This Black Friday, freelance writers can give themselves a gift that keeps on giving by registering for the ASJA 2025 annual conference in New York City.
Registration opens today, Thursday, Nov. 21, for ASJA: Always in Fashion, NY2025, which takes place Feb. 24 to 26 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.
In recognition of ASJA’s first in-person conference since 2022 – and the first time we’ve been back in Manhattan since 2019 – we’re kicking off registration with a limited time, Black Friday Inflation Buster special you won’t want to miss.
The 2025 conference maximizes opportunities for in-person networking to build your business, hone your craft, and catch-up with colleagues and clients. The conference includes three days of educational sessions, workshops, keynotes, fireside chats, receptions, and special events. ASJA professional members can add Client Connections 2025, ASJA’s signature client networking event, which takes place Feb. 25.
See conference details here and register for the conference here.
Act Now for Extra Early Bird Pricing
Register between today, Thursday, Nov. 21, and Friday, Dec. 6, and get the extra early bird price of $399 for members and $499 for nonmembers. But wait, there’s more! Anyone who paid to attend the 2024 virtual conference — including ASJA members and nonmembers — receives a 15% discount on their registration fee. If you paid to attend the 2024 virtual conference, watch your email for a message from the ASJA office with more details.
With the extra early bird pricing and the discount, members who paid to attend the 2024 virtual conference can pay less than $340 for three days of in-person networking and learning–in New York City, no less. Add Client Connections, and professional members get a super-charged conference for $466.
See all conference registration prices here.
“Attending the ASJA 2025 annual conference is a wise investment in your career that can result in hundreds–if not thousands–of dollars in new business,” said Emily Paulsen, ASJA President and Conference Chair. “The connections I’ve made at past ASJA conferences–both among my fellow writers as well as new clients and markets– continue to serve me well.”
ASJA will also offer special rates for a hotel within two blocks of the conference venue – and will share more information about lodging in coming weeks.
ASJA and the Fashion Institute of Technology
The conference takes place at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, conveniently located by hotels, restaurants, public transportation, and well-known New York attractions.
Faculty and students from FIT’s Baker School of Business and Technology, which includes programs focusing on journalism, content writing, and communications, will be involved in the conference in various ways. FIT takes great pride in its working faculty who bring to the classroom years of experience in media and communications.
One working faculty member participating in the conference is Emil Wilbekin, a FIT assistant professor, journalist, media executive, content creator, culture critic, and human rights activist. Wilbekin will lead a session on the art of the interview, a skill he put to good use writing for such publications as People, Associated Press, and the New York Times.
“FIT’s Marketing Communications department is extremely proud of its accomplished faculty,” said journalism professor Allison Kyle Leopold, who coordinates the college’s journalism minor and advises Blush, FIT’s award-winning student magazine.
“Having ASJA’s working writers and authors come to FIT gives our students the opportunity to see firsthand that journalism offers a viable and vibrant career path, with a greater reach than ever.”
Conference Sessions and Client Connections
The conference already has more than a half dozen confirmed sessions on writing nonfiction books, freelance journalism trends, and what to expect for content marketing writing in 2025. See more confirmed sessions here.
Read about the student graphic designer who created the ASJA: Always in Fashion NYC2025 logo.
The 2025 conference will once again include Client Connections, ASJA’s signature client networking event. Client Connections offers ASJA professional members attending the conference the opportunity to schedule one-on-one meetings with top websites, newspapers, magazines, content marketing managers, agents, and publishers. After following up, members often find themselves with new client contacts and assignments.
Check out the Client Connections 2025 page for a running list of clients that have already signed up to participate in one-on-one writer meetings. Only ASJA professional members who sign up for the 2025 conference can attend Client Connections 2025; the extra early bird rate for both is $548; see all conference plus Client Connections prices here.
For more information about how Client Connections works, who can participate, what happens during client meetings, and more, read the Client Connections FAQ.
Special Events, Entertainment, and More
In addition to sessions and Client Connections, writer who attend the conference can look forward to:
- A freelance fashion show with photo submissions from attendees
- Appointments for writer headshots (for an additional fee)
- Entertainment
- No-host writer networking dinners organized by interest group
- Welcome cocktail reception with ASJA news and announcements
- Networking mixer with invitations extended to clients participating in Client Connections
- Opportunities to mentor or be mentored by ASJA members
If you’re interested in volunteering before or at the event, log into the members-only ASJA.org website, go to Members Only > Volunteer Opportunities and scroll to the “ASJA Call for Volunteers” form. Fill in your name and email address, select the Annual Conference Committee, and share a note about how you’d like to help.
ASJA will offer scholarships to freelancers from historically underrepresented populations to attend in-person and virtual conferences. Look for information about eligibility and how to apply coming soon.The ASJA conference will be virtual in 2026 before returning to an in-person format in 2027. It means that ASJA: Always in Fashion, NYC 2025 is your only opportunity to attend an in-person national ASJA event for another two years. Make plans now to attend!