Beginning this weekend (October 4th), Adobe will hold its annual Adobe MAX conference in Los Angeles. The West coast gathering draws together an eclectic mix of creatives to discuss technology, innovations, productivity, trends, and skills upgrades. The MAX conference also features keynote speakers and lecturers with a variety of backgrounds and skills, from photography, acting, design, and business strategy. Running for five days until the 8th, the meeting is broken up into sections that cater to many different interests and needs. This year, the first two days of Adobe MAX, (4th-5th) are dedicated to preconference events like bundles, labs and workshops. Bundles are focused, extended courses of learning lasting anywhere from one-and-a-half to three days. They provide deep immersion into a skill or subject. This year's bundles include:

• Creative Cloud@MAX:  a hands-on lab that shows designers how to use the full range of Adobe Creative Cloud desktop tools and services to create digital content across a range of screens and devices.
• Russell Brown@MAX:  a hands-on course designed for art directors, designers, illustrators, and photographers to learn advanced imaging techniques to use with Adobe Photoshop, as well as some of Adobe’s latest mobile tools.

Preconference labs and workshops are half-or full-day presentations, demonstrations, and hands-on exercises taught by Adobe and industry experts and include course like:

• Animation and Interactivity on the Web
• Digital Publishing Suite Training
• Exploring Time-lapse Photography with Adobe Creative Cloud
• Hand-drawn Type and Lettering Studio
• Introduction to Design Research
• Responsive Web & Mobile Experiences

You can get more information on registering and the conference agenda at the Adobe MAX website. You can also sign up to watch the keynote speakers steaming live on Oct 6 & 7. The Adobe MAX Blog is also a great source for information on courses and events.