How the Asahi Shimbun collects and analyses consumer behaviour online and uses that information to create its multi-media business model will be examined at the World Digital Publishing Conference, a new event from the World Association of Newspapers, to be held in London from 26 to 27 October next.

Takashi Ishika, Director of the Asahi’s Digital Business Project Team, will explain how the newspaper looks at the consumer market across multiple media in a conference session on understanding and exploiting consumer behaviour online. He will be joined in the session by Alexander Burmaster, European Internet Analyst for Nielsen/NetRatings, which tracks the changing internet landscape and its impact on news and information delivery.

Full conference details are available at: www.wan-press.org/digital2006/.

The new event, to be held at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in London, England, will examine the wide range of new services being offered to readers and advertisers through online, mobile and other digital platforms. WAN is co-organizing the event with the World Editors Forum.

The conference will feature some of the world’s leading newspaper executives sharing their perspectives on digital opportunities for newspapers. Sessions include:

  An opening session on "new and emerging opportunities" featuring Carolyn McCall, Chief Executive of Guardian Media Group, and John Fish, Publisher of the Naples Daily News in Naples, Florida. The Guardian has been named the world’s best newspaper on the internet at the "Webby" awards, while the Daily News has assembled one of the most respected and award-winning web teams anywhere.

  Is the "free generation" ready to pay now?, which will include best practice case studies of what customers are willing to pay for and how they are paying, from subscriptions to micro-payment models. Speakers include Una O’Hare, General Manager of Ireland.com and Neil Chase, Deputy Editor for News for New York Times online.

  New revenue opportunities, which will focus on new approaches and successes in producing revenue from digital operations. The session will feature Greg Stuart, President of the Internet Advertising Bureau in the United States, and Zach Leonard, Digital Media Publisher of the Times of London.

  Organizational considerations in multi-media publishing, which will examine the benefits and drawbacks of integrating print and digital newsrooms and ad sales departments. Speakers include Melonie Hall, Regional Sales Manager of the Tampa Tribune in the United States, and Angus Frame, Editor of globeandmail.com in Canada.

  New "local" strategies and opportunities, which will provide a look at the strategies of both newspaper and pure-play internet companies in local search, classified advertising, new product development and other locally focused opportunities. The session will feature Jean Frédéric Farny, Director of Development for the French Regional Publishers Association SPQR, and other speakers to be announced.

  New content opportunities , which will examine content partnerships, aggregation, citizen journalism, social networking and other developments. The session will include Dan Pacheco, Senior Manager of Digital Products of Baktopia/The Bakersfield Californian in the United States, and other speakers to be announced.

Full conference details, in English, French, Spanish and German, at www.wan-press.org/digital2006.

WAN had been a co-organizer, with Ifra and FIPP, of the Beyond the Printed Word publishing conference, but decided to withdraw from that event and create the new conference because new digital media strategies often involve close collaboration between editorial and online management resources, The World Editors Forum, the organization within WAN for senior newsroom executives, was the ideal partner.

The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, represents 18,000 newspapers; its membership includes 73 national newspaper associations, newspapers and newspaper executives in 102 countries, 11 news agencies and nine regional and world-wide press groups.

Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 7 rue Geoffroy St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail: lkilman@wan.asso.fr.