Official Opening of the 10th AEEPP Congress 2015

At the magnificent Palacio de la Merced in Cordoba, Mr. RAFAEL NAVAS, lieutenant major of Cordoba’s City Hall, and Mr. SALVADOR FUENTES, vice-president of the Council, opened the 10th Edition of the Newspaper Publishing Companies Congress 2015, technical organization by Nexo Group and slogan “Editors in Constant Innovation”, in recognition of the work done by newspapers and their editors when it comes to spreading knowledge, supporting different sectors and transforming the society by means of pieces of information.

The Vice-president pointed out the effort of editors in such difficult times as the crisis and digital transformation and he said: “the more a society stands for the freedom of expression the stronger it is, and editors are champions in this field.”

On the other hand, Mr. Rafael Navas thanked the choosing of Cordoba to host the congress of editors and offered his support to put Cordoba on the map as a city that houses the four cultures.

ARSENIO ESCOLAR, director of 20 Minutos and president of AEEPP, said to be very grateful for the welcome delivered by the city, its people and the authorities, who gave the green light to hold the congress in such a magnificent place as the Palacio de la Merced.

According to the President, the congress” slogan “Editors in Constant Innovation” inspires all editors on a daily basis.

Arsenio Escolar has asked everybody to think about the role played by editors in the social sphere, as a key element of freedom of expression, and the press as a fundamental pillar of the democratic society.

Escolar finally thanked the attendees, the collaboration provided by the sponsors and Cordoba for its position.

The presentation entitled “The Role Played by Professional Press in the Digital Age”, by IGNACIO ROJAS, general manager of Peldaño Group, teed off with Churchill's famous phrase “optimistic people see opportunities in every disaster, and the pessimists feel a calamity in every opportunity.”

Ignacio Rojas stated that professional press is crucial when it comes to spreading essential messages from and to the market of companies and products. Rojas believes that the editors of professional press “are the ones to reach out to both the market and its customers, by means of the paper or the digital world”. Professional press is the chain belt among all factors in an economic sector.

The Director of Peldaño thinks that “we no longer sell advertising; we are becoming consultants of multichannel communication for the sector where we have influence.”

Ignacio Rojas urged all editors to work as one, in an effort to create the future of press.

JOSE MIGUEL LOPEZ, head of the Large Mail Accounts Unit, shared the new keys for content distribution and Mails’ proposals to become a decisive link in the new distribution chain of products and contents.

The sessions included such presentations as:

-“Marketing of Contents, Disguised Advertising?” by MONICA MUÑOZ, president of CEV Group.

-“Showcases of New Editorial Projects”, with a panel of experts made up of: ANDRES RODRIGUEZ, Editor of SpainMedia; RAFAEL GARCIA RICO, Director of Irispress; ALFONSO USSIA, Founder of Neupic, and JOSE TORREGO, Director of El Referente.

PEDRO J. RAMIREZ, President of NoHaceFaltaPapel former director of El Mundo, was on stage with one of the much-anticipated presentations: his new project, El Español, which has already set a world record in terms of raised funds and stockholders. Pedro J. delivered details not only on the contents, but especially on his editorial business model that is very focused on the digital realm without putting paper aside, as part of the new editorial projects.

The presentations were followed by an interesting open debate with congress people, including a new work session on Saturday with the following speakers:

-SIMON MORRISON, director of Public Affairs with Google, “Design of Digital World and European Editors”.
-EUGENIO DE QUESADA, president of NEXO Group, with “Editorial Synergies in the Organization of Events and Fairs”.
-JOAQUIN MOURIZ, director of Brand, Communication and Advertising with Cetelem, “Importance of Social Networks in News Means”.

-JUAN BALCAZAR, CEO of 20Minutos, with “How to Access Institutional Advertising: the 20Minutos Case”
-JOAQUIN ABAD, president of Cibeles Group, with “AEEPP Platform of Programmatic Advertising”
-MIGUEL ORMAETXEA, president of EcoInteligencia Editorial, with “On-Line Innovation and Mobiles in the United States and European Union”
-VIRGINIA PEREZ ALONSO, president of the Platform to Defend the Freedom of Information, with “Legal Uncertainty on Freedom of Information”

The congress also includes a well-assorted cultural and gastronomic offer that makes the most of Cordoba’s exceptional characteristics, the city of four cultures.