PORTLAND – Maine’s Software and Information Technology Industry Association will hold its annual conference Oct. 27-28 at the Doubletree Hotel.

The theme will be “Changing Culture, Changing Technology.” It will include 12 conference sessions in four tracks: software, usability, business and technology.

In addition, the association will hold a pre-conference dinner and CIO panel discussion on “Business Continuity in the Face of Disaster.” This Thursday evening event will feature a keynote address from Mark Lewis, president of the Louisiana Technology Council, who will discuss the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the technology companies of Louisiana; a portion of the evening’s proceeds will be donated to help his council rebuild the New Orleans technology community.

Christophe Job, an executive vice president at Oracle Corp., will provide the keynote address on Oct. 28.

Tickets are $50 for the CIO panel discussion and dinner, and $99 for the full-day conference. Attendees can attend either or both events. For more information,or to purchase tickets, people can visit www.mesda.com.