Obviously, we are quite excited about the STC Technical Summit 2009 in Atlanta May 3-6. It is the must-attend event of the year.
People on Twitter are already using the hashtag #stc09 to identify discussions about the Summit. We’ll have more about the Technical Summit in the days to come, but we have to mention one other conference right now. It is rather unique, and I must use a feeble adjective and declare it “the coolest conference in 2009″.
I’m talking about the UX Challenge, Arctic Edition. The challenge takes place October 9-10, 2009 in the northernmost city in the world: Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Talk about getting out of your usual environment to stimulate the creative process!
There is something awe-inspiring about the idea of attending a conference in an exotic location like Svalbard. Friends of this writer went to Svalbard as tourists during the month of November, and they felt their senses opening and being receptive to every moment on the trip as though they were children again, exploring the world.
Of course, such an experience will always depend on the participants. The STC host chapter in Atlanta is ensuring a warm welcome for all attendees – long underwear is not required! – providing a backdrop of great hospitality in Atlanta to complement excellent learning opportunities in the Summit sessions. There may not be polar bears in the conference rooms, but there will be many challenges to ponder together with talented technical communicators from all over the world.
Maybe the year’s coolest conference is actually in Atlanta in May?
Tags: arctic, STC, svalbard, Technical Summit 2009, ux challenge