An outstanding host institution, a magnificent venue, a stimulating programme and the vibrant, historic city of Moscow: four factors that combined to make emma 2011 a great success and a rewarding experience for all its participants.
“Elena Vartanova and her colleagues at Lomonosov Moscow State University deserve a big vote of thanks,” said emma President, Charles Brown. “Their support meant that the programme ran smoothly and MSU organised some of the most memorable social events emma has seen. “

The two days of the programme not only featured the largest number of papers to date, but also included two plenary sessions, the first discussing the conference theme of Media Management After the Crisis and the second, an industry panel featuring luminaries from Russian publishing and audience research.  

The conference culminated in the annual gala dinner which took the form of a boat trip along the Moskva River, taking conference delegates past landmarks including the Kremlin, the Church of Christ the Saviour and Gorky Park.

The highlight of the dinner was the emma 2011 Award to Karl Erik Gustafsson, Professor Emeritus at the Media Management and Transformation Centre, Jönköping International Business School. “Karl Erik has not only been one of the founding figures of MMTC, he is also one of the founding figures of our field,” said Charles Brown, presenting the award. “It is hard to think of a more deserving recipient.” In addition to the annual emma Award, Karl Erik was appointed an honorary professorship of Moscow State University for his services to the faculty of journalism. In a characteristically self-effacing, Professor Gustafsson told the Jönköpings-Posten: “I suppose I won the award for long and faithful service, persistence and productivity.” The enthusiastic response of the gathered membership demonstrated that this was a popular choice of recipient.

The Gala Dinner also saw the Best Paper award made to Mercedes Medina of the University of Navarra, Pamplona and Leticia Barron of the University of Guanajuato, Mexico. Their paper addressed how recession has impacted the television production market in Mexico and Spain.

The programme also included an evening of traditional Russian singing and dancing from the Moscow University music school and a walking tour of Red Square, both of which helped make it a memorable conference.

Many of the papers for the conference can be accessed via the members only area of the site.