Are You Attending MIX07?

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You're probably familiar with our big Tech·Ed and PDC events, but do you know about MIX? We had our first MIX conference in 2006, and it was a big success. Like any good movie (and some bad ones, I suppose), the sequel was being planned- and budgeted-for almost before the credits rolled on the first one. MIX07 is being held at The Venetian in Las Vegas from April 30th - May 2, 2007. I know that many of you have to be picky about which conference you attend each year, so let me break it down in simple terms that are sure to get me in trouble from someone around here:

  • Tech·Ed is the conference to attend to get training on shipping products and be productive as soon as you get home.
  • PDC is where you learn about future technologies and come back with early bits that won't ship for awhile.
  • MIX is the event to attend if you build consumer-facing web sites and applications.

Of course, my summaries don't do the conferences full justice, and before you drop some coin, you should visit the sites and get the details. Speaking of coin, you can save $200 USD if you register for MIX07 before March 15, 2007. Plus, as an attendee, you'll receive a full copy of Windows Vista Ultimate. Pretty awesome deal if you ask me.

The tagline for MIX07 is "A 72-Hour Conversation," but don't let that scare you away. I can't think of many people I'd want to have a 72-hour conversation with either...at least not in a row! It does illustrate an important point, though. We want MIX to be a two-way discussion...not just us up on stage presenting to the masses. MIX is smaller and more intimate than Tech·Ed and PDC, and you'll have a lot of opportunities to chat with both Microsoft employees and third parties. As a matter of fact, a lot of the sessions are presented by third-parties, many of whom you may recognize (like MySpace, Yahoo!, frog design, IdentityMine, Electric Rain, John Maeda, Molly Holzschlag, and more).

Okay...if you're waiting for the technology list, here are some of them: ASP.NET AJAX, WPF, WPF/E, Expression, digital video, Media Center, Windows Live, Office Live, IE7, RSS, LINQ, Virtual Earth, ads, and a few that I'm probably overlooking.

By the way, I'll be there too. If you're planning to attend and want to hook-up in Vegas, send me an e-mail.