I have not been to many web design conferences. And still I'm pretty sure they won't get much more impressive than this. I heard some criticism before going. That dConstruct was not very hands-on and you didn't learn much that could be applied directly. That might be true. It is not so much for the hands than for the mind.

First of all, the speakers were extremely talented and professional. Even if you didn't care about the theme of the conference - which this year was "Design and creativity" - you could take a lot away from the talks, many insights as well as amusing anecdotes from fields as varied as typography, filming and musical improvisation. It was a joy to listen and watch the speakers on the stage.