Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf has agreed to open the World Newspaper Congress, World Editors Forum and Info Services Expo 2008, the global summit meetings of the world's press, to be held in Göteborg, Sweden, next June.

The events, organised by the World Association of Newspapers, are expected to draw more than 1,500 newspaper publishers, managing directors, CEO, chief editors and other senior newspaper executives at a time when the newspaper industry is focused  more than ever before on multimedia expansion.

The events, to be held from 1 to 4 June, are expected to build on the record-setting attendance of the past two years: 1,600 from 108 countries last year in Cape Town, South Africa, and 1,700 from 112 countries in Moscow, Russia.

"Sweden has always had a flourishing, leading edge media marketplace. The multi-media activities of its press groups are among the most advanced in the world," said Timothy Balding, CEO of the Paris-based WAN. "In addition to embracing innovation, Swedish newspapers are among the world's great defenders of press freedom. And the Swedish people are among the world's most ardent newspaper readers."

The theme of the 61st World Newspaper Congress reflects the changing nature of the industry - "Newspapers: A Multi-Media Growth Business." Print publications remain the core activity of press companies, generating most of their profits and providing resilient to increasing competition from other information channels. At the same time, digital media are allowing newspapers to significantly extend their audience and revenues.

How best to exploit the multi-media opportunities now open to newspapers will be at the heart of the programme.

The theme of the 15th World Editors Forum is "The Integrated Newsroom: Why, How and When".  Many newspapers have begun the process of integrating print and online operations, while others believe that maintaining separate newsrooms is a more efficient model in the digital age. The Forum will help editors-in-chief choose the formula that best fits their audiences.

Full details of the evolving business programmes for both the Congress and the Forum, the exhibitors in the Expo, as well as an outstanding array of social events, exhibitions and more, can be found at www.wansweden2008.com.

First confirmed speakers for the Congress include: Joe Webb, Deputy Managing Director of the Irish Independent; I. Venkat, Board Director of Eenadu in India; Tim Bowdler, Chief Executive of Johnston Press in the United Kingdom; Giorgio Valerio, General Manager of RCS Quotidiani in Italy; and Christian Van Thillo, Chairman of De Persgroep in Belgium.

The venue for the events, Göteborg, is a charming coastal city with a long shipping tradition and a flourishing music scene, It is easily reached from major European capitals. In June, the start of the Nordic summer, daylight reigns for almost 24 hours.

The Congress business sessions will focus on the following themes:

- What are the best strategies for growing audience, in print and online?

- What are the best strategies for increasing both print and digital advertising - and what growth can be expected? What management, infrastructure and processes are necessary to sell advertising for a portfolio of products, as opposed to a single newspaper title?

- How can the new reach attained by newspapers through their combined print & digital operations be monetized? Many newspapers dominate their print and digital markets ­ how can they turn this into better profit?

- Newspapers are the Content Kings! How can the unique content gathered by newspapers, which have the strongest journalistic teams in any media, be exploited through the full range of new distribution channels? And, vitally, what can be sold and what has to be free?

- Can and should newspaper brands be integrated in the digital world or should we expect disaggregation?

- What changes are underway to better measure combined print and digital reach? What is audience aggregation and how does a newspaper build its product portfolio?

- What are some of the winning new products and acquisitions that successful newspapers have added in recent times?

- The search engines: friend or foe? Is the continued growth and diversification of the big search companies an opportunity for newspapers, through partnerships for example, or a long-term threat to their revenues?

- and much more!

For evolving details of all the events, go to www.wansweden2008.com.

Sponsors for the events now include Volvo, Holmen Paper, SAS, Bonnier, and the Stampen Group.

The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, defends and promotes press freedom and the professional and business interests of newspapers world-wide. Representing 18,000 newspapers, its membership includes 77 national newspaper associations, newspaper companies and individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 12 news agencies and

11 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: Этот e-mail защищен от спам-ботов. Для его просмотра в вашем браузере должна быть включена поддержка Java-script