The Future of Web Apps

By Mel Kirk

Oh me, oh my - FOWA Expo is in less than a week! We can’t believe how quickly it’s come around and we’re so excited to get there and let the fun times begin….

Before that though, I thought that it would be good to go over some useful information (you’ve probably already got this, but just incase!):-

• Passes can be collected by last name from the registration area at the expo hall. Doors will open from 8am, so please allow plenty of time to register.
• If you’ve booked a pass in a company name rather than an individual, please remember to collect it stating the company name rather than your own
• The entrance to the hall is S4 (this will be clearly signposted - you won’t be able to miss us)
• You will need to keep your pass on you at all times and will need a 2 or 3 day pass to gain access to the main auditoriums (with exception of the diggnation filming)
• Food and beverages will be available to purchase throughout the event, so remember to bring change with you (a cash point is available at the venue)
• The easiest way to access the venue is from the West entrance
• If you’re planning to come to the party (all the cool kids will be there ), please keep your 2 or 3 day pass with you as you’ll need to present this to get your free beer!
• Don’t forget to sign up to our social networking tool which will help you find the people you’re most like, most different from and see which presentations they’re attending etc. Plus you can write blog posts and place comments on the comments board, which is always fun, lets face it. Check it out here http://fowa.crowdvine.com/ for more details.
• For those of you that have booked workshops, they will be accessed from the Waterside of the venue which will take you directly to the workshop rooms. These will be clearly signposted on the day.

• If when you’re at the event you decide that you’d really like to hang with us for an extra day and come along to the workshops, please find me at the registration area, and I’ll arrange to upgrade your pass for you (you’ll just need to pay the difference in the pass price)

• The conference in a box will be available to purchase on the day, along with copies of previous events such as Future of Web Design and Future of Online Advertising. We’ll be selling these at a special “2 day only” price, so be sure to bring your wallet/purse with you.
• If you know anyone that wants to come to the expo but hasn’t booked a pass yet, these can be bought on the day for £5 (cash only) - so tell them to come along!

Lastly and most importantly, we’re really looking forward to seeing you all there - so make sure to stop by and say hi, it’s always good to put faces to names…

That’s all for now, London baby!

Preparations are well underway for the forthcoming Future of Web Apps Expo.
Here are just some of the companies who are coming along to the event - plus of course tons of freelancers, small businesses and start-ups too numerous to mention:

Yahoo!
Ocado
BBC
Conchango
Glasses Direct
eBay
Reed Business Information
Dresdner Kleinwort
Zebtab
lastminute.com
BT
Bournemouth University
Nottingham
Sony Computer Entertainment
MSN UK
SeeSaw
Nokia
ShareMonkey.com
.net magazine
Egg
Dapper
Virgin America
Associated Press
Sun Microsystems
Moo.com
Accel Partners
Terra Networks
FirstCapital
Dorset County Council
Lehman Brothers
Wine Library TV
News International
CIX Online
TripAdvisor
AOL
Intel
University of Plymouth
Airside
Institute of Cancer Research
Yamaha R&D
IDG Netherlands
Alienware
Cyfle
Sapient
Wacom
The Open University
Skype
ZDnet Blogs
O2
Apple Inc
lastminute.com
Silicon Republic
Greenwich University
The Guardian
Microsoft
Barclaycard
Orange
AKQA
IBM
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Aardvark Media
PwC
Channel 4
Vodafone
TrustedPlaces
Boagworld
ReadWriteWeb
AbilityNet
Nottinghamshire County Council

If you haven’t bought a ticket, you can still get hold of conference passes and there are Expo passes for just £5 which get you entry to the expo hall, a chance to network with all the other conference attendees, and entry to the Showcase track.

Students can get an expo pass for free using the code ’student_expo’ when signing up.

Join us for a drink at the bar!

We thought it would be great to come out and visit as many of you as we could, so we’re hopping in the trusty FOWA van and hitting the road!

In each city (11 total), we’ll be choosing a local pub and throwing some money behind the bar. It will be a really fun opportunity to get away from your laptop and get out and meet some new folks.

View the complete schedule on the FOWA Road Trip site. See you soon

We’ve just sold out of the 2-Day Conference Passes at the special early bird price of £204 (exc VAT) in just a week. But do not fear, you can still book your regularly priced 2-Day Pass here for £245 + VAT.

Compared to many other similarly-sized conferences out there, we hope you’ll agree that this represents great value for money. The 2-Day Pass grants you access to the Expo floor, all of the keynotes, the tracked sessions on business/marketing, development and showcase, and of course social activities, which will be announced nearer the time.

Sign up now for a 3-Day Early Bird deal - save £40!

If you want to get even more out of FOWA Expo 2007, there are a small number of workshop seats available where you literally get to learn from the best in the business. These smaller, more technical workshops are included in a 3 Day Pass which, as well as the benefits of the 2-Day Pass, allows you to choose a morning and afternoon session on Friday, 5 October. This is a fantastic opportunity for one-on-one tuition with industry leaders. Class sizes are generally no bigger than 40 and this allows for a really relaxed atmosphere and plenty of interaction! Check out your choice of 8 different developer and business/marketing workshops here.

You can still save yourself £40 by buying one of the remaining Early Bird 3-Day Passes available at the special price of £555 + VAT.

Transferable Passes

Can’t afford to take time out of the office? Register your pass in your company name and the ticket is transferable, meaning you can go to the main event while a colleague or team member goes to the workshop day.

We’re so excited about the speakers that we have in the pipeline, we’re hoping to give you more details within the next week, so watch this space…