28 Feb 2007 3 pm eastern

An Event Apart Boston sells out

They say agile developers don’t have time for user-centered design. They say web standards and accessibility don’t matter to real-world sites. They say usability is a luxury, good graphic design doesn’t matter, and writing is just something you dump into a template. They are the message board grumblers, the mini-pundits and rainmakers on other people’s parades.

Their view of what matters on the web might be right. But nobody bothered to tell the five hundred-plus designers and developers who have signed up for An Event Apart Boston. The show has now sold out, and the waiting list is a yard long.

The surprisingly robust interest in this event is surely because of our extraordinary speakers. I also see it as evidence that, whatever the nay-sayers may take comfort in believing, the fact is that many people who make websites actually love their users. They love them enough to constantly work at perfecting their craft. They want their markup to support their content, their content to meet their users’ needs, and their design to facilitate that fulfillment.

That’s what your work is about. And mine, too. It’s what motivates every issue of A List Apart, even if not every issue hits the mark. And, now more than ever, it is what we hope to bring to the stage during two days of design and code in Boston’s beautiful Back Bay. To all who are coming, thank you, and let’s rock.

[tags]aneventapart, boston, design, webdesign[/tags]

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Filed under: Accessibility, An Event Apart, Design, development, events

13 Responses to “An Event Apart Boston sells out”

  1. Ara Pehlivanian said on 28 February 2007 at 4:28 pm:

    We just missed it… stupid budget approval process. It’ll have to be Seattle I guess. All the best in Boston!

  2. Jeffrey Zeldman said on 28 February 2007 at 5:13 pm:

    Sorry, Ara! Do check with marci at an event apart dot com to see if there is space on the waiting list for Boston. I hope to see you one place or another!

  3. Brian Artka said on 28 February 2007 at 6:04 pm:

    very good to hear. I can’t wait for the Chicago Date!

  4. Jeff L said on 1 March 2007 at 1:34 pm:

    Looking forward to it, see you there! I’m skipping SxSW this year in favor of this, you know….no pressure.

    Thanks for coming to Boston!

  5. Michael Martin said on 1 March 2007 at 4:59 pm:

    I hate these posts, because they remind me that I live in the UK… xD

    But ignoring that, the sell-out came just after the big debate on diversity at conferences. Was that a coincidence, or did the number of sign-ups actually increase? It could have some bearing on that particular debate. (Only one girl out of 9 here doesn’t seem to have mattered much. :) )

  6. Jeffrey Zeldman said on 1 March 2007 at 6:21 pm:

    What’s wrong with living in the UK?

    But ignoring that, the sell-out came just after the big debate on diversity at conferences. Was that a coincidence, or did the number of sign-ups actually increase?

    There were something like 50 sign-ups in the 24 hours before we shut the doors. There was a flurry at the end, but it was related, I believe, to the end of the discount period, and not to the controversy over gender bias in the IT professions as reflected in conference speaker line-ups.

  7. Michael Martin said on 2 March 2007 at 2:18 pm:

    What’s wrong with living in the UK?

    It’s small, and out of the way. And to make things worse, I’m in Northern Ireland. Not even the mainland… xD

    AEA probably couldn’t fit in NI! (But we don’t get crazy weather and tornados or good concerts and web conferences so I suppose it’s not all bad. :) )

    There were something like 50 sign-ups in the 24 hours before we shut the doors. There was a flurry at the end, but it was related, I believe, to the end of the discount period, and not to the controversy over gender bias in the IT professions as reflected in conference speaker line-ups.

    Ahh, I didn’t know the details of the offer. Sorry. I was just curious, as the controversy made me at least, want to go to AEA more than ever.

  8. Boston IT Support said on 8 December 2008 at 3:33 pm:

    i was a very good event are there more events that will be happening in Boston?

  9. Jeffrey Zeldman said on 9 December 2008 at 6:08 pm:

    Yes! The 2009 schedule is up now:

    http://aneventapart.com/news/2008/10/an_event_apart_2009.php

    The redesigned site debuts, and tickets go on sale, January 1, 2009.

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