With so much new information available online to consume each day, especially in an industry such as web design, it’s easy to forget there are other great ways to keep up to date with what’s going on.
Web design conferences are a great way of finding out about new & upcoming technology, being exposed to new web design trends and exploring new web design techniques you might not have been aware of. It also gives you the chance to hear it all first hand from industry experts instead of re-hashed versions. on 3rd party blogs.
Face to face networking is also more effective and valuable than doing so over the phone, email or from behind your computer and you’re likely to make new friends and contacts as well as expose your brand to others in your industry.
There are some great web design conferences coming up across the UK throughout 2012 which we’ve listed below as well as a few from Ireland as it’s so close and the line up so attractive.
If you know of any you would like added then feel free to mention them in the comments for consideration.
Which ones are you going to and why?
January Events
New Adventures in Web Design
| When: | 18-19th January 2012 |
| Where: | Nottingham Albert Hall, Nottingham, UK |
| Why go: | Good speaker line up and fun networking opportunities. Supported by an impressive sponsor list. |
| What’s included: | 1 day conference | Workshops | Exhibition | Extras | After Party |
| Website: | http://2012.newadventuresconf.com/ |
February Events
Interaction
| When: | 1st-4th February 2012 |
| Where: | Convention Centre Dublin, Dubin, Ireland |
| Why go: | Impressive line up with 60+ speakers including the likes of Google. Supported by global sponsors such as Google & Microsoft. |
| What’s included: | 3 day conference | Workshops | Exhibition | Parties | Extras |
| Website: | http://interaction12.ixda.org/home/ |
SES London
| When: | 9-10th February 2012 |
| Where: | Saïd Business School, Oxford, UK |
| Why go: | jQuery focus. Well supported and attended. |
| What’s included: | 1 day conference | Workshops | Networking Lunch |
| Website: | http://events.jquery.org/2012/uk/ |
SES London
| When: | 20th-24th February 2012 |
| Where: | The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, London, UK |
| Why go: | Emphasis on SEO. PPC and Social Media. Impressive line up with speakers including the likes of Google. Long running and well supported. |
| What’s included: | 3 day conference | Summit | Exhibition | Networking |
| Website: | http://sesconference.com/london/ |
March Events
DevWeek
| When: | 26-30th March 2012 |
| Where: | Barbican Conference Centre, London, UK |
| Why go: | Expert speaker line up with a look at development beyond the broswer. Supported by global sponsors. |
| What’s included: | 3 day conference | Workshops | Exhibition | Extras |
| Website: | http://www.devweek.com/ |
April Events
DIBI
| When: | 16-17th April 2012 |
| Where: | The Sage Gateshead, Newcastle, UK |
| Why go: | Cheap and popular. Not enough info at time of posting to include speaker/sponsor info. |
| What’s included: | 2 day conference | Workshops | Parties | Sleepover |
| Website: | http://www.dibiconference.com/ |
June Events
Ampersand
| When: | 15th June 2012 |
| Where: | Brighton, UK |
| Why go: | Web typography focussed. Not enough info at time of posting to include speaker/sponsor info. |
| What’s included: | 1 day conference |
| Website: | http://2012.ampersandconf.com/ |
I can give you some more details about Ampersand. Confirmed are:
Erik Spiekermann
Jake Archibald (Lanyrd, formerly of BBC)
Yves Peters (Fontshop)
Jose Scaglione & Veronika Burian (TypeTogether)
Jason Smith (Fontsmith)
Trent Walton (Paravel)
We’ll have a line-up of 9 speakers including three type-in-twenty spots.
Cheers Rich