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Convention registration dips 38 percent

By Kris Turner
Insight Staff Writer

Registration for the 2007 NLGJA national convention is down about 38 percent from last year, a drop officials attribute to factors wholly within their control: time and place.

The number of people registered for the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association’s convention was about 400 this year, down from about 650 people who attended last year’s gathering in Miami.

Several factors contributed to the decrease, said Brian Salkin, NLGJA membership services coordinator.

“It’s a holiday weekend,” he said. “Also, there is a lot of consolidation in the news industry. A lot less employers are paying for people’s fees.”

“It’s disappointing the numbers are down,” NLGJA’s new Executive Director, David Barre, said.

“On the West Coast, we get lower numbers than the East Coast,” he said, adding that more people might take an interest in next year’s convention, which will be in Washington, D.C.

“We have a large concentration [of members] on the East Coast,” NLGJA Deputy Executive Director Thomas Cashman Avila said.

He noted that traveling coast-to-coast is expensive and time-consuming.
But some people have taken advantage of on-site registration, said Salkin, the membership services coordinator.

“We have a bunch of people who come in for the day,” he said. “It helps the numbers a bit.”

To foster convention attendance, Barre said he would like to raise money to assist people with the cost of attending NLGJA gatherings. More financial assistance and convention scholarships could keep people coming, he said.

“The more people we can bring in, the more opportunity we have to help them,” Barre said. “It’s going to be tough for people, given the state of the industry.”

Last Updated ( Friday, 31 August 2007 )

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