The only (efficient) way of getting work is by putting yourself ‘out there.’ This involves some serious networking, utilizing your contacts and their contacts in a manner that is not overbearing but still pushy enough to get you some work. Where can you fit in, then, when you are actively looking to interact and even find more work? A conference of course … the place where everyone is trying to sell you something, whether it’s their company or themselves.

Finding the right conference is key to networking effectively. As a graphic/web designer, there are only few events that come along catering specifically to designers. However, there are still many web technology conferences where you will fit right in and people will even begin flocking around if you have a portfolio on you (or even a slight name for yourself or your work).

We’ve found a few events that will suit you and your professional needs that are coming up soon.

Girls in Tech

Apr 22

Girls in Tech is a social network enterprise focused on the engagement, education and empowerment of like-minded, professional, intelligent and influential women in technology. As young women with the capacity to inspire, we made it our personal desire and passion to create and sustain an organization that focuses on the collaboration, promotion, growth and success of women in the technology sector.

FITC Toronto 2010: The Design & Technology Festival

Apr 25-27

Now in its 9th year, FITC Toronto is one of the largest and longest running events of its kind in the world. With some of the most unique and engaging presenters from around the globe, FITC Toronto is an information blitz of presentations, demonstrations, and panel discussions, sandwiched between our legendary FITC parties and abundant networking opportunities. Topped off with the FITC Award Show, it’s three days and nights that will leave you inspired, energized and awed.

• Three full days and nights of events, plus one day of optional pre-festival workshops
• Over 70 presentations and panels covering the Creative, Technical, and Business aspects of Flash and digital media
• Over 1000 attendees from around the globe
• Over 70 internationally renowned design and technology presenters
• Includes the annual FITC Awards Show
• Includes four FITC evening events
• Includes the ‘FITC Get a Job’ event on Saturday, April 24, a free-to-attend job fair for the Interactive industry

Web 2.0 Expo

May 3-6

Ten years ago, companies like AOL, Yahoo, Google, Amazon, Earthlink, and eBay battled to define the ways we would use the Web. The winners drew millions of customers, but more importantly, they spawned ecosystems that created huge opportunities for partners, vendors and competitors. Today, new wars with new players like Facebook, Twitter, and Bing are emerging on the Web—wars that create hard questions for businesses that must decide their own roles in our increasingly mobile, social, and real-time world. Web 2.0 Expo highlights the important debates, handicaps the key players, and helps you pick the winning platforms for growth in a web-fueled world.

For Designers: Design is your site’s front door. If you have a clean and clear design, people sail in. If your gateway is cluttered, you risk confusing or alientating potential users. But sites have competing needs, especially with an ever growing onslaught of new content that needs to be included. This track focuses on best practices and clever solutions to design challenges on the web.

FMX 2010

May 4-7

FMX is an event by Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg, organized by the Institute of Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Postproduction, hosting the Animation Production Day 2010 (APD), a joint venture with the Festival of Animated Film Stuttgart (ITFS). It is an event in cooperation with VES Visual Effects Society, AIAS Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, ACM Siggraph, 5D Conference and Stuttgart Media University. FMX is funded by the Ministry of State and the Ministry of Economics Baden-Wuerttemberg, MFG Film Funding, the MFG Innovation Agency for ICT and Media and the FFA German Federal Film Board.
Many thanks go to our Main Partners Autodesk, Bewegte Bilder, Industrial Light Magic, projectiondesign and Sony Pictures Imageworks.

Future of Web Design

May 17-19

The Future of Web Design is coming back to London in 2010. The newly revitalised event has evolved into a beautiful three full days of essential web learning. With a new event comes brand new venues for both the conference and workshops, so there’s a load of stuff you need to know! If you have any question about this year’s event you can contact Cat, our Future of Web Design Event Producer.

GRAPP 2010

May 17-21

GRAPP is part of VISIGRAPP – The International Joint Conference on Computer Vision, Imaging
and Computer Graphics Theory and Applications
Registration to GRAPP allows free access to both VISAPP, IMAGAPP and IVAPP conferences
Conference Areas

• Geometry and Modeling
• Rendering
• Animation and Simulation
• Interactive Environments

An Event Apart

May 24-25

An Event Apart is an intensely educational two-day conference for passionate practitioners of standards-based web design. If you care about code as well as content, usability as well as design, An Event Apart is the conference you’ve been waiting for.

BigDesign Conference

May 28-29

The Big Design Conference is two intense days of learning within the scope of Strategy, Social Media, User Experience, and Code Development. Experts from across the country will gather to present theories, research, experiences, and best practices to students, professionals, and executives looking to stay on the bleeding edge.An Event Apart is an intensely educational two-day conference for passionate practitioners of standards-based web design. If you care about code as well as content, usability as well as design, An Event Apart is the conference you’ve been waiting for.

Online Community Unconference

June 9

The Online Community Unconference is a gathering of online community practitioners – managers, developers, business people, tool providers, investors – to discuss experience and strategies in the development and growth of online communities.

Those involved in online community development (and social software in general) share many common challenges: community management, tools, marketing, business models, legal issues. As we have found with our past events, the best source of information on all of these challenges is other knowledgeable practitioners.