Today was the first day of Adobe MAX, and I was at the conference from about 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

The opening reception featured a keynote by Kevin Lynch, Chief Technical Officer for Adobe. Walking into the auditorium (that was big enough for the 5,000+ attendees) was absolutely stunning. This doesn’t do it justice, but here is a video of the stage and the beautiful presentation that kept us entertained as we were seated:

After that I attended the following sessions and labs:

• Tips, Techniques, and Secrets: Hidden Gems in Illustrator and Photoshop
  hosted by Terry White and Colin Smith
• Maximizing Your Web Workflow
  hosted by Joe Lowery
• Building CSS-Based Websites with Dreamweaver CS4
  hosted by Kristin Long

At the end of the day, dinner and entertainment was served for all of the attendees. It was primarily an opportunity to talk with the sponsoring vendors and learn about their products. My coworker, David, and I wandered around and talked with some of the vendors, visited the Adobe MAX Photo Booth, and drank for free until it was taken away.

Afterwards, I was hungry for real food, so David and I visited The View Lounge: the 39th floor of the Marriott (where the MAX labs were being held) for an incredible 360° view of San Francisco. (Seen here, here, here, and here.)

It was a great day — and I’m ready for more tomorrow!