Macromedia today announced the second annual MAX conference, which will be held this year in New Orleans, La., from November 1-4. The conference will address the increasing need for businesses to differentiate products and services in this expanding digital world and will emphasize the powerful role great experiences play on the Internet. Designers and developers can sharpen their skills, learn techniques from industry experts, and get up to date on the latest technologies.

"MAX is a great opportunity to gather industry experts and leading designers and developers in order to share ideas and help advance the business experience," said Al Ramadan, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Macromedia. "As the digital world becomes more divergent, there is an increasing need for solutions that deliver great experiences across the many devices, platforms, and form factors."

The second annual MAX Awards will also take place at the conference, giving attendees the opportunity to meet award finalists face-to-face, and view the world’s top digital experiences created over the past year. Attendees will also be able to vote for the coveted People's Choice award during the conference. For more information on the MAX Awards, and to see last year's finalists, visit http://www.macromedia.com/go/maxawards.

MAX 2004 will feature more than 90 unique workshops and hands-on sessions divided into seven tracks, as well as keynote presentations, technical support labs, a cyber café, and several networking events. The sessions will focus on empowering designers and developers to deliver more effective web content and Internet applications across a diverging set of open and proprietary platforms from desktops to mobile devices.