Update site update
A new iteration of the Update web site evolves the design with input from designer Clare Sutcliffe.
I just put a new iteration of the Update conference web site live, inspired by and in collaboration with designer Clare Sutcliffe. About a week or so ago, Clare – quite out of the blue – sent me an iteration on the Update site design that I absolutely adored. In organizing Update I'm wearing lots of hats at once and I couldn't do it all without the frankly humbling support and help I've been receiving from my friends.
You might be starting to notice that Update isn't a regular conference. It kicks off with the Royal Banquet at a palace (for which there are still a few tickets you can buy to attend), continues in the premier concert hall in Brighton, and ends with the A Night at the Museum after-party at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. It is a tightly-scripted experience, with 18-minute inspirational talks punctuated by Geek Ninja Battles, tech beats, and live/interactive music and visualization acts. And, unlike other conferences, we're approaching sponsorship differently too.
Update 2011: call for sponsors
We're crafting a beautiful mobile conference this September in Brighton. Here's your chance to be part of the magic.
Come by next Thursday and have a drink or two on me as we chill and talk about how you can help make Update 2011 even more awesome. We need volunteers, people to help get the word out, and… well, I'm sure you have ideas I haven't even thought of yet.
Update 2011 is not your mama's conference: it's not just about mobile technologies and user experience, it is an experience… starting with the pre-conference dinner on the 4th of September.
Have you seen the venue for the Update Royal Dinner? (Yes, it’s a palace… yes, you can attend!)
The pre-conference dinner will take place on the 4th of September, 2011 at the Royal Pavilion. It will include a private tour and drinks in the kitchen. Very limited places available.
Organizing a conference is hard enough without having to worry about how to handle VAT. All VAT-registered companies (like mine) are supposed to charge VAT on ticket sales and yet no online system I've encountered so far handles this use case. (The otherwise excellent EventBrite, which I use for Update conference, is no exception.) It's like all these online systems want to ignore the fact that the VAT problem exists and event organizers are left to use other systems – and the joys of copy and paste – to handle it.
Beyond the administrative headache, charging VAT creates two price tiers: one for VAT-registered individuals and companies and one for non-VAT-registered ones. Basically, if you're not VAT registered, you end up paying 20% more for things. What this means in practice is that individuals that can afford it the least (mostly freelancers, if you think about the audience for Update) get shafted with an additional 20%. That sucks.
“One price for all” policy at Update 2011 (or “why VAT is a bitch”)
Introducing Update's "one price for all" policy. Our solution for dealing with the VAT issue.