Event updates, news and more
Thankyou so much for coming along to FOWA Miami!
We have had some amazing feedback from you guys so keep it coming! It really helps us when planning next years event so if you have any suggestions or ideas for next year then just let us know.
We had such a great time that we cant wait for next year 
As you all are now aware, the Official FOWA wrap party is taking place at the gorgeous Nikki Beach Club. Well we have more good news in that Microsoft and Virgin.com have put a load of cash behind the bar to buy you guys a few drinks!
Many thanks to the lovely peeps at Microsoft and Virgin for this!
Be there at 8pm to get the party started!
Nikki Beach Club
One Ocean Drive
Miami, FL
33139
Look forward to seeing you all soon!
Brad Haynes of Paramore|Redd Online Marketing, Derrick Larane of Local Wisdom and Ian Cairns of Development Seed!
Brad wins the 1st prize of free web hosting for life and gets to come along to the speaker dinner and hang out on 23rd Feb. Derrick and Ian both win one years free web hosting.
Congratulations guys!
All prizes are courtesy of our friends at Media Temple, so big thanks to them.
The countdown has begun!
Here’s all you need to know as an attendee to FOWA Miami 09 plus party news!
FOWA After party!!
After keeping you guys waiting for months i can now finally confirm that the FOWA After party will take place at Nikki Beach Club!
Nikki Beach Club
One Ocean Drive
Miami, FL
33139
Any of you guys that came along last year will remember what an amazing venue this is, and this year we have the whole place to ourselves so make sure youre there!
The party kicks off at 8pm until late so come along, grab a drink, a bed on the beach and listen to some tunes!
Speaker news
As you may already know Mike Arrington of TechCrunch is taking a month off so is unfortunately unable to join us at FOWA Miami.
Some good news is that we have another fantastic speaker in the line up!
Aza Raskin gave his first talk on user interface at age 10 and got hooked. At 17, he was talking and consulting internationally; at 21 he co-founded Humanized. Two years later, Aza founded Songza.com, a minimalist music search engine that had over a million song plays during it’s first week of operation. After Humanized was sucked into Mozilla, Aza became Head of User Experience for Mozilla Labs.
Workshops – Monday 23rd February
Doors open for the workshops at 8am with the first workshops starting at 9am, come along at 8 to pick up your pass and grab a much needed coffee before we begin. The sessions take place in the break out rooms in the Arsht Centre. The rooms will be clearly marked but the Carsonified crew will be on hand to help you. You will find your names outside your chosen workshop just in case you have forgotten which ones you signed up for!
Lunch and coffee breaks are provided for all workshop attendees.
The workshops finish at 5pm.
Conference – Tuesday 24th February
FOWA takes place in the Knight Concert Hall of the Arsht Centre, 1300 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami. To get to the hall simply enter through the main doors and you will see registration directly in front of you. You cant miss us!
Doors open at 8am for registration and presentations start at 9am, may be worth getting there early for a coffee. There will be coffee, tea and snacks available to purchase from the lobby area.
There is free WIFI in the lobby area of the center and you can also charge up your laptops from here. However there is no WIFI in the auditorium.
Check the venue page for further info.
Passes
Don’t panic, we have been taking good care of your passes and they will be available to pick up at registration on the 23rd Feb for the conference & workshop attendees and 24th Feb for conference only.
Looking forward to seeing you guys soon!
Devon Wolfgang from vStream Digital Media who is the lucky winner of the free pass to FOWA Dublin on 6th March!
Thanks you everyone who posted FOWA badges on their sites to be in with an chance of winning. We will be running the competition again for FOWA London when it launches so it could be you next time!
Due to an overwhelming amount of emails and tweets from all you Students out there we have decided to release another 30 Student passes to FOWA Miami.
These will go on sale at 3pm (UK time) today so get your clicking finger at the ready!
Please don’t forget to bring some form of Student ID with you or anything you have that proves you are a Student or you will not be able to attend on the day.
I know you’ve all been waiting to hear all the details on the location of the FOWA wrap party so i am so excited to tell you that we are back at Nikki Beach Club!
Those of you who came along last year will remember what an amazing venue this is and has earned, as quoted by the London Observer, the undisputed reputation as being the “The Sexiest Place on Earth” but if you need more convincing, here you go:
I’m sure you’ll agree a Carsonified event just wouldn’t be the same without the wrap party and FOWA is no exception!
We have a great night planned for you all kicking off at 8pm after the conference day on 24th February.
Don’t miss it!
If you live near Edinburgh, Leeds, Cambridge or Bristol and fancy sampling a bit of the FOWA experience then join us on tour.
Full details available on the Carsonified blog: http://www.carsonified.com/fowa/fowa-goes-on-tour-in-09
to Stefanie Noe from NimbusBlue.com who is the lucky winner of a free pass to FOWA Miami.
Stefanie entered the draw to win by popping a FOWA badge on her site.
Thanks to all you guys who entered and we will continue to run the competition for future events so there will be many more chances!
The winner of the free pass to FOWA Dublin will be announced on 6th February.
If you are attending or thinking of attending FOWA in February why not combine it with a holiday and kill two birds with one stone, not to mention save yourself some pennies!
There are tons of things to see and do in sunny Miami so i’ve put together a little list for you guys so whether you visit for the weekend before FOWA or for a whole week you can plan ahead!
Local Attractions:
MOCA – The Museum of Contemporary Art boasts an impressive collection of internationally recognised art alongside work from local artists.
South Beach – The quintessential Miami hot spot. From shopping to partying, this area of Miami Beach is well-known for being a trendy locale.
Everglades - With 1.5 million acres of swamps and sub-tropical jungles, Everglades National Park is one of the most unusual public parks in the United States.
Miami MetroZoo – Fast becoming one of the best zoos in the nation whose exhibits are entirely cageless. (http://www.miamimetrozoo.com/index.asp)
Restaurants and Bars
There are so many great restaurants, bars and clubs, here are just a few of the best!
Azul – Contemporary and Mediterranean cuisine served alongside stunning beauty and views.
Joe’s Stone Crab – A Miami landmark Joe’s Stone Crab serves fantastic Seafood and American cuisine.
Town Kitchen and Bar – Top notch food and drink served to an enthusiastic and local crowd.
Getting around Miami
The city has a great transit system which includes the Metrobus, Metrorail and Metromover. Many of the Metrobus routes run 24hours a day and the Metrorail and Metromover run from 5am until midnight 7 days a week.
If instead you would prefer to catch a taxi then they can be hailed on the street or found at taxi stands outside any commercial centres or malls.
Alternatively, if you feel like getting around on foot, this is also pretty easy.
We are so looking forward to seeing you guys!
Roll on February!
|
