On paper, there are a lot of reasons why an in-person annual conference wasn’t a good idea: record high gas prices and airfare, lingering concerns about a pandemic, the probability of a low turnout, the sheer expense of a conference in inflationary times and the fact that the host state — Alabama — isn’t on the “must visit” list of a lot of our members (at least, it wasn’t on mine).
But a funny thing happened when the planning for the Birmingham conference kicked in. Suddenly there was enthusiasm! It had been two years since our last in-person conference in Buffalo, so there was pent up demand for something other than zooming.
When many of our members began arriving in Birmingham on Thursday, it was a genuinely moving experience. We were able to embrace, shake hands and joke around as if no time had passed at all. A group of us met for dinner at a restaurant that was walking distance from the hotel. It was a time to get silly and gossip and be charmed by folks we’ve previously only met through email or zoom in some cases.
As in Buffalo, the lineup of speakers was first rate. There wasn’t a clunker in the bunch and most of the presentations were downright inspiring. Who else but Rebecca Regnier could convince an audience full of columnists “of a certain age” to even consider incorporating TikTok as part of a strategy for reaching larger audiences?
There were so many highlights that I hesitate to mention many of them because I will forget to mention some that also deserve the spotlight. Still, it was a particular honor as outgoing NSNC president to give the great Mary C. Curtis our 2022 Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award. Mary C., as elegant as ever, gave a speech that was equal parts personal and inspiring.
While we missed so many of our friends and colleagues who usually attend these conferences, our time together did not feel as if it suffered from lack of the usual numbers. The time we had together felt rich and worthwhile. There was zero drama (with the exception of car trouble that developed for me a mile away from the hotel when driving in on Thursday).
The usual NSNC stalwarts —Bonnie Jean Feldkamp and Suzette Standring — were in top form and operating at peak proficiency, as usual, but if this conference had a face, it belonged to interim Executive Director Adam Earnheardt who acted as a de facto master of ceremonies throughout much of the weekend.
Ginny McCabe, who will be taking over the reins as the NSNC’s ExD, kept her sleeves rolled up the whole time and managed to impress everyone with her tireless attention to even the most mundane details of what can only be described as a successful conference.
Lori B. Duff and Meredith Cummings are the incoming NSNC president and vice president. Both had fabulous presentations that made us all realize how lucky we are to have a membership pool with so much talent and charisma. The NSNC has never been in better hands.
Because we enjoyed the Birmingham conference so much even as it was happening, speculation quickly turned to whether our next conference would be in person or virtual. That’s an important question that has to be sorted out soberly and with an eye trained on the cost depending on where it is held. Still, the idea of seeing these wonderful people again a year from now is quite an incentive for an in-person conference.
Places like Baton Rouge, Toronto and Philadelphia were thrown around, but we have a long way to go before we set our minds to negotiating hotel contracts for June 2023.
As outgoing president, I just want to say that serving as the president of this organization for the last two years has been one of the unexpected pleasures of my life. The NSNC helped put me on the journalistic map back in 1999 when I was awarded the top prize in the column writing competition.
It was a recognition fairly early in my column writing career that helped lead to a cover story in Editor & Publisher magazine as well as a very flattering flurry of offers from papers across the country. I’m forever beholden to the NSNC for taking my column national and inviting me to become a part of the leadership team of this fabulous family of columnists.
Until we meet next year….
