Why I Love the ACES National Conference

ACES logoThere’s a lot to love about the American Copy Editors Society (ACES) and the annual national conference. You get to hang out with other cool editors, you get to enhance your skills, and you get to hang out in an interesting city. Here are a few more things I love about the ACES national conference.

ACES folks are kind

One of my absolute favorite things about this conference is how wonderfully kind people are. If you’ve forgotten your phone charger, someone will volunteer to let you borrow his/hers/theirs. (Thanks, Dilane!) If you’re looking to have lunch but aren’t sure what to do, you can join a bunch of people. (This often happens on Twitter.) People at this conference are wonderfully warm and welcome. It’s lovely stuff.

You’re among people who care about the things you do

As so many grammar nerds will tell you, it’s not easy caring about grammar. Too often, our attention to detail isn’t as prized as it should be. Our work is invisible—until we make a mistake. ACES is a safe space to share horror stories and commiserate. It’s a place where you can joke about misplaced modifiers or the Oxford comma and people will actually get the joke. It’s a grammar nerd’s paradise.

You get to meet people who do all kinds of editing

Editing isn’t limited to the newsroom. There are editors who work at zoos, in the government, and in giant corporations, just to name a few. And they come to the conference! And you get to talk to them! Editing is everywhere. Editors are needed far and wide. If that’s not inspiring, I don’t know what is.

You come back smarter and invigorated

The conference can be physically exhausting. You’re running around sessions in the morning and afternoon and then you socialize and mingle until the wee hours for several days. It’s draining. It’s a marathon. It’s not easy. But once you’ve returned to your regular life, you’ll find yourself enthusiastic, exhilarated, and empowered about editing and why it’s important.
 
Rhiannon Root is an editor, reporter, and member of the American Copy Editors Society (ACES). Since ACES 2015 wrapped up last week, we invited her to share some of her thoughts from the conference. You can catch her on Twitter @rhiannonroot.

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