Miami: A Port City Reaching for the Sky

Just one look at the Miami skyline tells the visitor that this city, one of America's most important financial and cultural centers and one of the country's largest ports, is on the move up. No other city in the United States currently has more high-rise office buildings, condos and hotels under construction. So much is new in its gleaming and vibrant downtown that it is fair to say that if you haven't been to Miami in the last decade, you haven't been to today's Modern Miami—bustling with business activity, night life, shopping and restaurants all with a distinctly international flavor.

It is in this "Cruise Capital of the World" that Internet Retailer proudly hosts its premier Web Design '08 Conference. With average high temperatures of 77 degrees (and average lows of 61) in January and February, Miami is the ideal location for this mid-winter conference. And when our attendees aren't in conference sessions, they can enjoy the many visitor attractions Miami has to offer. Just minutes away from the white-sand beaches and art deco night clubs of Miami Beach in one direction and the internationally renown restaurants of Coral Gables and Coconut Grove in the other, downtown Miami is the perfect place to mix daytime conference attendance with nighttime fun. The city is also served by two major airports—Miami International just 10 miles away and Fort Lauderdale International just 25 miles away—both of which offer direct flights to and from every major city in the U.S. as well as many overseas destinations.

The Conference Site: InterContinental Hotel Miami

Located on Biscayne Bay directly across from Miami Beach, the new 34-story InterContinental Hotel Miami is one of south Florida's premier business hotels. Its beautifully appointed 13,400-square-foot Grand Ballroom will be the site of all Web Design '08 Conference sessions on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, and the nine smaller rooms on the Ballroom's perimeter—each equipped with widescreen monitors and high-speed Internet access—is where Internet Retailer's Web Design Partnering Firms will provide free 30-minute private web site consultation sessions for paid conference attendees (see Bonuses section of Conference Overview Page). The expansive Atrium Foyer adjacent to the Grand Ballroom will feature exhibits from more than 40 e-retailing technology providers—each offering unique web design solutions. The InterContinental Hotel also boasts numerous amenities to treat attendees of the Web Design '08 Conference, including a one-acre outdoor recreation deck overlooking the Bay and featuring a heated pool, putting green and tropical garden. The recreation deck will be the site of the Sunset Barbeque to which all paid conference attendees are invited at the close of conference sessions on Jan. 31—all included in conference registration fees.

Hotel Accommodations

Internet Retailer Web Design '08 Conference has arranged hotel accommodations at two hotels that offer conference attendees accommodations at discounted seasonal rates designed to suit either the luxury-minded or budget-minded guest. One is the InterContinental Hotel, the site of the Conference, and the other is the Marriott Courtyard Miami Downtown, just two blocks away. Both hotels provide conference registrants a direct link from this page to a special web site where they can reserve their hotel rooms online at the discounted Web Design '08 Conference rates. To view a map showing the location of all of these hotels simply scroll to the bottom of this page.

Map of Web Design '08 Conference Location & Hotels

The InterContinental Miami Hotel, the site of the Internet Retailer Web Design '08 Conference, is located on Biscayne Bay directly across from Miami Beach and is within walking distance of the other conference hotel, the Marriott Courtyard Miami Downtown.