Austin is home to The University of Texas at Austin, the state government (but
only every two years) and a dynamic and growing technology community, developing
everything from semiconductors to systems to software. Austin companies include
something old (Motorola), something new (both Tivoli and Dell were started
here), something borrowed (MCC, Sematech and the Austin Technology Incubator
all provide support for both startup and established companies) and something
blue (IBM has been here for over 30 years).
But Austin isn't all work - although best known culturally for its music scene
(Austin City Limits, the SXSW Music Festival and Sixth Street), the Austin film
community is also thriving, featuring three film festivals (one in the two
weeks before the conference!) and providing a home (or home away from home) for
directors Robert Rodriguez, Richard Linklater and Steven Soderbergh, animator
Mike Judge, and documentary film makers Paul Stekler and Ellen Spiro. Throw in
several lively local theater groups and, to paraphrase Samuel Johnson, if one
is bored in Austin, you'll have to go to London.
As for the weather, well, we can't give you any absolute guarantees, but it will
probably be cooler than Dallas and drier than Houston. One small hint: don't
bring your overcoat.
But do bring your appetite: while it was true at one time that Austin cuisine
was rather limited: "Cuisine? We got both kinds: BBQ and TexMex!" this
is no longer the case. We still have great BBQ and TexMex in and around Austin
(the world's best BBQ joint is just down the road in ... well, if you come to
the conference, we'll tell you), but Austin restaurants now feature everything
from Caribbean to Belgian cuisine (inclusive).
For more Austin information, visit Austin
Chronicle, Austin360.com or Yahoo's
Austin Guide.
The Conference Hotel is:
The Omni Austin Downtown | |
700 San Jacinto | |
Austin, Texas 78701, USA | |
Phone: +1 512 476 3700 | |
Fax: +1 512 320 5882 | |