Attendee Spotlight: Matt Rossi

March 18, 2008

One of the best things about An Event Apart is the attendees, who travel from far and wide not only for the great content and speakers, but also to spend time in the company of their fellow craftspeople of the web. We’d like to introduce you to one of them: Matt Rossi.

Thanks for talking with us, Matt! Kindly tell us a little bit about ifoh designs (including what the ifoh is all about!) and your role there.

Ah, I am not giving up that easily, bud. The “ifoh” started off as an inside joke. I couldn’t think of anything for a company name. Complete blanks. I didn’t want to go with something ordinary, or generic; that is about all I knew. My sister and used to laugh about this saying, because our insane father said it once. Anyway, I figured (and this is probably the worst attitude to have, but) that it didn’t really matter what the name was– all that mattered was what I was offering, and the quality of my work.

So, sorry, but for now it stays at rest.

Okay, fair enough. So what’s your main focus at ifoh: design, developer, or both?

Well, ifoh designs is actually not my day job. I work for a financial company in Quincy, MA as a Web Designer, and have been here for the past year and a half. It is a pretty cool job, actually. A great atmosphere, and co-workers, which always makes for a productive employee. The commute is probably the worst part of the job as I live in Providence, RI and make the trek daily.

At ifoh, however, I do it all. Not many designers do both any more, but I think it is really great to have a solid understanding of the platform you are designing for to make the best product and user experience possible.

With that sort of view, I’m going to guess that you’re a veteran of the field. How long have you been riding this crazy web train?

I have been on the train since 2001, when I needed to get a site up and running for some amazing high school metal band I was in. As you might have guessed, the site, and the band, were awful. The site might have been terrible, but I knew that I liked doing it, and that was enough for me to start seriously striving to get better. I went to New England Institute of Technology, and graduated in 2006 with a degree in Multimedia & Web Design. College was great. I recommend everyone to attend, and stay as long as you can!

Now I am working in Massachusetts, living in Rhode Island with my lovely fiancée, and driving like a maniac daily.

Given your location, I can see why you attended the Boston 2007 show. What did you like about it?

Right, so enough about me. I can’t stress enough how excellent this event is for people of all walks of life. Seriously. It doesn’t matter if this is your first, or hundredth web site, there is something for everyone there, and you will definitely leave with even more knowledge than you came with.

It was really great to hear some of the best in the business speak their minds, share insight, and just really get you motivated to try harder and become better. That is really what it all comes down to, being the best we can possibly be at what we do. I didn’t even bring my laptop, I just took some notes, and listened. By the end of the second day I couldn’t wait to get back to work and try out some of the new things I had learned.

Awesome! In the interests of fairness, was there anything that would have made the show even better for you?

Really the only thing that I thought could have had more time devoted to, was at the very end when you all were up there doing the critiques of user submitted work. It was nice to see what other designers are up to, and your reactions to them, however I would have liked to have seen more.

So you’re coming back for more this year, right?

I am definitely planning on attending the June 23rd and 24th event in Boston. I also just checked the website and I should probably get my ticket before May 26th, so I can save $100. I am not going to lie though, my employers paid last year, so this year I am going to have to cough it up myself, but I do not mind one bit.

Why not? What makes AEA worth the investment?

Obviously to hear all the great guest speakers, and this year to network and promote my business.

Networking and promotion, eh? What makes you think AEA is a good place for that sort of thing?

AEA is a great place to network for many reasons. First and foremost, you are sitting in a room with several hundred other people, all of which are either in the same field, or own their own businesses. Even if you are not looking for any help, who doesn’t want to make friends? Get some more links coming in to your site, which is always a good thing. Also, we all have strengths and weaknesses, and perhaps the person to your left or right is looking for some help with design, while you are not the best programmer. Exchange your information, and you now have something in the works that could benefit both your pockets.

Any other tips for our readers?

Just make sure you get your ticket(s) early enough. If you are going to travel, bring a friend along and make a trip out of it. I would most definitely recommend coming to Boston, just because it is “wicked” good, but all the other locations seem like they won’t leave you without anything to do.

Oh, and bring extra money so you can buy the hosts drinks and lavish gifts…

How thoughtful of you! But we much prefer people’s presence to any presents, and we’re certainly looking forward to seeing you back in Boston. Thanks for taking the time to do this, Matt!

You are absolutely welcome. I too am looking forward to this year’s events,
and shall see you all in June. Take care!