Winter Music Conference. A
yearly event in
Miami, usually sometime in
March, where
anyone associated with
electronic music in some way or another, as well as scads of
clubgoers and
curious tourists, congregate to exchange
music,
ideas, and
learn things, as well as get royally
twisted and party day and night for six days or so.
Officially, the Conference is just a series of seminars during the day where DJs (whom usually pay a hefty entrance fee), gather to discuss pertinent issues and do the aformentioned trading of music and ideas. Unofficially, all the South Beach and Miami clubs and just about any other place with booze and a power source host events where pretty much every DJ worth the title, and many who aren't, get a chance to play for a crowd from around the world.
Notable events include the Ultra Music Festival, a 14-hour shindig where the top DJs and live electronic acts gather and play. Danny Tenaglia does his annual 20+ hour set at Club Space, which draws record crowds every year, and Radio One out of the UK hosts an event where the top UK spinners take to the decks for a killer daylight party.
There is so much to do, it'd be impractical for me to list it here, instead I'll point you to some resources:
http://www.wmcon.com/ - Official WMC site.
http://www.cooljunkie.com/ - Party listings galore.
http://www.masterpartylist.com/ - What it says it is.
This year (2003), the Conference is from March 17th to the 23rd.
updates
This year (2004), the WMC is from Friday March 5th, until March 10th. Worried about becoming increasingly irrelevant, the official WMC body now endorses the
Ultra Music Festival as the official kickoff for the conference. All the usual events are on, as well as some new ones, including the M3 Conference, which is put on by the maintainer of the
Master Party List, David Prince, as a response to the official WMC's high prices and mediocre panelists.
Check the sites listed above for the latest info.