For your calendar listing:
What: WebbyConnect
When: October 22-24, 2008
Where: The Ritz Carlton, Laguna Niguel
Dana Point, CA
Contact: Patrick Kowalczyk (patrick@mkpr.com)
Gita Chandra (gita@mkpr.com)
MKPR, 212.627.8098
PHOTOS AVAILABLE at http://www.webbyawards.com/webbyconnect/photos/
WEBBY AWARDS TO HOST WEBBYCONNECT SUMMIT
OCTOBER 22-24, 2008 IN DANA POINT, CA
Internet Leaders and Webby Community Reconvene to
Debate Future of Internet and Emerging Media
New York, NY (May 27, 2008) – Building on the success of it’s first-ever summit, The Webby Awards today announced that this year’s WebbyConnect will take place from October 22-24, 2008 at The Ritz Carlton, Laguna Niguel.
The inaugural WebbyConnect, held in October 2007, brought together over 250 Webby academy members and leaders in interactive media, entertainment, advertising, design and politics to explore the future of the Internet and emerging media.
Arianna Huffington, Michael Eisner, and Vinton Cerf delivered keynotes last year, alongside panelists including StumbleUpon founder Garrett Camp, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake, and executives from Google, MySpace, YouTube, Comedy Central, MTV Networks, and Heavy Networks.
“WebbyConnect reinvented the industry conference by giving the wider Webby community an opportunity to connect and directly exchange ideas with some of the leading thinkers in interactive media today,” said David-Michel Davies, executive director of The Webby Awards. “We’re looking forward to making this year’s summit even more fun, compelling, and eye-opening.”
“I thought I knew more about the Internet than anyone else on the planet,” said 2007 attendee and Webby winner Tommy Means, Mekanism’s director. “And then I stepped into WebbyConnect and it nudged my knowledge of the Internet into the holy-crap zone.”
For information on passes and registration for WebbyConnect 2008, go to www.webbyconnect.com.The preliminary schedule of keynote speakers, panelists, and panel topics will be announced in July.
Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 550-person judging academy whose members include Vinton Cerf, David Bowie, Arianna Huffington, Matt Groening, and Harvey Weinstein.
For the first time, Nokia will serve as the Official Sponsor of WebbyConnect, in addition to exclusive sponsorship of the 12th Annual Webby People’s Voice Awards. Both programs are part of the newly-launched Webby Voice Project, a multi-faceted campaign which incorporates Nokia’s mission, products, and services to engage the global Web community.
About The Webby Awards
Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Web sites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. Established in 1996, the 12th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Adobe; The Creative Group; Nokia; .ORG; Level 3; Getty Images; The Barbarian Group; Digital Kitchen; Adweek; Variety; Wired; IDG; Pequot Ventures; Brightcove; PricewaterhouseCoopers; 2advanced.Net; KobeMail and Museum of the Moving Image.
###