Yuko Kondo kondoyuko About me Yuko Kondo @kondoyuko • working at SHOEISHA • chief editor of CodeZine • organizer of Developers Summit Illustration portrait
Today’s Topic • What the Developers Summit is all about? • What we did to turn the Developers Summit into an online event? • What did I learn from running online conferences?
Developers Summit • conference for software developers in Japan • since 2003 • 2day event in February • about 80 sessions in total • more than 4600 registrations • many sponsors for marketing and recruitment purposes • free of charge to participants
The beginning of Developers Summit • At that time, there were only conferences by IT vendors • It began with the desire to promote knowledge and interaction among developers • It aimed to cover various technologies from a neutral standpoint. Developers Summit 2003 https://codezine.jp/devsumi/2003
Wide variety of sessions • covering a wide range of topics • Examples of theme – SHARE YOUR FUN! (Developers Summit 2019) – We are New Normal (Developers Summit 2021) • Examples of sessions – Software Testing for Software Developer – Effective Remote Working – Case studies of product development – Solving technical debt – DX in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government • We organized content committee made up of engineers from outside my company
Providing opportunities for communication • Ask the Speaker – participants could ask questions directly to speakers after sessions • Booth – sponsors could communicate directly with participants • Reception party – speakers, sponsors, and participants could gather and interact These are places like a reunion, and to meet new people.
Developers Summit 2020 • It was held successfully while taking measures against infectious diseases • The following week, technical conferences were cancelled one after another • Even at Developers Summit, we did the entire series online
We hold the 1-day online event • Delivering session videos from our own website • Using the chat screen next to videos • The online event was well received by participants • It was difficult to provide the same experience for interaction session video
My fears for Developers Summit 2021 • We were able to run the 1-day online event successfully • Developers Summit 2021 is a large-scale event with thousands of people attendies • I had some major concerns when planning the Developers Summit 2021
First fear: Can we get outside help? • I thought it would be difficult to get the cooperation of the speakers and content committee members – because online events do not create the same sense of excitement as real venues • I was worried that if I couldn't provide the same level of experience online, some of them would leave.
Second fear: Input was decreasing due to COVID-19 • Before the coronavirus disaster, I had been visiting the tech communities in person • With COVID-19, I couldn't do that at all. • I was worried about planning an event without much input
Third fear: How to realize two-way interaction • Developers Summit is not only about inputting the latest trends, but also about promoting interaction – I felt that the chat stream was not enough • There was also a need from the sponsors to communicate directly with the participants • I wanted to realize “Ask the Speaker”, booths, and a reception party
To create a mission statement • It is necessary to think about and communicate our philosophy in order to get people outside the company involved • I came up with the mission statement
Conducting Content Committee meeting online • I was able to get the cooperation of the content committee members as before • We held meetings in Zoom with all members • We had active discussions in various places in parallel, such as in person, in the chat box, and on the spreadsheet – We could more smoothly than ever before
Ask the Speaker • It was difficult to find a way to accept one-on-one questions online • We used a moderator to conduct an interview • Participants wrote their questions in the chat, and the moderator asked them on their behalf
Reception party • I asked the speakers to give a 15-second speech each • having the participants share their impressions of the event by separating into small groups • At the end of the party, all the participants chatted together
the difficulty of guiding people • With online tools, we received a lot of feedback – "I don't know where to log in from" – "I don't know what to do in the tool” • It is important to announce when a new tool is to be used and to design how to use them
the importance of continuing to challenge • We have held six conferences so far during COVID-19 • At first, we just delivered sessions, but we gradually took on a new challenge • The continuous challenge in smaller events will be utilized when taking on new challenges in larger events
the greatness of speakers • Developers Summit 2021 was a great success – The number of registrations was 1.5 times more than last year • All the speakers gave their best and gave excellent presentations, even online • Speakers, sponsors, and attendees all enjoyed the Developers Summit – We were able to take on new challenges without hesitation
Three things to dispel fears about online conferences • Creating a mission statement • Conducting content committee meetings online • Offering communication using an online tool
Three lessons I learned from online conferences • How difficult it is to guide people in online • The importance of continuing to take on challenges • The greatness of speakers who give good talks
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