The UNITY 2004 Media and Career Expo is a one-of-a-kind exhibit hall designed to meet all the needs of a convention attendee. Here you will be able to visit with a media executive, pick up material about a journalism scholarship, and get your work critiqued by your peers, among many other exciting activities and opportunities. Leading media companies, journalism schools and non-profit organizations will be recruiting and exhibiting at the expo, click here for a list of participating recruiters/exhibitors.

Find an exhibitor! View the floorplan.  (397kb PDF, requires the free Adobe Reader.)

Author’s Carousel
Author! Author! Put your books, materials, or your upcoming novel in front of 7,000+ journalists at this year’s Unity 2004 Convention. The Carousel is available for authors of color to display, sell and sign their books as well as greet journalists. The deadline to register is May 24th. Preference will be given to members of alliance partners and authors who have published their work in the last year. For more information, click here.

Bookstore
Grab a book at the bookstore! The bookstore will carry books on a variety of journalism-related subjects, including issues confronting journalists, how-to guides, and memoirs and biographies. These books will make great souvenirs, or key professional development sources for the future.

Career Resources Center
Sponsored by Tribune Company

Career Counseling
Sponsored by Tribune Company
Are you looking for a new job and don’t know where to start? Are you trying to move into a different section of your company and don’t know what the first step should be? One-on-one sessions will be held with seasoned journalists to discuss any pressing issues that you might have. Advance appointments will be scheduled and a limited number of on-site appointments will be available.

Critiques
Professional journalists and recruiters will conduct critique sessions with print, television, radio, photo and online journalists and students in the Career Resources Center. This is an opportunity for you to have your clips, tapes, photographs, portfolios and story ideas reviewed privately with prominent editors and managers in the news industry. Appointments will be scheduled prior to the convention, but a limited number of appointments will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis during the convention.
Download an application form. (32kb PDF, requires Adobe Reader.)

Literature Bureau
Pick up some information on that journalism fellowship that you always wanted to apply for, or research different scholarships. The Literature Bureau will be available during all hours of the Media and Career Expo for professional development research materials. This mini-library will be located in the Career Resources Center.

Resumes
Are you looking for a job? Come and post your resume online with the help of a journalism website. Your resume will be available to all of the recruiters attending this year¹s convention by submitting it either before or during the convention.
» Go to www.JournalismNext.com to post your resume.

Workshops

The workshops in the Career Resource Center will be specifically targeting journalists who are early in their careers. If this is you, then this is the place to be. Workshops will address issues such as how to interview for a job or how to break into a large market. These workshops will be led by industry leaders, and will be a great addition to your convention experience.

BluePrint for Real Life Strategies
As the number of journalists of color continues to decrease in terms of hiring as well as retention, it is critical that we reach aspiring journalists. The target audience for this presentation is students. We will offer students a blueprint for a real life strategy for success. We will discuss the value of internships and how they should conduct themselves once they secure them. We will talk about the importance of grammar, writing, and visual presentation. We will share different career paths. We will share the lessons that we’ve learned in hopes that they won’t have to travel the same bumpy road. If you just want to be on television or see your name in print, you may want to come and see us before you are eaten alive.

Breaking into the Big Leagues Before 30
Sponsored by The New York Times

This session will feature reporters and editors who came to large papers while still in their 20’s. Areas to be covered include: What it’s like to work at a big paper and the various routes one can take to get there; the editing system at a big paper; writing a deadline story for a national paper (we will have a mock news event and a press conference, and participants will write a deadline story); editing deadline stories, and advice on staying strong in a big newsroom. Objectives include giving strategies for managing one’s career, identifying goals and passions, and strategies for advancement.

Get Your Financial Act Together
This session will help journalists take control of their finances so they can better meet their career and life goals. Many journalists dream of taking a year off from the job to write a book, be part of a fellowship program, get another degree or spend more time with their family, but are so financially dependent on a paycheck that this is impossible. This workshop will offer discussion and advice about ways to better manage finances and start saving for important life goals.

Getting the Interview
Sponsored by Tribune Company

This affects broadcasting, online and print. Some questions that will be addressed are: Is preparing for an interview different if it’s for a large market? What are some of the best ways to prepare?

Grad School, the newsroom or both?
Pursuing an advanced degree while staying true to your journalistic calling. Are you interested in pursuing an advanced degree but worried about abandoning your civic duty as a journalist? Looking to find your true professional calling or your second love? Are you ready to get back into the grueling schedule of final exams, pulling all-nighters and group projects? Learn how to balance school-life with work-life, hear about the benefits of freelancing, and learn how to juxtapose what you’ve learned as a journalist with your thesis. Panelists will discuss what it took to leave the daily grind of newspapering, how to maintain your craft, on-line tools for studying and writing, writing for student publications and more.

Cyber Cafe
Sponsored by Knight-Ridder

Come check your email at the Cyber Cafe. This center will be accessible during all hours of the Media and Career Expo for you to check in with your email. There will be desktops, laptop docking stations, and Wi-Fi capabilities available for your convenience.

Oasis Lounge
Convention attendees are invited to put up their feet and relax at this centrally located lounge. This is a place to take a breather from the pace of the convention, sit back, and take it all in. An information station will also be here to help you make your way through the expo and experience all of the different events. Sponsored by Fannie Mae.

Press Conference Center
Sponsored by The Annie E. Casey Foundation
The center will feature press conferences on hot topic issues affecting communities of color and the journalism industry from leading experts and public figures. For more information, contact Michelle Vignoli at (202) 662-7413 or at mvignoli@nahj.org.

» Covering the convention? Apply for press credentials.
» Holding a press conference? Get the form.