Author: Meghan Murphy

As ONA’s newest staff addition, this will be my first ONA conference, and I’ve been hard at work setting up my must-see schedule. Here are six things I’m most excited to do in Denver:

1. Since I work in community building, you may not be surprised to hear that I’m passionate about audience engagement. I can’t wait to hear an update from the Coral Project and how we can better design journalism for conversations. And you know I’ll be following a Table Talk on audience engagement.

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Someone recently described ONA’s annual conference to me as “digital journalism’s homecoming,” a chance for our community to come together for high fives and hugs, to share inspiration and to hear what everyone’s been up to over the last year.

But there is another way to connect with the people right in your city who love journalism, are working on incredibly cool and innovative projects and would love to meet up with you more than once a year. That’s why we have ONA Local: We want to help you get that warm and fuzzy ONA feeling year-round.

ONA’s Local communities will keep the inspiration and excitement from ONA16 going after you get back home. Plus, they offer an opportunity for you to get to know other members of the ONA family who live in your own backyard. We’re currently in just over 50 communities and college campuses in the U.S. and around the world, and growing fast.

If you want find out how you can keep the journalism love going after Denver, join us for any of the ONA Local events at the conference:

• ONA Local Open House at ONA16: Meet our amazing network of Local leaders from around the world at an open house on Friday, Sept. 17, on the Hyatt Terrace overlooking Downtown Denver. We’ll have plenty of hors d’oeuvres, drinks and resources for getting your group started. Whether you’re already part of an ONA Local group, want to find out more about what your Local group is doing, or are ready to start a Local group in your city, we’d love to meet you! It’s free and open to all interested in ONA Local, but please RSVP here to attend.
• ONA Local student meetup: Calling all student attendees! Come meet our ONA student group representatives and join us in an informal discussion about navigating the conference, networking, and how you can get more involved with ONA and your local or campus ONA group. More info here.
• Happy Hour with ONA Rocky Mountains and Hacks/Hackers Colorado: Our friends at ONA Rocky Mountains and Hacks/Hackers Colorado are co-hosting a meetup to welcome ONA16 to Denver the day before the conference kicks off. Make sure to RSVP and come meet your Colorado counterparts at the Denver Press Club.

We’re looking forward to meeting you in Denver — and in your city!