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In 2007, as a frustrated in-house Information Architect, I was drawn to dConstruct by a fantastic lineup of user experience speakers including Jared Spool, Peter Merholz and Tom Coates. They didn’t disappoint. On the train back to London, I pondered how my horizons had expanded and how I still had plenty to learn. At the next day’s BarCamp, I met Andy and the wheels were unknowingly put in motion that led to me moving down to Brighton to join Clearleft. My horizons continue to expand, as does my awareness of what I don’t yet know.

In 2008 I helped plan and run dConstruct. Hard work of course but another great few days, not least the chance to meet Josh, Aleks, Tantek and other bright sparks. Fond memories of the after-party. Less fond memories of the Saturday hangover.

For dConstruct 2009, it would have been easy to play it safe, choose a recession-proof theme and book the typical rockstars. However, I’m glad that we chose to stay true to our philosophy of pushing the envelope. This year’s theme is therefore our boldest yet: Designing For Tomorrow. At Clearleft, we’ve been talking a lot about where things are headed: ubicomp, mobiles, the internet of things, location-aware devices, gestural and sci-fi interfaces. So we’ve asked the likes of Adam Greenfield, Brian Fling, Nathan Shedroff and Robin Hunicke to share their thoughts with us.

We’ve also just announced the workshop programme, about which I’m really excited. I’m definitely going to try to muscle in as a volunteer for The Internet Of Things Masterclass, and am hoping Remy’s jQuery For Designers session can save me reading those tutorials I really ought to read.

If you fancy joining us, we’ve kept it cheap as always: £115+VAT. Tickets go on sale on at 11am on Monday 22 June.