Flash on the Beach is fast approaching this year, tickets are selling out faster than ever and we're promised this is going to be the best yet! But don't just take my word for it, I managed to wrangle a few minutes from John Davey, organiser and head honcho of Flash on the Beach, to ask him a few questions about why this is one of the hottest events on the conference calendar.

Thanks for your time John, much appreciated. Let's start with the simple ball:

What is Flash On The Beach?
Hi Dan. Flash on the Beach started as a Flash conference. It has grown in a very short time to be one of the biggest 'Flash-centric' conferences in the world. I say 'Flash-centric' because it has evolved much further than 'Flash' the product. I would say that the conference is now 50/50 tech/creative. I consciously go out of my way to ensure each year has inspirational creative content as well as the staple diet of the best 'Flash family' technical speakers in the world.

Where did the idea for FOTB originate?
Well, having spoken at FlashForward several times, I loved the idea of a big conference. An opportunity to hook up with friends and people of like mind, interested in similar things to me. I was friendly with probably the top 20 Flash guys in the world, and I really wanted to bring something like FlashForward to Europe. I had always stored ideas in the back of my mind of how I would run a conference, so had a pretty good vision of what I wanted to do. Hence Flash on the Beach.

How many people have attended previous years / do you expect to attend this year?
In 2006 we started off with 550, that grew to 815 in 2007 and then last year we hit 1050! I am knocked out at how popular it has become in 3 years! Nearly doubling the attendance in 3 years is awesome. This year was a worry to me. All the doom and gloom about the world's economic state was something that made me wonder whether FOTB09 would be as successful as previous years. I made a decision to show how much I wanted to support the web designer/developer community and slashed ticket prices. As a statement as much as anything. What happened next made my jaw hit the floor! Tickets went on sale and within 9 minutes the first priceband had sold out, within 2 hours the next priceband sold out, so we were into the third priceband within two hours! It would normally take six weeks or more to get to that stage!

So it's all about Flash right?
Nope, not at all. Of course there is the word 'Flash' in the title, which would lead you to believe that the conference only talks about Flash, but it is not all about that. Yes, there is a lot of Flash, Flex, AIR content hence what I mean by 'Flash-centric', however, every year we have speakers talk about non-Flash related things. Some of our speakers don't even use Flash. We have sessions on Processing, Photoshop, After Effects, sessions that are purely inspirational, that talk about film making, photography, art, design, animation. The list goes on. Think of 'Flash' as a mentality more than a product - 'a flash of genius, a flash of inspiration, a flash of design creativity - it's all covered.

Explain the concept and atmosphere of the 'inspired sessions':
I LOVE the Inspired Sessions. They were born out of envy actually! I was always envious of the Mediterranean way of doing things. You know, work some, take a big break, come back do some more then go out and eat or party. I thought, how could I do that kind of thing. Then it hit me - close the theatres a little earlier in the afternoon, give people a chance to go get a shower, a beer or grab something to eat - let them re-charge, then get them back, BUT not for hard work, get them back to be entertained and inspired. Get them all pumped and then take them out to a party. I then added the idea of them kicking back with a beer in the theatre and the 'Inspired Sessions' were born! They have become one of the most popular elements of the conference.

Isn't FOTB it just for designers, what's in it for developers?

Actually, I am pleased you say that. I have always felt that FOTB needed to be directed 50/50 toward designers AND developers. Developers are hungry for the latest news, techniques, technology and practical knowledge, whereas designers want to be creatively inspired. What I love about the conference is that I feel there is a real crossover and I often find developers in creative sessions and vice versa desingers picking up some tech tips in the more technical sessions. It is vitally important to me to get the balance right because I never wanted it to be solely a developers conference or only targeting designers. I wanted FOTB to be a conference that covered everything that a RIA consultancy would want in an event.

Besides the sessions, what else goes on at and around FOTB?
Great question. FOTB has become something of a vibe. Outside of the sessions there is a lot of socialising. We promote networking whenever we can. It is an important part of going to a conference. There is no point in turning up, sitting and listening, never talking to anyone then going home. Sure, you would have got something from the sessions, but mixing, chatting, sharing, swapping and networking is a very important ingredient for a major conference like Flash on the Beach. Of course to help that along, we have a couple of parties. You know, a chance to let your hair down and relax. I know you asked 'apart' from the sessions, but a couple of things that I am excited about this year are the 'Inspired Sessions' - naturally, the Jam Session (which we introduced last year) and this year 'The Elevator Pitch'. The Elevator Pitch is especially exciting to me. It's gonna be 20 newbies to the speaking circuit getting 3 minutes each. Quick-fire. I cannot wait for this. It's a real skill to do 3 minutes and get everything across in that time. Of course for the audience, it means if they don't like something, they only have to put up with it for 3 minutes, if they like it, it means we have all had opportunity to see something awesome and be introduced to a new talent at the same time. Excited!

What are some of your most memorable moments from previous years?
Oh, what a question! Well, I have a lot of great memories. One vivid memory is when I was just closing the conference and out of the corner of my eye I saw Erik Natzke coming up on the stage followed by all the speakers. They presented me with a massive bottle of champagne signed by all of them. I had a few tears in my eyes I can tell you - very emotional. Another of course would be Jonathan Harris. His talk was a fantastic journey through his work, was truly inspirational, and then he closed with some of his thoughts about the web community. Wow, the blog world went mad for weeks afterward. He completely split opinion with what he said. That for me is great - I WANT speakers to poke, prod and get emotion flowing. To question, evoke an argument. It would be easy to be fluffy, cuddly and soft, but to provoke and get people thinking and angry is great. This years them is a punk stylee and I have been considering taking part of a quote from Jamie Reid: 'Make Trouble' and using it as the theme of the event.

What is the most difficult part of organising such a large event?
I guess the volume of contact. I get a LOT of emails daily, and am constantly talking to attendees, sponsors, speakers, airlines, hotels, venue, audio-visual, party venues, t-shirt people, bag peaople, swag people, and on and on...... you can imagine! I have to say, I love all of the above. Most of them display incredible patience with me because I often have times that I am so swamped that I cannot get back to everyone immediately. Very few get impatient with me, I have to say thanks for that!

What gives you the most satisfaction from it?
Wow. So much. You know, it's probably things that you wouldn't expect or think of. I guess you have to understand John Davey the person to know why I get a buzz out of the little things. You see, I have always loved to be a good host. I have always wanted to host the best dinner parties, birthday parties, the best fantasy football league. I get a thrill when I see people enjoying it, or hear them say 'that was the best party'. So, for me, little things give me a buzz, like, I will go through 15 bag manufacturers until I find a swag bag that I would be proud of. I never wanted some shitty plastic bag or shopping bag that was gonna be thrown away, I want something that attendees say 'wow, I can't believe I have been given such a cool bag'. That gives me a buzz. Introducing the conference gives me a buzz -seeing the anticipation of three days of awesome content on attendees faces as I stand on stage. Meeting people in the hallways, I love that. I always want to know if someone is having a good time.

Do you have any long term plans for the conference or just taking it one year at a time?
Well, as you are probably aware, I tried to take FOTB to South Beach Miami. Unfortunately that didn't work out. Tickets went on sale just as news broke that the world's economies had all collapsed. Talk about bad timing. I was very sad about FOTB Miami. It took me a while to get over that. I refunded everyone who had bought a ticket and also gave them all a free ticket to FOTB Brighton. I felt it was the right thing to do - you know karma and all that. I still have visions of doing more with Flash on the Beach. It is a hugely popular event, and I would love to take it out on the road. Maybe hit some countries around Europe. I am not sure about the States again. Maybe I am just a big old scaredycat!

How many people are involved in organising the conference?
One. Uno. Me. Moi. Solo! That's it! Well, OK, my wife shouts at me how disorganised a lot, but essentially, until the day before the workshops, it's me. Then the volunteers turn up, and it is a team.I am very lucky to have my wife - Jo, my brother-in-law - Joey and my wife's good friend - Hippy help me each year. They are the real backbone of the event when it is going on. They take the pressure off me so that I can deal with the running of the event. The volunteers we have a fantastic. Jo, Hippy and Joey look after the volunteers. So, 2 stage really - it's me alone up until, and then its the team during.

How long does it take to organise everything?
Well, when my wife overhears me saying it takes me 6 months to organise, she laughs her head off! Actually, it does. It takes about 6 months, getting steadily longer and longer hours as we near the actual conference date.

Finally, how can the community get involved with FOTB whether they are attending or otherwise on the lead-up to FOTB 09?

I am glad you asked that. Every year I meet people when I am out and about, and the conversation goes something like: "what do you do?" "I am a Flash/Web designer/developer", "Oh, I run a conference called Flash on the Beach", "Never heard of it"! I am always amazed at people who are in the Flash or web design and development business and they have never heard of the conference. The community can help so much. Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, word of mouth, email. Any of these can help. People often don't bother because they are busy, or they don't think their two-penny worth would help. It's all about spreading the word for me. In fact, it benefits everyone. The more people that know, the more that come, the more that come, the better the networking, and of course volume helps keep prices down.

You may have concluded from this interview. I like people who like FOTB. I know when people help. I can see people that make an effort to push and promote the event. Those are the ones I like to thank. A little effort goes a lot further than people realise. If you love the conference, let everyone know! Thanks.

Dan, thank you for the interview, it has been great.

See you all in September!

Thanks to John for finding the time to give us all a little more insight into Flash on the Beach. If you've not already got your ticket then what are you waiting for?

More FOTB
web: http://www.flashonthebeach.com
twitter: @fotb
facebook: join the facebook group
flickr: fotb on flickr

Read more from Dan Thomas.