After announcing a partnership with WAN-Ifra for Digital Media North America, US-based News Media Alliance says it will also partner on Mega-Conference next year.

The publishers' group will join with Inland Press Association, Local Media Association and the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association to create the biggest-ever Mega-Conference in San Diego next February.

The Mega-Conference attracts 700-900 attendees annually and features a large trade show, with attendees representing both print and digital local news media companies as owners, publishers and digital and revenue executives.

News Media Alliance president and chief executive David Chavern says the group is delighted to join with "three exceptional organisations" to offer the biggest, most innovative conference for the news publishing industry.

NMA's involvement is also being welcomed by the established partners. Inland Press Association executive director Tom Slaughter says the group's membership is committed to smart collaborations with other newspaper industry partners: "In that spirit, we welcome the News Media Alliance as a co-sponsor of the Key Executives Mega-Conference and look forward to making the 2018 conference in San Diego a success for the members of our organisations."

The addition of the News Media Alliance to the conference's main partners raises the total membership across the four organizations to over 5,000.

Local Media Association president Nancy Lane was also "thrilled to welcome" News Media Alliance: "This is a great move for the industry that will allow us to leverage the power of the four associations to produce the best programme and maximise networking opportunities for the R&D community.

"Mega 2018 in San Diego is going to be powerful!"

And at Southern Newspaper Publishers, executive director Edward VanHornsaid the consolidation of events wiould benefit the industry and its R&D partners, and produce a more diversified program and even better networking opportunities.

Dates for the Mega-Conference are from February 26-28, 2018, in San Diego, California, with registration set to open in early September. For more information, visit http://www.mega-conference.com/