Step Right Up to the ONA21 Midway!

It’s been a minute since we’ve hit up state fairs in the U.S, so as a refresher, the Midway is where all of the fun is centered — carnival games, delicious foods, rides, and more. The ONA Midway, whether we’re in person or together online, is a futures lab for journalism, bringing together the best thinking in the media technology, tools and workforce spaces.

Here’s what to look forward to on the ONA21 Midway!

Connect with Fellow Attendees!

The ONA21 Midway on Grip will allow you to see who else is attending the conference. Whether this is your first time joining us at ONA or you have been a regular at the annual IRL conference for years, you’ll be able to find and connect with others who share your interests or who you would simply like to meet.

The Midway will offer recommendations for you to connect with other attendees based on overlapping interests or connections. You can also use the search function to filter based on interest areas, job types, locations, and more. From there, you have the ability to indicate your interest, request a quick video chat based on your shared availability and send messages.

Find Cool Tools, Resources and Opportunities!

In addition to the amazing people connecting Midway, you’ll also be able to visit amazing exhibitor booths from companies and organizations big and small, well-established and just starting up. What do you want to explore first?

Advances in video? Visit SnapStream, Vubble, Zoomcorder, Conviva and Microsoft.

Looking to diversify your funding streams? Bubblr and Indiegraf are booths for you.

Exploring options for audience engagement or how to reach new readers? Trisolute NewsDashboard, Opt-In Media, Vetted, SmartNews, GlobeNewswire and  News Break are all in this space.

How about finding new ways to present information visually or through audio? You’ll have fun seeing what mmhmm, Canva, HiGeorge, Otter.ai, and Remixd are doing.

Interested in learning how technology is addressing misinformation and other challenges in tech? Check out MediaVax, Global Cyber Alliance, The Trust Project and Buster.ai.

Rethinking your CMS? Be sure to talk to Alley and WordPress VIP.

Thinking about higher ed or fellowship opportunities? American University, Emerson College, Reynolds Journalism Institute and USC Annenberg all want to talk to you!

Considering a move into broadcast or elsewhere in digital? Meredith Corporation, Spectrum Networks, TEGNA, Insider Inc., Gannett / USA TODAY NETWORK, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, TIME and Report for America are ready to talk about what could be a fit.

And MORE! Knight Foundation! ProPublica! SHINDIG!

Convenient!

Being a part of a virtual conference means that you are likely fitting ONA21 into your already busy schedule, so your experience networking in the Midway is meant to be asynchronous and at your convenience. Whitelist the email address noreply@mg.gripcontact.com, and you will receive notifications in your inbox about any fellow attendees interested in meeting you, meeting reminders and chat messages.

ONA21 Career Day!

If you are looking for your first job or third, or are considering a new challenge like a fellowship or additional education like a Master’s degree, join us for the ONA21 Career Day on the Midway on Monday, June 21, starting at noon EDT (9 a.m. PDT/4:00 p.m. UTC) to learn more about opportunities available for professional positions, higher education, and fellowship programs. Recruiters will have open hours for dropping by, or you can schedule one-on-one conversations and text chat directly with organizations and their representatives.

Everyone should add this diversity the networking event to cap off the first day of ONA21, hosted by and featuring leaders from across Meredith including from household names like PEOPLE, Better Homes & Gardens and The Foundry.

There’s something for everyone on the ONA21 Midway — see you there!