Once again convention time is here and publishers from across Texas will travel to Dallas Jan. 19-21 for the Midwinter Conference & Trade Show as we meet our newspaper peers at the Hyatt Regency DFW.

This year marks the 59th annual event. The midwinter meeting is only half as old as the Summer Convention, which will mark its 127th year in June at The Woodlands near Houston.

But this meeting has a lot of history. I asked the TPA staff to gather some highlights for me to share with you.

The first-ever TPA Midwinter Meeting, as it was then called, was held just one day — Jan. 31, 1948, at the Baker Hotel in Dallas. The meeting followed TPA’s hiring of its first full-time manager Vernon Sanford.

That first meeting was mainly organizational with program topics titled “A Five-Year Plan for TPA,” “Our Immediate Objectives” and “A Publisher’s Viewpoint on the Value of an Active State Press Association.”

That first year 194 people attended.

Nine years later in 1957 the meeting expanded to two days and was held Jan. 18-19 at the Commodore Perry Hotel in Austin, the convention headquarters for many years.

In 1973, the meeting added another day with the TPA board meeting on Thursday and the convention wrapping up with a noon luncheon on Saturday. We use nearly the same format today.

But it wasn’t until 1975 when TPA added a Trade Show to the midwinter meeting. That year the event was held Jan. 16-18 at the St. Anthony Hotel in San Antonio with 21 vendors exhibiting. The next year the meeting name was changed to Midwinter Convention & Trade Show.

Today the Midwinter Conference & Trade Show is in its 59th year. Attendance has steadily increased and the trade show has grown to 60 booths!

About five years ago TPA launched a unique opportunity that allows TexSCAN member newspapers to attend the meeting for free — one member from each SCAN paper gets free registration, free convention meals and two nights free stay in the convention hotel. This is an incredible value and a great member service that helps increase participation — the hotel stay alone is worth $225 a night.

The conference also features the Texas Newspaper Foundation Silent Auction, which raises money for continuing education programs for journalists.

So now that you know the midwinter meeting history help us continue the TPA tradition and join us Jan. 19-21 in Dallas. You won’t be disappointed.