ACES 2025: Editors Swarm the Beehive State

There’s nothing quite like an ACES conference.

Every year, for three days (or more, if you arrive early or stay late), word nerds and grammar geeks gather to partake in educational sessions, networking opportunities, and quality time with kindred spirits. Over 500 attendees assembled for this year’s ACES: The Society for Editing conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 3-5.

Dragonfly Editorial was once again a sponsor and exhibitor, and as attendees swung by our booth to say hi and grab some swag, it brought us such joy to connect (or reconnect) with people we see all the time on social media but seldom meet face to face.

Here were some of our highlights and takeaways from the 2025 ACES conference.

Dave Nelsen, deputy editorial manager at Dragonfly Editorial, speaking during his session titled, “The Parlance, Process, and Pitfalls of Proposal Editing.”

Education never ends

This year’s breakout sessions included widely varied topics. Among them were the usuals: style guides, dictionaries, artificial intelligence, grammar myths, fact-checking, fiction editing, plain language editing, and the business of running a business. Also on the schedule this year were sessions on digital platforms, book coaching, the social function of language, substantive editing, proposal editing, dealing with failure, and (gasp!) math.

The knowledge on display was impressive, with plenty of stuff for newer editors, veteran editors, and writers. ACES managed to somehow offer fresh topics while keeping the schedule packed with good old-fashioned instruction on nuts-and-bolts editing.

Plus, if you’re looking for quick and free guides on editing and copywriting, check out our gallery of field guides here.

Editors are necessary

Session with representatives from the Associated Press discussing recent updates to AP style.

Editors are often a misunderstood bunch, so it’s always nice to receive validation. Throughout every ACES conference, we make sure to remind one another of the importance of our work, but this year the whole room felt the love during Friday night’s awards banquet.

That was when the conference’s keynote speaker, the excellent and engaging LZ Granderson, discussed his experience as a queer Black newspaper reporter in the U.S., specifically in the contentious environment of the last five years. After he read excerpts from his upcoming book, “The Ballad of LZ Granderson,” a collection of essays on sports, culture, and politics, he praised his editor and celebrated the collaborative relationship they share. In a time when many people are using words to hurt one another, Granderson emphasized the importance of choosing words carefully. He thanked us, the editors, for the work we do and encouraged us to continue doing it. “Keep us honest,” Granderson said.

Kinship is key

Andi Trzeciak, culture and project manager at Dragonfly Editorial, pictured with Marcy Ongert, owner of MO Editing.

When asked for one word to sum up their favorite part of this year’s ACES conference, the Dragonflies who attended offered the following: community, camaraderie, vibe, solidarity, and, of course, EdiBuddies — the social media hashtag popular among the editor crowd.

Indeed, in an industry seemingly dominated by remote work and freelancing, the chance to spend time with fellow editors and writers is invaluable. Just as important as the formal learning going on in this year’s sessions was what happened between sessions: the conversations over meals and drinks, the chance meetings while milling about the conference hotel, and the friendships fostered through the close-knit ACES community.

Again, thank you to those who took the time to say hello to a Dragonfly or two, whether it was at our booth, the banquet, or a bar (*ahem* not that we frequented many bars on this trip). And if you couldn’t make it to Salt Lake City in 2025, we hope to see you in Atlanta in 2026!

Catch the highlights from the event in our gallery below.