Brisbane Web Design is a meetup group that I’ve been involved with as assistant organiser and occasional speaker for just over 3 years, and somehow during the crazy December 2009 time of last year it occurred to me that I had never really spoken about the web design group in much detail here on the Creative World blog – so I began this post and put some of the ‘end of year’ craziness on hold to reflect on what the Brisbane Web Design group really is, to me. - Now in February 2010, I’ve found the time to finish it!
So, when I started this post I kept thinking “Why do I want to write about the group?”, and I guess the answer is that I want to share what I’ve gained over the years by being a member of Brisbane Web Design. In short, it’s the people. You see the group has attracted people from web design, development, business, marketing and entrepreneurship backgrounds – many of whom are professionals in their respective fields. Having a mix of people from diverse backgrounds but still having web in common is simply an unbeatable combination.
More often than not, I’ll leave a meeting and have gained:
- A fresh perspective / insight on a design or coding language
- An insight on local & global design industry
- An opportunity to share current design or development problems
- Meeting new faces and catching up with familiar ones too
There is however one thing I love about the group more than those points – I love the inspiration after having these discussions. I come home and I’m inspired to design better and code better – and that for me is priceless.
Who, What, Where, When…
Brisbane Web Design is now 350+ members strong, and meets usually on the 3rd Thursday of each month. The meetings are usually held at the Brisbane City Library.
The meetups generally follow a format along of:
- 7pm – Arrival
- 7:15pm – Introductions
- 7:30pm to 8:30pm – Presentations / Mini Talks
- 8:45pm – Head to local bar for drinks and further discussion
There are no joining or admission fee’s. Seats are limited so remember to RSVP if planning to attend.
You can keep up to date with upcoming events and news via:
- Social Media: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
- Traditional: Website
- But most importantly: Brisbane Web Design Membership & RSVP
The Organisers
The Brisbane Web Design group would not have been possible without a team of people getting things together behind the scenes. These people are Ben Maden from Matter Solutions, Colin Burns, Bruce Morrison from Stuff & Content and last but not least there’s me (Leon Poole) from Creative World.
There are also many other people that help out and contribute by giving talks for example to which I personally am very thankful for their involvement.
Get Involved
If you’re in Brisbane I encourage you to come out and attend one of the Brisbane Web Design meetups. There’s no joining or entrance fee’s and you won’t be sold anything. After the event you’ll probably walk away some new insight on a subject, some new talented contacts and most definitely inspired in some way!
Calling all speakers
People are encouraged to give a short talk (at least once) on a subject of their choosing – be it something you’ve worked on, something technical or even something that didn’t go so well (and lessons leaned).
But wait, there’s more…
Brisbane also has some other great web and design related groups that are worth a mention such as the Brisbane PHP User Group, Brisbane Ruby on Rails group, Pecha Kucha and Brisbane Creative Industries to name a few.
Do you get involved with your local web design community? Let me know and share your group’s details in the comments below.
Tags: Brisbane, Brisbane Web Design, bwd, talks
