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Fall Convention’s Early Bird ticket deadline extended; order by Sept. 6 to save money

11 hours ago

A photographer at Emiquon. Text on top of the photo says "Coming this fall ... Experience Emiquon."

If you missed our deadline to purchase early bird tickets for the INBA Fall Convention in East Peoria, here’s some good news … we’re extending deadline by a few more days. So now you have until 11:59 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6 to get your tickets at the lowest rate.

Buy your tickets now.

Attendees also can receive a discounted hotel rate of $119 plus tax per night at the site of the convention, the Holiday Inn and Suites.

While the event, Sept. 20-22, will be headquartered at the hotel, attendees will have a unique opportunity to get outside during a field trip to the Emiquon Nature Preserve, a 6,000-acre site that is home to one of the largest floodplain restoration projects in the Midwest.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their newsgathering equipment to collect video, sound, interviews and more that can be turned into content for their home newsrooms.

The field trip will happen on the Saturday of convention weekend. Attendees will gather in the hotel at 9 a.m. to watch a short documentary about Emiquon. Then, a charter bus (provided at no cost to INBA thanks to the Backlund Charitable Trust) will transport everyone to the Dickson Mounds State Museum for presentations by officials from Emiquon, the Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and more. The bus will then go to nearby Emiquon.

The bus will return to East Peoria in the afternoon and the convention will continue that evening with the traditional banquet that includes keynote speaker Maggie Vespa from NBC News and presentation of the Crystal Mic Awards. If you’re a Crystal Mic finalist, be sure to join us to claim your award and celebrate your accomplishment.

Hope to see you in East Peoria and Emiquon.

Brian O'Keefe

News Director (Retired), WDCB radio, Glen Ellyn

One of the greatest benefits for me has been getting to see and know other parts of the state. I’m not from Illinois and traveling to spring and fall conventions over the years has transformed dots on a map to memories of places that enhance my story telling process.

Jeff Bossert

Morning Edition Host; WVTF, Roanoke, Virginia

When I was working in radio for the first time, I had no idea whether I could truly handle the demands. But INBA made me curious and want to improve. Even now, when I’ve maybe worked a lot of hours or planned some stories that didn’t come together for one reason or another, what I learn from an INBA conference gets me re-invigorated about the business.

Andrew Tanielian

Freelance Video Journalist

INBA taught me how to network in a meaningful way. The scholarship process taught me how to endure a hard job interview and thrive.

Michelle Eccles McLaughlin

Public Relations Account Manager; Horace Mann Insurance

INBA is an organization that really caters to continuing education for professionals. It offers a relatively inexpensive way to learn new things, reinforce best practices and network.

Bob Roberts

Retired, WBBM-AM, Chicago

INBA is as much about friendship and as it is about achieving common goals. It provides two things individual newsrooms cannot: in-service training, and the ability to speak out on issues affecting the profession. But most of all, it brings newspeople together.

Nora Baldner

Professor; Quincy University

The support INBA gives to student journalists is vitally important as we all discover how technology is changing news dissemination, INBA monitors and actively encourages truth, transparency and accountability from students and their universities.

Alexis McAdams

Fox News National Correspondent

INBA played a huge part in preparing me for my broadcasting career. The INBA conventions connect students with on-air talent and news directors who give feedback on now to improve your work. Through relationships I made at those conventions, I was able to obtain my first on air reporting job.

Mike Miletich

Broadcast journalist, Springfield

Joining the INBA was one of my best life decisions. I met some of the best broadcast journalists while I was still a college student. Plus, I ended up getting a job through the connections I made!

Molly Jirasek

News Nation, WGN America Chicago

One of my top goals in my career was to get to Chicago. Thanks to INBA I met Margaret Larkin. She remembered our great conversations about Chicago and first alerted me to a job opening in the city I might be interested in. Lo and behold, I got that job! INBA helped me reach my dream.

Jennifer Fuller

Associate Director for News and Public Affairs, WSIU

INBA is not only a great networking tool, it also provides advocacy and support for journalists in an ever-changing world.

Aaron Eades

Producer at Spectrum News 13, Orlando, FL; Former Morning Anchor at WCIA-TV, Champaign

As a student, it's often difficult to picture what working in the real world will be like. For me, the INBA bridged that gap by giving me the chance to talk to professionals who used to be in the same shoes I'm in now.

Ryan Denham

Digital Content Director, WGLT (Normal)

I recently attended my first INBA conference—and it won’t be my last. The combination of professional and student journalists learning together is electric. Everyone learns from each other and walks away with new friends (and LinkedIn connections). I know I did.