February 22nd, 2007
5 Rich Internet Application conferences you should attend this year
This post is long overdue, and I apologize because I think a lot of people may have spent their conference budgets or already made plans. In fact some conferences, like 360 Flex, are already sold out. We have a rich slate of conferences to choose from this year, which I think is an indication of just how much mindshare RIAs have gotten and how many people are excited about things like the "devigner" role. So if you're looking for conferences this year, which ones should you focus on? Here's a list of the 5 most important conferences for developers, designers and RIA enthusiasts of all kinds:
- Dx3 Conference and Expo | Boston | May 15 - 18: They have a great speaker lineup and their covering the widest array of technologies. Whether you're into WPF or Apollo, this conference has it along with sessions on workflow, creating experiences, and how all of the pieces fit together.
- Adobe MAX 2007 : Dates haven't been announced for this yet, but expect it sometime in the middle of the Fall. It's Adobe's signature conference and they do a lot of product releases and pushes around the conference. This year, I'd expect Apollo to be released to the wild if everything is on schedule.
- Microsoft MIX | Las Vegas | April 30 - May 2: This is Microsoft's second iteration of it's conference focusing on designers/developers and it looks to be a good one. With WPF having been released, the Expression Studio being tested by developers and designers and "WPF/E" quickly approaching release, this could be a news making conference. As with MAX, it's vendor focused, but will be Microsoft's cotillion into the design space.
- Web 2.0 Expo | San Francisco | April 15 - 18: The Web 2.0 expo has a suprisingly good RIA track with sessions on Apollo, user experience and the devigner. I'm also moderating a panel on Rich Internet Application Platforms that will help frame the discussion of how we move beyond the browser and onto the desktop. The conference also provides a frame of reference for how Rich Internet Applications fit into the wider web world.
- Ajax World Conference & Expo | New York City | March 19 - 21: This one is right around the corner, but the remaining RIA conferences for the year are Flash-heavy affairs, which is good, but I want to focus on breadth of information. Ajax World has a Flex track, will have some Apollo sessions, has an OpenLaszlo track and highlights a lot of different Ajax technologies including Microsoft's own ASP.NET Ajax which ties in very nicely with "WPF/E". You can even get 700$ off thanks to Cynergy Systems.
Are there any conferences that I missed and you're planning on attending?
Ryan Stewart, a Rich Internet Application developer and industry analyst, recently joined Adobe's Platform Team as a Rich Internet Application Evangelist. full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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