The annual congress of the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), scheduled to be held in recession-hit, scam-hit Hyderabad in March this year, has been put off to the end of the year.
According to one report, the meeting was postponed to due to low registration.
“The economic crisis has had a devastating effect on participation in the events, which are simpldy not viable at this stage,” Timothy Balding of WAN told Juan Antonio Giner, founder-director, Innovation International Media.
A press release from V. Shankaran, officiating secretary general of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), reads thus:
“The 62nd World Newspaper Congress/16th World Editors Forum and Info Services Expo have been postponed and will now be held from 1-3 December 2009 at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre, Hyderabad, India.
“The decision to postpone these most prestigious annual events of the print media the world over, which were originally planned for March this year, was due to certain global compulsions.
“World Association of Newspapers (WAN), which represents over 18,000 leading newspaper publications the world over, organizes these annual events of the print media in different parts of the world in collaboration with a host country industry member association. The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has successfully bid for hosting these events in India. In its history of 61 years these events have never been held in South Asia.
“Over 2,000 top cream of world’s most influential owner-publishers, editors and media personalities in the print media are expected to attend these events. It is a great opportunity to showcase India to the rest of the world.”
IJR 