A special one-day conference focusing on the future of the regional press is to take place in April.

The Society of Editors and HoldtheFrontPage are teaming up to stage the second annual seminar targeted specifically at the regional media.

Organised by the Society and sponsored by HTFP, the April 7 conference will be entitled ‘Turning of the Tide’ and will focus on positive developments taking place within the industry.

Speakers will include senior figures from the industry outlining their plans for the coming years including what the newsroom of the future will look like, and how newspapers should cover sport in an era where news is instantly available online.

Other themes will include whether the industry is making digital pay and whether forthcoming changes to the libel laws will give regional papers new opportunities.

Confirmed speakers include media lawyer Tony Jaffa from Foot Anstey, NCTJ chief executive Joanne Butcher and HTFP’s own blogger Steve Dyson, who is the guest speaker for the Sunday evening dinner on April 6 which will precede the conference.

Venue for the conference, as last year, is the Marriott Forest of Arden hotel in the Midlands, conveniently sited close to the M6 and mainline railway services.

Prices and booking details will be available on HoldtheFrontPage shortly.

Society of Editors executive director Bob Satchwell said: “This will be a seminar specifically for regional editors and their colleagues looking at new challenges and possible solutions to take the regional industry forward.”

HoldtheFrontPage publisher Paul Linford added:  “After the success of last year’s event we are delighted to be sponsoring the Society of Editors Regional Conference for the second year running.

“This remains a time of huge transition for the regional press and as such it is important that the industry can come together at an event that is purely focused on regional press concerns.

“We are grateful to the Society of Editors for providing the opportunity for the industry to do this, and we are pleased to continue our association with the event.”