join the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) on Sept. 13 for our “Steal My Tool” session at ONA18. Our Knight Fellows — along with innovators from ProPublica, Project Facet, Media Cloud and more — will share projects that can readily be used in your newsroom.

In five-minute lightning talks, speakers will showcase the next big digital journalism tools and projects: building online trust, audience engagement, data visualization, collaborative journalism — you name it! After the 3:30 p.m. session, join us for a drink (and additional demos) at ICFJ’s ONA reception.

Our ICFJ Knight Fellows are leading transformative media projects around the world, but their work doesn’t stop there. They aim to spread tools and practices to the U.S., and are looking to connect with you.

In addition to our “Steal My Tool” session, you can meet ICFJ Knight Fellows on Sept. 13 during  their “office hours” from 12-3:30 pm at ICFJ’s Midway pop-up booth. They also are speaking on a variety of panels, covering topics such as media entrepreneurship, product development and more.

ICFJ Knight Fellows at ONA18 include:

Justin Arenstein, Founder, Code for Africa, South Africa

Digital media strategist Arenstein has decades of experience leading digital transformation projects across the African continent. He’s the visionary behind Code for Africa, an organization that helps media adopt new forms of storytelling — from interactive maps to drones — and better engage audiences in the news. He can help jumpstart data-driven apps, A.I., drones and cross-border projects in your newsroom.

Pedro Burgos, Founder, Impacto, Brazil

An experienced Brazilian journalist turned developer, Burgos leads Impacto, a project backed by Google News Initiative that helps newsrooms better track, understand and demonstrate the impact of their work. Talk to him for ways to help build trust among audiences and improve sustainability.

Nasr ul Hadi, Partner, PROTO, India

Hadi has helped journalists in India – and beyond – expand the use of new technologies and digital-led best practices and your newsroom could be next! He helps news outlets set up teams and workflows that maximize resources and ensure collaboration. He co-leads PROTO, an Indian company supporting the development of the country’s civic media.

Janine Warner, Executive Director, SembraMedia, Latin America

Warner supports the sustainability of Spanish-language digital journalism startups across Latin America, Spain and the U.S. to promote a greater diversity of online news. With the SembraMedia team, she conducts research, provides training and sustainability consulting and hosts events. Find her at ONA to discuss how to implement sustainable business practices and generate new sources of revenue.

You can stay up to date on our Fellows’ groundbreaking work by connecting with ICFJ on Twitter or Facebook, reading their latest posts, or trying their tools on IJNet, the International Journalists’ Network. To learn more, contact me at solstad@icfj.org or find me — and our ICFJ Knight Fellows — at ONA.

The ICFJ Knight Fellowships program is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, with additional support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

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