Got your ticket for our web design conference, Generate, yet? If not, you'd better get your skates on - it's just 10 days away! The good news is, there are still some tickets left for the event, to be held in London on September 13th (and even a nice little discount code; read on for details).
And if you're wondering what exactly you get for your money, let us enlighten you. Here are 10 amazing things you can expect at this web design conference, held in association with our sister title .net magazine. We can't wait to see you there!
01. An awesome pre-party
The day of the event is 13th September - but the Generate fun actually starts the night before! We're kicking things off with a bang by hosting a pre-Generate meet up - exclusive to ticket holders - on 12th September from 6pm.
We've hired a private area at one of the coolest bars in London, Foundation in Covent Garden. With free drinks for all, it's a fantastic opportunity to meet fellow attendees in a relaxed atmosphere. You can even pick up your passes early to save queueing the morning after!
You'll also have the chance of a one-to-one with some of the speakers, including Stephen Hay, Oliver Reichenstein and Stephanie Rieger. All in all, this is definitely a pre-party not to be missed!
02. Nineteen incredible speakers
We've persuaded some of the biggest names in web design and web development to come and speak at our event, so you're guaranteed to have your socks blown off by the quality of the talks. Learn new web design tricks, get new perspectives and be filled with inspiration as these 19 speakers take you on a journey of discovery...
- Oliver Reichenstein - opening keynote
- Mark Boulton - closing keynote
- Stephanie Rieger - Beyond progressive enhancement
- Stephen Hay - UI design and layout with CSS Flexbox
- Ajaz Ahmed - Grow your agency the AKQA way
- Jack Franklin - The new era of JavaScript
- Elizabeth McGuane - Structuring content in an evolving design
- John McFaul - Life is like riding a bicycle
- Martin Görner - Animate your HTML5
- Syd Lawrence - Have fun for profit
- Andy Hume - CSS for grownups
- Leisa Reichelt - Prototyping UX strategy
- Mike Kus - Creating stories within design
- Gavin Strange - Good crop, bad crop
- Jonty Sharples - Arrogance and confidence in design
- Léonie Watson - The rock'n'roll guide to ARIA and HTML5
- Anton & Irene - Innovation & Large-Scale Content
- Mel Exon - TBC
There'll be two tracks running throughout the day, so there'll be tons of inspiration and learning to soak up. Check out the full schedule here.
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03. Soul-lifting inspiration
One of the highlights of Generate promises to come from John McFaul, who says of his hotly-anticipated talk: "It's all about change and following your soul."
McFaul acknowledges this isn't a subject that's often addressed at design events. "This industry of ours doesn't really give anyone the breathing space to think in those terms and we simply get swept along in its tide," he says. But he feels it's vital that from time to time we look away from the minutae of the design process and consider the bigger picture.
"I'm talking about leading and not being led," he explains. "I'm talking about choices, balance, soul and seeing another way. I'm talking about being comfortable understanding that it's all an education and there is no right way and certainly no time limit."
04. Killer networking
Often the people you meet at a web design event turn out to be the most significant outcome of the day. We're going to do everything we can to maximise the networking opportunities on the day, so that people mingle, meet and make new friends - with plenty of fabulous food and drink to lubricate the social interaction!
05. A dollop of fun
One of the speakers we're most looking forward to will come Syd Lawrence, who'll be speaking on 'Have fun for profit'. As the co-founder of We Make Awesome Sh.it, this talk promises to be as entertaining as it's enlightening."I will basically try to convince all the ex-hobbyist developers to remember what their hobby is. At the same time as this, I will show some examples of where I've learnt something by doing," says Lawrence.
Lawrence, who's also a developer advocate at Twilio and core contributor to Tomahawk, adds: "Hopefully people will come out of the talk thinking: 'You know what? I need to get back to having fun'. If anyone does that, I will be happy."
06. Hilarious comedy
What better than finish off an afternoon of heavyweight learning and networking at the Grand Connaught Rooms than to kick back, relax and have a laugh with the Festival of the Spoken Nerd, a brilliant comedy show about science and what it means to be a nerd. We don't want to spoil the surprise, but you're in for a treat at the hands of the hilarious Helen Arney, Steve Mould and Matt Parker - you can find out more about the show here.
07. An exclusive venue
We've spared no expense to bring you the most opulent surroundings for your event experience. The Grand Connaught Rooms is one of the most superior and innovative conference, meeting and banqueting rooms in Central London.
The Grand Connaught Rooms was also the venue for our 2013 .net Awards earlier in the year - so it's already been road-tested by web designers and web developers. And the consensus from attendees was an enthusiastic two-thumbs up!
08. Meet the speakers
As well as informal networking, we've also arranged a more structured form of networking, in which attendees get to meet speakers in five-minute-long, one-to-one sesssions. So far we've confirmed at least 24 sessions with Mike Kus, John McFaul, Stephanie Rieger and Gavin Strange - with more to be confirmed. A unique opportunity not to be missed!
09. Not-to-be-missed afterparty
As if one awesome party wasn't enough, Generate attendees have TWO to look forward to. A spectacular after-party will be held at 13th September from 7pm in a private area (Blanca bar) of the über-hip Covent Garden venue Jewel Covent Garden.
There'll be free drinks aplenty to help you kick back, relax and network into the night - a great end to a great day!
10. A day to remember
All in all, Generate represents the opportunity of a lifetime to meet and mix with the cream of the web design industry - and all at an affordable price the pro designer can afford. Oh, and you won't even need to take notes, with all sessions being filmed and free videos for attendees!
The event is just 10 days away, so we'd implore you to buy that ticket today, before you miss your chance to attend the London web event of the year. And just to sweeten the pill, we've got a tasty discount code for you to get you 15% off the full price: JF15.
So don't delay, buy your ticket here - and we look forward to seeing you there!
