We’re back for a fifth year of intense talks, high-level keynotes, a lively expo hall, and – of course – parties.

This year, Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco 2011 will teach you how to unlock the digital economy.

Encompassing the Web, mobile networks and connected devices, the digital economy spawns a host of new businesses every year. But how, exactly, do you become the next Groupon, Foursquare or Zynga? Who’s doing the smart stuff, making money and making a difference?

At our show in March, we’ll reveal the key pieces of the digital economy and the ways you can leverage important ideas for your own success. We’ll apply the economic filter to data collection, social connections, social media platforms, browser successes, old media in new channels, global commerce and much more.

Register now using code websf11bl20 to save 20% on all conference passes. Need help convincing your boss to send you to Web 2.0 Expo? Check our our Business Case.

What’s New This Year

Conversations

First up, our Conversations. Instead of holding just traditional speaker-and-audience sessions, we’re also creating a handful of 50-minute round-table conversations that you can join. But space is limited! We’re signing on an appealing list of Web 2.0 experts, each of whom will introduce a topic and then facilitate a discussion for up to 30 people—which is all the room holds. If you get into one of these sessions, you’ll be expected to lean in and join the conversation, not just sit back and listen. We’ll announce the moderators and specific topics in the coming weeks.

Startup Showcase

Launched at our New York 2010 show this past fall, our evening Startup Showcase event will bring approximately 30 startups demoing in one large room. Web 2.0 Expo attendees and a panel of judges from the investor community will have 50 minutes to visit the demos and listen to the pitches—we’ll sound a chime every five minutes, letting people know it’s time to circulate. As they walk around, attendees will vote on their favorite demos. At the end of the hour, the judges will announce their top picks along with the audience favorite. These winning startups will then each give a pitch and have an on-stage conversation with the judges.

A formal call for companies to participate in the Startup Showcase will open in late January. Make sure you are signed up for our bulletin to be notified when the call opens. Check out our Startup Showcase video from our New York show.

Product Track

Our conference is broken into several discipline-focused tracks such as Social Media or Design & UI. New this year is our Product track, featuring such session as

From Product Zero to Product Hero: How to Build a Great Web 2.0 Product

Don’t be a Digital Dinosaur: Design for the Space Between

Design Essentials For Developers

From Product Zero to Product Hero: How to Build a Great Web 2.0 Product

Don’t listen to yourself: successfully re-designing Latin America’s leading e-commerce platform

And More

Stay tuned to this blog, our bulletin, and our Twitter account (@w2e) for more updates on what’s new for Web 2.0 Expo this year.

See you in March!

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Kaitlin Pike is the Community Manager of Web 2.0 Expo. She can be reached @kcpike or @w2e.

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