The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has a very busy schedule of events for this fall. Study tours, one-day executive visits and conferences are already on the agenda.

On September 18, newspaper executives can pay a visit to Berliner Zeitung of Germany for a day-long event called "Innovation for Success: Winning the Battle for Classifieds." In addition, the World Forum on Newspaper Strategy will be September 23-25 at Chantilly, La Chapelle en Serval, France. "Beyond the Printed Word," an annual world electronic-publishing conference will be held October 15-16, in Lyon, France. Finally, the Editor and Marketeer Conference and Expo will take place November 18-20 at the Hotel Intercontinental, in Vienna, Austria.

WAN's Management and Marketing Bureau reports that according to many newspaper industry specialists, Berlin is the most competitive marketplace in Europe for classified advertisements. With three well-known and established dailies, Berliner Morgenpost, Tagesspiegel and Berliner Zeitung, the battle for revenue and market share in Berlin is very intense. Among the three, Berliner Zeitung has experienced the highest rate of advertising growth. For the event on September 18, details about accommodations, the schedule and cost can be found at WAN's web site, whose address appears at the end of this article.

Participants in the World Forum on Newspaper Strategy can work with a select group of newspaper executives who will share their views on the ambitions and challenges such executives commonly face. They will have the opportunity to question industry leaders, consider new plans and concepts for the media business, and share ideas with other senior executives in a noncompetitive environment. The forum was established in 1997 by WAN as a response to a growing demand from industry leaders for an opportunity to communicate and exchange ideas about the future of newspapers.

Speakers for the conference "Beyond the Printed Word" will be Ian Katz, director of electronic publishing for the Guardian newspaper in Britain; Jonathan Church of the Economist; Randy Bennett of the Newspaper Association of America; Lorenz Meyer of Spiegel Online; and Karen Lawson of the Star Tribune of Minneapolis. Topics for the conference can be seen at the WAN Web site. Participants can visit an exhibit adjacent to the conference room that will offer hands-on experience with electronic publishing technology.

Main topics for the Editor and Marketeer Conference and Expo in Vienna are examining research methods that determine reader preferences, the planning and creation of such content and the promotional approaches to position new offerings in the market. The participants--editorial executives, marketing, circulation, promotion directors and managers--will deal with key case studies and overviews of trends and successful practices. To register or to obtain more information about the conference, contact akalinine@wan.asso.fr. For more information about all these events visit http://www.fiej.org/whats_news/index.html