Lift, the amazing European (and now Global) tech conference isn’t really a tech conference at all it’s really an inspiration conference. Think a TED talks meets Barcamp meets a cirque du soleil production. Hard core techies beware though, Lift is a lot more abstract, design and human-oriented than you may be used to. Nonetheless, highly recommended. Unfortunately, though I haven’t missed a single Lift in Switzerland since the first one, this is likely to be the first year I don’t make it =( I would love, to see some of my Canadian friends represent however. Can you make it? 25-27 Feb 2009 Geneva. EDIT: if you are a Canadian who is thinking of buying a Lift ticket this year you should really give me a ping first.
I had the pleasure of being invited down to Ecomm last year by Lee Dryburgh the organizer. Ecomm is about what comes next in telecom (think disruption, wireless, telco2.0, from carrier business strategy to homebrew cell phone hackery) is a hell of a show with a nearly-preposterous amount of content crammed into just a few days. If this is your industry, you should be there, you may need an extra baggage allotment to carry-on your grossly overstuffed brain on flight home. San Francisco.
SXSW Interactive. Lastly SXSW, M and I are planning to be there for this one Mid-March. I have yet to go attend this famous “woodstock” of US tech (un)conferences. Given the current meldown 2.0 will still likely be in full swing (if not even swingier), should be an extra wonderfully weird time to be there.