MEDIA RELEASE

24 February 2000

AND THE WEB WINNER IS… CAIRNS

http://ausweb.scu.edu.au/

Cairns was chosen as the host city for the Sixth Australian World Wide Conference (AusWeb2K), Australia's premier event for Web developers and users, because it was the overwhelming choice of the 150 participants at last year's conference in the resort town of Ballina, northern NSW.

The Conference chair, Southern Cross University's Associate Professor Allan Ellis, explained that delegates were presented with various options for the 12-17 June 2000 conference and asked to indicate their level of support. The choices included Singapore, New Zealand, a return to Ballina, other Australian destinations - or Cairns.

"Cairns was the popular choice because of its all-round appeal and the ability of the preferred venue, the Rihga Colonial Club Resort, to accommodate the anticipated 200-plus guests and the scheduled lectures, tutorials and workshops," he said.

"Local people can attend just a workshop or tutorial for a half or full day of the conference and we are expecting that a number of business people will take up this option," he added.

AusWeb offers international and national speakers, workshops and tutorials across a broad range of technical, e-commerce, educational and business fields.

'AusWeb's breadth is its strength,' said Dr. Ellis, who is the first Australian to chair the renowned International World Wide Web Conference Committee. 'The diverse program enables participants to learn a lot in their own specialised area as well as dipping into other areas where some extra knowledge will be of great benefit.'

He added that the conference's prestige would be further enhanced by the attendance of several important keynote speakers.

These include the USA's Bob Futernick ('Using Technology to Manage Collections') who chairs the Conservation Departments at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and has designed their collection management software;

Anthony Rowley ('Tasmania Business Online'), formerly with the Prime Minister's Supermarket to Asia Council, now of Tasmania Business Online, a central point for the development of electronic commerce within the State and accelerating the uptake of electronic commerce and online activities for small and medium size enterprises;

Paul McKey ('Preparing Campus Information Systems for Global Web-based Education'), previously the Australasian Training Manager for Apple Computer, now the Chief Technology Officer with NextEd Ltd, a Hong Kong and Australian company which partners universities throughout the world to provide global online education systems.

Brian Fitzgerald ('Law and the World Wide Web'), Associate Professor and Head of the School of Law and Justice at Southern Cross University, holds postgraduate qualifications in law from both Harvard and Oxford, teaching and research interests in the areas of law and the internet (cyberlaw), co-editor of the cyberlaw book Going Digital 2000: Legal Issues for E Commerce, Software and the Internet.

There will also be several one-day workshops - 'Building and Managing Your Own Collection' (featuring Bob Futernick), 'Doing Business via the Web' and How can libraries respond to the issues and challenges of online web-based learning?' - and a range of expert tutorials offered on a half-day or full-day basis. These are open to the general public at rates of between $100 and $185, including morning or afternoon tea, lunch and materials, and are excellent opportunities for professional development.

In the spirit of how Cairns was chosen, organisers have issued a call for participants to assist with AusWeb2K's planning and design.

'We want to ensure that the conference meets people's interests and needs,' Dr. Ellis said. 'If someone wishes to suggest a keynote speaker, a topic for a Special Interest Group meeting, to submit a paper or poster proposal, offer to present a workshop or tutorial, or request that a workshop or tutorial on a particular topic be provided, they are invited to contact us.'

For further information please contact:
Joanne McMurtry, Meetings Manager,
Norsearch Management Services
(02) 6620 3932 Fax: (02) 6622 1954
Email: ausweb2k@scu.edu.au
P.O. Box 157, Lismore, NSW 2480

or
Mr Robin Osborne
Media Liaison, Office of the Vice-Chancellor
Phone: (02) 6620 3039 Mobile: 0418 431 484
Email: rosborne@scu.edu.au