On Tuesday Sept. 25, three members of the newspaper industry took the stage at the WCAA Conference to discuss their own papers’ best practices in the three major verticals: recruitment, real estate and automotive. The panel included Chelle Bize and Bryan Nelson of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Mike Rutigliano of Glacier Media Group. Andy Vogel, the VP of Emerging Technologies at the LA Times, moderated the discussion, titled “Relevant Classified Verticals in a Competing Market Today.” 

On Tuesday at the 2012 WCAA Conference, Jamie Naughton, the Speaker of the House at Zappos.com, discussed the importance of building a company brand that makes employees a proud member of a team, rather than another cog in a machine. Zappos.com is an online shoe and apparel store founded in 1999 based in Henderson, Nev., not far from this year’s conference in Las Vegas. Amazon.com acquired the site in July 2009 for approximately $1.2 billion. Zappos.com has earned a reputation based on dedicated customer service and a unique company culture. In her presentation, “Managing the Change: Building a Brand That Matters,” Naughton explored how these two facets of customer service and company culture are not mutually exclusive, and that in reality, one is necessary for the other to exist. She broke down her presentation into the various aspects of the company’s vision that have helped Zappos.com achieve a defined and recognizable brand as well as customer and employee happiness.

We know the WCAA Conference, “It’s Showtime,” will be the highlight of your trip to Las Vegas this September, what with learning some great new ways to build revenue for your paper and seeing some awesome products from  vendors.

It’s no secret that conferences and events not only allow the people in our industry to get together and reconnect, they also help us educate each other on new ideas and developments occurring at local and corporate papers. While conferences are great for many reasons, sometimes departments tighten purse strings and bottom-line budgets, causing attendance to be lack luster. In the most recent issue of Successful Meetings, a publication devoted entirely to the coordination and success of events, an article called “The Battle for Attendees: Four strategies to set your event apart from the competition,” discusses how to bolster attendance and amp up the excitement. 

A comprehensive schedule of classified conferences around the country in 2011. Get a sneak peak at the 2012 schedule, too!