Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Ohio University Pickerington Center

Who Should Attend

• Publishers
• Editors
• General Managers
• Systems & IT Managers
• Web Personnel

The Program

8 - 9 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast

9 - 9:45 a.m.
Trends and Outlook for Local Online Media
This session will review the major trends in local online media, including an examination of audience usage (where are they going?) and ad spending (what are advertisers buying?). Emphasis will be placed on Ohio markets by displaying specific data from Ohio. Has growth peaked, or will expansion continue for online media?

9:45 - 10:30 a.m.
Benchmarking Your Website
Instructors will provide insights into how well (or poorly) participants’ Web sites are doing. They will also examine pageview and unique visitor growth in an effort to show participants just how much they might be able to grow their Web site.

10:45-Noon
Interactive Session: Sites to Emulate
Participants will be asked to submit the URLs of at least three sites they think are worth examining. The instructors will select a dozen sites from the list and review them.

Noon - 1 p.m.
Lunch provided by ONA.

1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Elements of Design
Instructors will select three sites run by participants and critique them using the basic principals of good design, content, usability, etc.

2:00 - 2:45 p.m.
Content that Generates Sales
Instructors will tackle the types of content that advertisers want to be around. While they’ll discuss things like podcasting, user-generated content and mobile content, the recurring theme will be, “Where’s the Money?”

2:45 - 3:30 p.m.
Sales that Generate Profits
Drawing from Borrell Associates’ highly successful sales-training program, instructors will address sales strategies that work. They’ll discuss compensation, research on rates, formats, and sales techniques that work the best.

3:30 - 4 p.m.
Conclusions and Wrap Up.

There will be a one hour break for lunch. Lunches provided by ONA.

The Instructors

Gordon Borrell (left), CEO of Borrell Associates, has 27 years of experience in local media. He started his career as a reporter with The Virginian-Pilot, in Hampton Roads, Virginia. He pioneered interactive ventures for the Pilot’s corporate parent, Landmark Communications, Inc. In 1993, he conceptualized and helped establish InfiNet, an Internet access and hosting company now owned by Gannett. Borrell served as vice president of corporate development and international development for InfiNet until 1996 and was vice president of new media for Landmark’s newspaper group until 2001. He is past president of the Newspaper Association of America’s New Media Federation and was a 2002 nominee for the organization’s Pioneer of the Year award. He is a guest columnist for the NAA and the American Press Institute. Borrell holds a degree in political science from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.

Peter Conti Jr. (right) , senior vice president of Borrell Associates, has been engaged in traditional and online business start-ups for more than 20 years. He has been an adjunct professor at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Business teaching Global Internet Marketing. He attended the International Studies program at the University of Lund, Sweden.

Borrell Associates

Borrell Associates is a research and consulting firm that tracks local advertising and helps online companies develop executive strategies. Their focus is on interactive advertising and marketing, their primary strength being fact-based analysis. Borrell produce industry-related reports, offers revenue benchmarking for local Web sites, gives presentations to companies and trade associations, and provides consulting services. Borrell Associates has worked with over 20 Internet companies and 200 local media sites (newspaper, TV and radio) over the last seven years. Their work focuses on helping your company grow local advertising revenues exponentially rather than incrementally. Borrell’s employees and analysts have worked in pure-play Internet companies, run media Web divisions and possess hands-on experience providing an understanding of the business that other consultants rarely provide.

The Facility
Located in a suburb just east of Columbus, the Pickerington Center is a 15,000-square foot state-of-the-art facility. It features six ergonomically-designed classrooms equipped with technologically advanced instructional equipment. The site backs up to a wooded area and creek, a view that can be enjoyed from one of three lower-level patios. The center is a 12-15 minute commute from downtown Columbus or the airport. It has ample parking and many nearby hotels and restaurants.

Directions
View Larger Map

The Ohio University Pickerington Center is located about 10 miles east of downtown Columbus.

Take I-70 East to Pickerington exit #112A (State Route 256)

Proceed on State Route 256 for one mile (you can only go one way off this exit, south)

Turn left (at third light) onto Stonecreek Drive (US Bank on the corner)

Proceed a quarter-mile to Pickerington Center (on right)

Ohio University Pickerington Center
12933 Stonecreek Drive, Room 10
Pickerington, Ohio 43147

There will be two buildings that look alike — 12933 is the building on the left.

Nearby hotel:
Hampton Inn, Pickerington
1890 Winderly Lane, Pickerington, Ohio 43147
(614) 864-8383

Training session questions?
Susan Bazzoli, Manager of Administrative Services:
sbazzoli@ohionews.org