MARBLEHEAD, MA – February 18, 2003 – DDAP Association, a key industry group charged with promoting the "Universal Exchange of Digital Advertising through Open Process Integration and Accredited Standards," announced program details for the DDAP "Digital Mardi Gras", scheduled for March 12-15, 2003, at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, Louisiana. Registration discounts have been extended to February 21, 2003 to ensure a high turnout. New Orleans’ French Quarter will be the backdrop for DDAP’s annual conference. "Come to New Orleans and undo your digital voodoo," recommend co-chairs Erik Cullins, Time, Inc and Tanya Goetz, U.S. News & World Reports.  "The DDAP Digital Mardi Gras three day program will highlight three different areas of concentration, each kicking off with a tutorial and followed by a keynote speaker, critical issue presentations by industry experts and in depth discussions. Be prepared to have your existing workflow ideas challenged as new strategies will be discussed and test driven!" Day One the DDAP team led by program chair, Linda Manes Goodwin, will update attendees on leading edge workflows using accredited standards, with all the features and benefits, bits and bytes.  In the welcome address, DDAP chairman Alan Darling will announce the identification of PDF/X as DDAP’s preferred file format and sessions focusing on optimizing your PDF/X workflow and transitioning from TIFF/IT will follow. Day One will feature a keynote from William Bevington, the new director of Parsons Institute for Information Mapping. William will discuss Parsons’ newest area of instruction designed to teach students how to make digital information more accessible, navigational, and aesthetic.   Day Two, the SWOP team led by Nubar Nakashian, Print International and Eric Wood, R.R. Donnelley will present a comprehensive program on the new 10th Edition SWOP Specification and all the inherent color management issues. The debut of a new video directed by Michael Weinglass and Roy Zucca, "The SWOPranos" will be featured with award-winning performances by an all star cast who provide the industry with new "incentives" for SWOP compliance. New strategies in color management will be also explored on Day 2, culminating in a keynote address by well-known color expert Steve Upton of Chromix. Steve will share some unique solutions, which incorporate current color management strategy and future trends. Chaired by Martin Bailey, Global Graphics, Day Three is reserved for looking into the future and exploring other initiatives under development such as Adobe’s XMP, CIP4’s JDF and others. Alan Darling will lead an "Armchair Adventure," a point counterpoint discussion in which futurists William J. Ray of GroupInfo Tech and Martin Bailey of Global Graphics explore new frontiers in print production automation and files that "manage themselves." "The DDAP Annual Conference tradition continues, with an innovative format that is designed to be fully interactive, combining thought-provoking presentations, live demonstrations, and the unique DDAP ‘town hall’ and  ‘team’ experiences," added DDAP executive director Barbara Hanapole.  "An exciting addition to our team assignments is the participation of students from Rochester Institute of Technology who will serve as team co-captains. Our student interns will also be assisting Liz Synadinos, InSync Media, in the ‘Hands On!’ area, demonstrating all the latest digital workflow solutions." While in New Orleans, participants will have the opportunity to experience the city’s well-known culinary heritage.  The annual welcome party, hosted by CGS Publishing Technologies, is scheduled for the New Orleans’ School of Cooking. The DDAP Digital Mardi Gras special event will take place on Thursday night and feature the Joseph A. Pedone Awards ceremony. Conference sponsors committed so far include Adobe, Inc., CGS Publishing Technologies, Creo Americas, Inc., Dalim Software, Enfocus Software, Fuji Photo Film USA, Kodak Polychrome Graphics, Time, Inc. and Xinet, Inc. For detailed conference information and registration, visit the DDAP website at http://ddap.org/ac2003/index.html.