Munich 2010 Conference Drawing Numbers and Diversity

By, Laura Faulkner, UPA International Conference Co-Chair, 2009-2011

Munich 2010, May 24-28, is shaping up to be one of the most dynamic conferences in UPA history.   Early registration response puts it on track with the largest UPA-International conferences ever; and the theme, “Embracing Cultural Diversity – User Experience Design for the World,” well reflects the most global team and participant lists ever assembled.

Unique offerings and characteristics in the works for this conference include: 

• Keynote talks ranging from global to mobile, from sustainability to design for happiness, from quirky to cultural.  http://www.usabilityprofessionals.org/conference/2010/speakers/
• Idea Markets will be scheduled and placed for ease of all attendees to create crowd-sourced, leading edge answers to the newest topics on practice and design
• A German-language track, open to all conference attendees and expanding UPA offerings
• A palace-type venue that was originally commissioned in 1841 by King Ludwig I
• ‘Dining out’ experiences, integrated with the conference schedule, that will allow you to experience this beautiful city, good company, and great food
• A wide-range of accommodations, from the expected to the unusual, whatever suits your tastes!

If you are travelling internationally for the first time, now is a good time to book your airfare, as low rates are still available.

Arriving early or staying late?  Double your professional development, and attend UXcamp Europe (http://www.uxcampeurope.org/), on the weekend immediately following the UPA conference, May 29-30.  UXcamp Europe is “extending its borders” to conduct an international event focused on information architecture, interaction design, usability engineering, visual design, prototype engineering, and UI development.  Begin networking with like-minded UPA-UXcamp community members on our own, propriety network, http://upa2010.mixxt.com. Whether you would like to see who will be there, schedule meetings, find someone to share a room in Munich or sue the network to start discussions around the topic of your presentation, this is the place.

Enjoy sites of Europe for a time you’ll never forget.  Take a bus tour to the mythical Neuschwanstein Castle in the Alps.  Spend some days in friendly, storybook-lovely Switzerland. Hop a train for day hike in the countryside; or rest in a biergarten restaurant and enjoy friendship in a whole new way.  Add the Italy, Czech Republic, France, Poland, even Liechtenstein, to your lifetime list of places visited.

See upa2010.org to begin your meeting with the world.