Facebook's next F8 will be bigger and in San Jose

SAN FRANCISCO — If you attended last year's F8 conference for software developers, Facebook has a message for you: You ain't seen nothing yet.

The giant social network says the next F8 will be bigger than ever.

Not to be outdone by Google, which this year moved its annual I/O developers conference to an even larger venue, the Shoreline Amphitheatre near its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters., Facebook plans to hold next year's competing conference in San Jose, in the Silicon Valley city's convention center on April 18 and 19.

Software developer conferences are critical for technology giants fighting for the time and attention of software developers and business partners. Over the years they have become splashy affairs jam-packed with key executives and big speeches, product announcements and product freebies, and evening entertainment featuring trendy musical acts.

"It's going to get even bigger next year," says Facebook product manager Josh Twist,  an aim designed to showcase Facebook's growing line-up and ambitions.

"Traditionally we did it at Fort Mason Center. This year we have more teams than ever that want to participate here at Facebook," said Twist, product manager for Facebook Analytics for Apps. "We have more sessions we want to pack in. And we want to make it accessible to even more attendees. So we are going to change the location."

Facebook says details on how to register for F8 will be available in coming months. You can sign up here to get updates. Tickets for those selected to attend will set you back $595 apiece.