The program of Lift Asia 08 is built around one main theme: beyond the browser. We will discuss the upcoming changes that the internet, now moving past the browser and into objects, cities or robots, will soon generate in our society.

Thursday Sept. 4

[13:00 Doors opening and coffee]

14:00 Welcome Speech by Laurent Haug (Lift) and Seo Young Roh (Nabi Art Center).

14:15 Session: Beyond the web we know
What can we expect from the web in the near future, what comes after web2.0?
Laurent Haug will explain the vision behind the main theme of the conference, and what a mature web will mean for our society.
Then Eric Rodenbeck of Stamen Design (USA) will share his perspective on the evolution of the web towards a "richer" media through the use of information visualizations.

[15:30 Break and Lift Experience]
The breaks will be dedicated to networking and inspiration, with comfortable sofas, warm coffee and the various art installations created by the Nabi Art Center. Meet other lifters, take a break, think, write, get ready for the next session! Welcome to Lift Experience!

16:30 Session: Virtual money
Without making headlines, the digitization of money has registered significant progress recently. This session will explore the upcoming cashless economy with international expert David Birch (Consult Hyperion, UK) and American science fiction writer Bruce Sterling (initiator of the cyberpunk movement, writer on Wired).

[17:30 Break and Lift Experience]

18:00 Sustainable Development Evening
The traditional session on our planet's biggest challenge, organized in partnership with WattWatt, will welcome American gadget guru Dan Dubno (Gizmorama, USA) and Swiss adventurer Sarah Marquis who will explain how one can travel the world in energetic independence.

[19:30 Cocktail and Dinner]
Lifters are invited to share a cocktail and dinner at the magnificent Hyatt hotel, on the terrace overseeing the ocean. Enjoy international wines & dishes and take the chance to meet participants from all over the globe.

Friday Sept. 5

09:00 Session: Aiming for a better society
How can technologies help us shape a more inclusive and sustainable society, as well as take advantage of the world's diversity? Wonsun Park (The Hope Institute, Korea) and Raphael Grignani (Nokia Design, USA) will address this question alongside a final speaker to be announced soon.

[10:30 Break and Lift Experience]

11:30 Session: Networked city
The new digital layers provided by ICTs are transforming contemporary urban environments. What does that mean for its inhabitants? What changes can we expect? How will ubiquitous computing influence the way we live? « Everyware » author Adam Greenfield (Nokia Design, Finland), as well as architects Jeffrey Huang (EPFL, Switzerland) and Yang Soo Yin (The Living, Korea) will provide their vision on this not so distant future.

[13:15 Lunch]
In the purest Lift tradition, Swiss Chef Roland Hini will prepare a Swiss meal where dishes imported directly from the Alps will be served. Explore the tastes of Gruyère, Roesti and more!!

14:30 Open Afternoon & Asia Venture Trip pitches
On the main stage innovative start-up selected for the Asia Venture Trip program by AlpicT, will present their companies to the Lift audience.
In the open part of the program, Lifters take the stage and share their ideas in talks, workshops and discussions. Please refer to the board at the infodesk in the conference venue to see the open program details and locations, and submit your proposals!

16:30 Session: The future of social worlds
Social networks and Massive Multi-Player games are now merging in a new category of digital entertainment platforms with new business models, reaching consumers via different screens. What does the usage of such platforms tell us about new forms of socialization? Where is gaming heading? What are the new opportunities?
Joonmo Kwon (Nexon, Korea) will share his profound experience in this field, and present the vision he has for his 300-millions-customers company. Then Jury Hahn (Megaphone, USA) will talk about the latest and most innovative forms of social mobile entertainment, using cell phones as the main platforms.

[17:30 Break and Lift Experience]

18:00 Session: Techno-nomadic life
Mobile technologies have freed us from the tyranny of "place", but have they introduced new constraints? New behaviors? Is the mobile web going through the same process as the Web in the 90s?
Star design researcher Jan Chipchase (Nokia, Japan) will present some insights nomadic work/life practices enabled by mobile technologies, while i-mode father Takeshi Natsuno (Keio University, Japan) and Christian Lindholm (Fjord, UK) will talk about the future of mobile services.

[21:00 Cocktail and karoake]
The day will end in style at a karaoke party where Westerners will try to challenge the unequivocal Asian domination on this soon-to-be-Olympic discipline.

Saturday Sept. 6

10:00 Session: From robots to networked objects
Robots are moving beyond anthropomorphism and starting to communicate. What can we expect? What's hot in robotics that we will soon see all around us?
Japanese inventor Tomoaki Kasuga (Speecys, Japan) will show his latest robotic creation, while researcher Frédéric Kaplan (EPFL, Switzerland), known for his work with the Sony Aibo, will talk about the future of robots as part of our daily life. Legendary French entrepreneur Bruno Bonnell, founder of Infogrames and former CEO of Atari, will close the session by dicussing the differences between the Asian and Western approach to robotics.

11:50 Conference wrap-up
Various speakers and members of the audience will be on stage to provide their views on the conference, the ideas and insights they will take home, and their wishes for the next editions of Lift.

[12:30 End of conference]
See you at Lift09 in Geneva!

[13:30 Social Activities and visits]
In partnership with Jungtour, we invite Lifters to head for a visit of one of the many attractions in Jeju such as the Stone park, some of the world's most beautiful golf courses, and the teddy bear museum!