Publisher's Invitation
Publisher Jack Love invites you to attend the premier of Internet Retailer's newest conference—the Internet Retailer Web Design '08 Conference in Miami on Jan. 30-Feb 1. This conference from the leader in e-retailing conferences will provide e-retailers with detailed information on the proven practices, hottest trends and latest technologies in retail web site design. The goal of Web Design '08, Jack writes, is to show attendees how better web designs can dramatically boost conversion rates—and thus web sales—without spending more on marketing to build traffic. The return on investment in learning new techniques of web design is significant and makes attendance at this highly informative conference well worth the modest registration fee. Click here to read his Publisher's Invitation
Who Will Speak at Web Design '08Our 33 speakers include many of top web site design professionals in e-retailing today, each one chosen independently by editors of Internet Retailer because of their expertise in a particular area of web site design and usability—and not by virtue of their company's sponsorship of this conference. They represent a wide range of backgrounds and segments of the web retailing business: six are from retail chains, five from catalog firms, five from web-only merchants, three from consumer manufacturers, five from research organizations and nine from firms specializing in retail web design. This mix greatly enhances the breadth and depth of information about successful retail web design practices that Web Design '08 will offer attendees.  Keynote Speaker (Jan. 31): This speaker faculty is led by Conference Keynote Speaker Debbie Kristofferson, Vice President of User Experience for Walmart.com, who spearheaded Wal-Mart's web site redesign last spring. Debbie manages a team of 75 web professionals across a variety of creative functions including user experience, information architecture, design, editorial, photography, and producers. She will provide significant detail on Wal-Mart's web redesign process and will discuss what the retail giant hoped to achieve in terms of online operations and corporate goals. She will detail what key enhancements Wal-Mart made in design and usability, the role of advanced features such as rich media and customer reviews and how the new site supports other Wal-Mart channels. She will also discuss results Walmart.com's redesign has achieved to date in web traffic, customer response, reliability and other key metrics.  Featured Speaker (Feb. 1): The second day of the Web Design '08 Conference begins with a presentation from featured speaker Darrell Porcher, who is the Director, Web Development for Sony Electronics' SonyStyle.com, one of the handsomest and most user-friendly retailing web sites. Darrell, who is responsible for software and system infrastructure, will discuss how Sony identified what it wanted its web site to do, how it organized the site's extensive consumer and product information and how it determined the technologies it needed to make it all work together. He will also discuss the role that consumer information, such as product tutorials, product guides and care & maintenance guides, play in the success of SonyStyle.com. Pre-Conference Web Design ConsultationsA unique bonus feature of the Internet Retailer Web Design '08 Conference is the free private web design consultation that will be provided to all paid attendees on Jan. 30, the day prior to the main conference program. Internet Retailer has reserved eight meeting rooms outside the main ballroom, and has recently added another three meeting rooms on the lobby level due to demand, of the InterContinental Hotel Miami (the conference site) where web designers from Internet Retailer's web design partnering firms will conduct these free design consultations. Using large flat-screen monitors and broadband Internet connections, the professional web designers will review each attendee's web site and offer practical tips for enhancing its design to improve usability and increase conversion rates. These 30-minute private consultation sessions will be scheduled by Internet Retailer on a first-come, first-serve basis, and each attending company can schedule up to three sessions with different design firms. The consultation sessions are intended to be strictly educational, and our design partners have been instructed to avoid making sales pitches for their solutions. Free Guide to Retail Web Design & Usability |
Conference at a Glance
Designing Web Sites That Sizzle & Sell
Internet Retailer Magazine
InterContinental Hotel Miami
Miami, Florida 
InterContinental Hotel Miami
Marriot Courtyard Downtown Miami Conference Agenda Summary
 No area of e-retailing is covered more thoroughly by Internet Retailer than the related topics of retail web site design and web site usability. That's because no area of e-retailing affects the web merchant's bottom line more than this one. Simply put, web sites that are inviting, easy to navigate and simple to use are more likely to convert web shoppers into online buyers. The agenda for this premier edition of the Internet Retailer Web Design '08 Conference is focused exclusively on showing attendees practical ways for designing more attractive and user-friendly web sites that improve online conversion rates—the single most important metric affecting web site profitability. 
The first day of the main conference will be keynoted by Debbie Kristofferson, Vice President, User Experience, Walmart.com. Day One will focus on site design issues and include targeted sessions on current and emerging web design requirements; which generally-accepted design principles are essential and which can be ignored; how to conceive and execute a visually stunning web site; how to leverage customer input to enhance site design; how to ensure an effective site redesign; how to optimize your use of rich media; how to ensure that your design stays fresh over time; how to evaluate and select the ideal web designer for your needs; and more. Plus, you'll receive the results of Internet Retailer's proprietary survey of 243 e-retailers concerning their web site design practices, priorities and directions. Day One will conclude with a Sunset BBQ on the massive recreation and pool deck of the InterContinental Hotel—a great opportunity to unwind and engage in casual networking. 
The second day of the main conference will begin with Featured Speaker Darrell Porcher, Director, Web Development of Sony Electronics' SonyStyle.com. Day Two will focus on usability issues and include targeted sessions on how the migration to Web 2.0 will affect web site design and content; how to ensure that your retail web site is ready for the explosion in m-commerce; how to pinpoint and eradicate common obstacles to easy site navigation; how to use real-time data to enhance usability; how to maximize site availability; how to make a site accessible to consumers with vision impairment and other disabilities; how to provide content that your customers find valuable; how to leverage site search; and more. Web Design '08 Registration FeesEarly Bird rates apply through midnight Nov. 30. Standard rates apply from December 1 through midnight Jan. 25. On site rates apply after Jan. 26.
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