Are you ready?
On 13 May 1897, Guglielmo Marconi sent the first ever wireless communication from one land mass to another. It transversed the Bristol Channel from Lavernock Point to Flat Holm Island, a distance of 14 kilometres (8.7 miles). The message simply read, “Are you ready?”. Mobile communication was alive.
Less than a mile from that first transmission at Lavernock Point, at 9am on 28th November I will be asking that same question “Are you ready?”, to a theatre full of developers & designers all interested in pushing the boundaries of wireless communication via mobile devices.
Handheld 2012 took place last November after months of planning and preparation. 13 speakers took to the stage at a packed venue and spoke about responsive web design, native mobile applications and where they think mobile communication could be heading. Many believe that the majority of Internet traffic will be served via mobile devices within the next year or so, with the medium so young we all have a lot to learn. It is my belief that sharing knowledge and best practices will help us understand and make the task of communicating via mobile devices just that little bit easier.
Feedback from last years event has been very positive. Personally, there were a number of issues which have been niggling away at the back of my mind but on the whole it was a great experience. An experience which I am determined to improve upon this year.
I was humbled to hear that people had travelled from the United States, Singapore, Estonia and even Australia to attend Handheld last year. It was great to see people chatting about techniques, striking up friendships and generally enjoying each others company.
This year, as well as having a dream lineup, I am delighted to welcome some of the greatest designers & developers from around the world to Cardiff. I have chosen the stunningly beautiful Wales Millennium Centre as this years venue which has one of the biggest stages in Europe. Preperations have already began with the backstage team at the venue to make this years event run seamlessly for all attendees. The modern stage allows us to perform some unusual tricks which will mean we are able to throw in a few surprises during the day. I am working hard to make sure that Handheld 2013 is not just another web conference, it will be a well crafted show.
As well as the main event on the 28th, there will also be a day of workshops on the 27th and an after party that P Diddy would be proud of (although I am thinking more Brains will be drank than Crystal). A fringe event will also be taking place on the evening of the 27th in conjunction with Joel at Port80Events.
I am extremely happy that I have managed to keep ticket prices to an affordable £139 this year. Flying in speakers from around the world can be very expensive, couple this with hiring a beautiful venue and the one hundred and one other costs associated with putting on such a show, it has been no mean feat to keep ticket prices affordable. This doesn’t mean that the event quality will suffer, on the contrary, I am paying extra attention to the little details that will make Handheld 2013 a fantastic event. November can’t come soon enough.
Tickets go on sale from 10am on March 1st at www.handheldconf.com
I hope Marconi would be proud.