WebVisions 2009

WebVisions 2009 is just around the corner! The forward-thinking conference exploring design, user experience and the business of working on the web is taking place May 20th-22nd in Portland, Oregon. Raincity Studios has been attending the conference since 2005 and each year it continues one of the best sources of inspiration and innovative thinking for people working in the industry.  

As in the past, this year's lineup features great sessions by some of the leading thinkers and practitioners on the web. I'm excited about a bunch of the sessions.  Peat Bakke's session on Serving the Next Billion will examine the uptake of networked technologies in the developing world. Chris Messina's session on New Assumptions for Designers of the Social Web will examine the changing online landscape and the way social media is shaping the desires, expectations and motivations users. And Jason Grigsby, who spoke at last year's conference, will be presenting on The Future of Mobile and looks like he'll be able to weigh in on the ongoing Applications vs Mobile Browser debate. Of course, I'm just scratching the surface here. There's a little bit of something for everyone - check out the sessions page for more info.

There's also going to be some great workshops taking place on Wednesday May 20th. These sessions allow the presenters to get a little more in-depth and you can register for them separate from the conference itself. There's also some other fun events such as The Webvisionary Awards and some great keynote speakers.  And if free code is a particular vision of the web that gets you excited, you might want to check out the Open Source Bridge conference taking just days before in Portland and the "two conferences for the price of one" special organizers have arranged.   

Our friends at Hot Pepper Studios are helping organize the event again this year.   Raincity Studios is planning to be there to provide some social media coverage and spend some quality time with all of the interesting folks in attendance. We'll keep you posted as our plans and hijinks unfold. If you're in the Vancouver area, why don't you join us? Registration is still open and passes are still available.

Magical things happen when you put a bunch of intelligent and talented people under one roof. Don't miss out on this amazing event.

(photo credit: robert scales and kk+)