IDEA 2008 an Information Architecture Conference

I wanted to share with everyone this great conference that is coming to Chicago on October 7th and continues until the 8th. Personally I find it hard to justify attending conferences because of their steep prices, unless they are really niche based offerings that focus on one key area of design. The conference looks to be focused on topics that will actually reach a level of sophistication worth your investment, not to mention that the lineup of speakers is also very impressive. Just the short description on the IDEA 2008 Conference website shows that not only are the presenters aware of the challenges facing designers today, but in the near future as well:

This conference addresses issues of design for an always-on, always-connected world. Where “cyberspace” is a meaningless term because the online and offline worlds cannot be made distinct. Where physical spaces are so complex that detailed wayfinding is necessary to navigate them. Where work processes have become so involved, and so digitized, that we need new processes to manage those processes.

I am making plans to be in attendance, as I feel that the event should be 100% worth the cost. The unique approach, and focus on the future of digital design have really sold me on the event. In addition to the topics being covered, that fact that the event is only $450 dollars for non IAI members is an insanely reasonable price for a 2 day conference. This is especially true for an event that will be featuring such a long list of industry leading speakers, such as: David Armano, Chris Crawford, Bill DeRouchey, Jason Fried, Aradhana Goel, Dave Gray, Andrew Hinton, Jason Kunesh, and Elliott Malkin.

For more information, location information, or to make arrangements please visit the IDEA 2008 Conference site.