IDEA 2009 – Social and Experience Design in Toronto, September 15-16

Written by Russ on August 11, 2009 – 5:23 pm

As Director of Events and Marketing for the Information Architecture Institute, I’ve been more than a little busy diligently working with a fantastic team of people to put together this year’s IDEA Conference, which will be held at the MaRS Centre in Toronto.

Everyone–and I do mean everyone–on this team of exceptional individuals–has been burning the midnight oil to bring you an outstanding program at a gorgeous facility.  Oh, and at a price that is reasonable given our economic climate.  I am more than a little proud of this conference, and I really hope you’ll join us!

IDEA 2009 runs September 15 and 16 in Toronto where the world’s foremost thinkers and practitioners will share big ideas that inspire and practical solutions that improve the way people’s lives converge with technology.

Whether you’re a designer, strategist, writer, UX professional, IA, or working in anything interactive, you should attend IDEA 2009.

Create the future now

You see it at Starbucks. People gather, but they don’t talk with each other. They communicate with their networked public. Facebook could be considered the fourth largest country in the world, yet it’s dwarfed by the over 300 million Chinese who use Qzone.

IDEA 2009 explores how to design these experiences. From the psychology to create more loyal users, to the design strategies and practices that bridge the physical and virtual world. This new world is already becoming a reality for your clients, employers, and customers.

Speakers you need to see

Social and experience design isn’t your typical design issue. IDEA gathers leaders from a multitude of disciplines and perspectives to provide inspiration and practical take-aways on creating valuable experiences. Some of the speakers include:

• Jeff Dachis – CEO, Dachis Group, cofounder of Razorfish
• Christina Wodtke – Principal Instigator at LinkedIn
• Mary Newsom – Associate Editor, Charlotte Observer
• Michael Fassnacht – Executive Vice President, Worldwide Chief Strategy Officer, Draftfcb
• Christian Crumlish- Curator, Yahoo! Design Pattern Library (and co-author of the forthcoming Designing Social Interfaces)
• Luke Wroblewski – Director, Product Ideation & Design, Yahoo! Inc.
• Stephen P. Anderson – Product Strategy and Design Consultant
• Leisa Reichelt – Design Researcher & User Experience Designer working with Drupal’s open source community on Drupal 7
• Thomas Malaby – Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Erin Malone – Principal, Tangible UX (and co-author of the forthcoming Designing Social Interfaces)

Beyond the speakers, many of today’s brightest minds will attend and share what they know. In the intimate setting of the MaRS Centre, you’ll have the opportunity to exchange ideas and connect with leading practitioners from all over the world.

Built for today’s economy

IDEA presents the greatest combination of accessible industry leaders, valuable topics, and companies looking for professionals in the social and experience design space. You can talk directly to representatives from Critical Mass, Mad*Pow, Sapient, Usability Matters, Rosenfeld Media, and more.

All the information you need to know about the program, speakers, and sponsors can be found at the IDEA 2009 conference site. Hope to see you there!

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