Note 7/16/2010 — we just got word that unfortunately Appcon has been cancelled / postponed until a future date.

There’s a real lack of conferences that focus on the mobile applications space. Most conferences were established years ago and focused on selling physical products to retail buyers. With digital goods, like apps, there’s no retail chain to sell to. But there’s still an important need to network and discuss how to create and market these apps. As we move more and more toward digital goods, I expect to see new conferences sprout up around these topics. One such conference, new on the schedule they year, is Appcon. A conference focused on mobile applications will be held in Las Vegas this August 24-26. We spoke with Bryan Scott, CEO of Taptopia about Appcon.

Q: What was the inspiration for starting Appcon?

A: The inspiration was to create a conference that was all about mobile apps. Other conferences are dedicated to other technologies and topics with a limited focus on mobile apps. APPCON is about mobile apps for all platforms.

Q: Tell us about the different conference tracks.

A: Unique to APPCON(TM) is the entrepreneurial twist to the program. The App business is exploding, with many players in the game–from indie developers and larger App shops to enterprise businesses and big brands looking to leverage the mobile movement to grow their business.

APPCON(TM) sessions blend these perspectives with topics that range from 2D/3D barcoding, game development, HTML5, augmented reality, security concerns, mapping apps and multimedia integration.

For a full list of our sessions and conference tracks please visit our website.

Q: Outside the conference tracks, I understand you have a couple other special events planned.

A: A few events planned include

Birds of a Feather — This forum held on Tuesday night allows special interest groups and developers to ‘flock’ together who typically work online together. All attendees have the ability to participate in any of the Birds of a Feather sessions. It is a great place to network with people of like interests.

Hackathon — This is a developer contest that is open to all attendees during the event. Developers will get to play with some awesome gear and win prizes.

Fast Pitch — The Fast Pitch will be held on Wednesday night and will feature as many 6 minute demos as we can squeeze in. We will be selecting the most innovative, influential, and upcoming apps to showcase during the Fast Pitch. Fast Pitch will be moderated and judged by a panel comprising Venture Capitalist and Angels. Prizes will be awarded to the most compelling apps.

Q: They Appcon keynote will be delivered by Pen Jillette of Penn and Teller fame. How did Penn Jillette get invited to give the keynote?

A: Mr. Jillette is not only a magician but also a techie. He has his own app in the App Store. So we reached out to him and he gladly accepted.

Appcon takes place in Las Vegas August 24-26th, 2010. More information on the conference is available at the following locations:

Appcon 2010: http://www.appconlv.com
Conference Session Details: http://www.appconlv.com/sessions.html
Registration: http://www.appconlv.com/register.html

148Apps is a media sponsor of Appcon 2010.

Share