Open in app

Sign in

Write

Sign in

View from Seattle’s Space Needle during DockerCon 2016 Party

A Beginner’s Guide to Tech Conferences

Lorien Smyer
The coderSnorts
Published in
12 min readSep 10, 2016

--

A year ago I attended my first tech conference. As a brand-new web developer, I had acute imposter syndrome; I barely talked to anyone at the conference, and when I did, I later agonized over what I had said, feeling like I had sounded completely uninformed.

I still feel like a new web developer; but having attended quite a few tech conferences in the past year, I feel like a somewhat seasoned conference attendee. Attending a tech conference is much less scary than I initially thought. In my experience, it can be really interesting and fun!

If you are interested in attending a tech conference, here are some tips that may be of use. One caveat: depending on when you see this, events may have passed, and some conferences do not yet have websites for next year. However, most conferences do occur at least once a year, so you’ll have time to plan if you miss one you’re interested in. I’m also occasionally reviewing and updating the links in this post, so you may want to bookmark it for future reference. [Last updated on July 14, 2018.]

What is a tech conference?

This question may seem rudimentary, but there are quite a few kinds of tech conferences, from small and informal, to conferences so large you may put miles on your fitness tracker over the course of a few days walking from one presentation to the next. Almost all conferences involve some partnership between organizers and companies who sponsor some part of the conference to help defray costs; but beyond that, they can differ quite a bit:

Some conferences are put on by tech companies for their customers. These may be very large, with creative, extravagant parties, and the cost can be high to attend (often paid by employers of attendees), but sometimes part or all of the conference is free for developers. Keynotes, and many talks and workshops, will include information about the products of the hosting company; keynotes are often highly anticipated, as new features and products are announced. Examples include:

“Wierd Al” Yancovic performing at the FutureStack15 kickoff party

Other conferences are often single-topic (for example, Android or iOS development, data science, open source, or security), and are presented by professional event organizers, or a specific tech community or company. One company or community may organize multiple conferences throughout the year, and the events can vary in size and cost, from modest to large. Examples include:

Kristin Marsicano speaking at 360|AnDev 2016

Dedicated volunteers also put on tech conferences. These may be less formally organized, more “do it yourself”, and tickets are often modestly priced, or even free. Amenities may be relatively basic, depending on the level of sponsorship. Examples include:

Workshops created by attendees at AndConf16

Why should I attend a tech conference?

There are many reasons people attend tech conferences (or, presumably, any conference, but my experience only extends to this particular subset), including:

  • You’re looking for work in the tech industry, and/or want to add to your job skills
  • You’re a hobbyist who has a lot of questions that can be answered by experts at a conference
  • Your company wants you to learn a particular thing that a conference is offering training in
  • Your company is selling something/has some interest in the market the conference specializes in
  • You want to be in the company of, and talk with, other tech people who share your interests

How can I afford to attend a tech conference?

Many tech conference organizers understand that not everyone works for an employer that can budget conference attendance. Here are some ways to get a discounted, or even free, ticket (note: in the interest of keeping this blog post a manageable length, conferences are generally listed once, sometimes twice, but may have multiple discount options; so it may be worth it to you to look at any conference that interests you, regardless of category):

If you’re a student, you may qualify for a discounted or free ticket, or be eligible to apply for a scholarship ticket. Usually, you must be attending an accredited college or university; however, if you’re a bootcamp student, your school may be given some student tickets (for example, bootcamp students have been given tickets to FutureStack), and some scholarships have added full-time immersive bootcamps to their list of eligible students (for example, RWDevCon). Conferences that have offered student tickets:

If you are unemployed, you may qualify for a discounted ticket, for example:

If you are a veteran and/or active military, you may qualify for a discounted or free ticket, or may be eligible to apply for a scholarship, for example:

If you are a member of an underrepresented group in the tech industry, and/or if you are in need of financial assistance, you may be eligible to apply for a scholarship. A search for “scholarship” and the name of a conference may provide some leads. Some conferences that have offered scholarships:

Aggregate sites for diversity scholarships:

It can be worth applying for a diversity scholarship even if you’re not sure you qualify; underrepresented is a broad category.

There may be free or discounted tickets for limited access to an event (which may include keynotes, partner events, expo hall, hiring event and/or a single day ticket). Conferences that have offered free or discounted tickets for limited event access:

Promotion codes for discounted tickets, or Early Bird tickets, may be available. Try following an event you’re interested in on Twitter and/or other social media, and/or joining local meetup groups in your areas of interest, to get info about discounts.

Sometimes conference scholarships are given away through organizations like Women Who Code; follow them on Facebook and/or other social media, and/or sign up for email newsletters like Women Who Code’s CODE Review.

You may be able to win a ticket, or be given a ticket through a group you belong to. Companies that have held hackathons or other events with conference tickets as prizes include:

Tickets may be raffled off or given away through social media, meetup groups, or other organizations, for example:

Volunteer! Some conferences that have offered opportunities to volunteer:

Attend a free conference:

Speak at a conference. The Technically Speaking email newsletter is currently on hiatus, but their archive has some great resources on how to get started.

Start your own! You might want to attend one or two first, but here are some tips if you’re interested (and here are some more if you decide to really do it).

I found a conference I want to attend, but it is far from where I live. Can I get travel assistance?

Google provides some travel and conference grants for traditionally underrepresented groups in technology.

Some conferences have included travel assistance in their scholarships:

How can I find out about some other conferences I might be interested in attending?

There are quite a few websites with lists of conferences; including:

I’ve got a ticket to my first conference! Any other suggestions before I go?

Some conferences have FAQ pages with all sorts of info about when, where, and how, for example:

One thing a FAQ page may cover is what to wear, which can vary widely, from t-shirts and jeans to suits. If the FAQ page doesn’t contain a suggested dress code, I would recommend wearing business casual (or even a bit more formal if you’re job-hunting), at least the first day; then you can see what other people are wearing (unless it’s a code retreat in the woods, or some other more alternative event, where folks are often more creative and individual in their clothing choices).

If you like to collect swag, leave room in your bag (or pick one up at the event) and/or suitcase (if you travel to the conference). It’s polite (and sometimes mandatory) to listen to a sales pitch before being given a promotional item, which can be a great way to practice talking about tech if you’re new to the industry. Don’t be afraid to ask why they’re better than their competitors! If the company providing the swag asks to scan your badge, they will probably follow up via email with a sales pitch, which can be useful if you’re interested in their product.

Get lots of sleep before the conference, especially if you’re going out of town. It’s easy to get exhausted during the conference and miss stuff you wanted to see.

Things to bring:

  • A laptop (if attending workshops, with any prerequisites installed), and charger
  • Pen, notebook, water bottle, bag, phone charger (you may get these as swag at the conference, but no guarantees)
  • Business cards (even if you’re new to tech, you can put your field of study on them; Moo makes nice ones)
  • Phone with conference app installed (if they have one)
  • Resumes if you’re job hunting, especially if the conference has a job fair event

Ask around, other people in groups you belong to may be attending. Try to attend as part of a group: look for meetups, or create your own. This can be especially useful for young women who sometimes get hit on; conferences are still often primarily male (which is part of why there are diversity scholarships).

DockerCon16 registration (Docker has provided diversity scholarships; they’re trying to change this ratio)

If you do feel at all uncomfortable, many conferences have a code of conduct to address, and hopefully preclude, issues. Here are a couple of posts that provide useful perspectives on attending tech conferences as a person of color, and as a (white) woman. My personal experience (as an older white woman) has generally been that people are friendly; I’ve formed lasting friendships with people I’ve met at conferences.

Ask questions in the expo hall, and at networking events/parties. Don’t worry if you’re not a developer, or if you’re brand new. Not everyone at tech conferences is an experienced developer; many are salespeople, project managers, or have other roles at their companies, or are students or brand-new developers themselves.

Booth at IDF16’s Technology Showcase

No one knows everything. I’ve had both a project manager and an experienced developer ask me what React is, and even more people ask me about Elm. There is just too much to learn about for anyone to know everything; you’re almost certainly more knowledgeable about something than most other people at a conference.

Conferences appear to be places where, often, people can relax. Clearly, there is some aspect of work involved: company employees at expo booths are working, and many other people you meet have work obligations while attending the conference. But the conference itself, for many people, seems to be an event that is less stressful than a regular workday.

You will get to listen to talks by amazing speakers. You may also get to participate in excellent workshops, learn about cool stuff in the expo hall, meet people you admire, play creative games dreamed up by conference organizers, and go to inventive parties that occasionally include headlining musical acts you really like!

Steve Wozniak being interviewed on stage at FutureStack15

If you attend more than one conference, you may see people you haven’t seen since last year, or maybe since last month (depending on how many conferences you attend). Some people look forward to their favorite conferences all year; so there can be something of a party atmosphere, however much work is involved.

Also — and I’m guessing this is true for other industries as well, but my experience is limited in this respect to the tech industry — people generally genuinely enjoy talking about their profession. If you love to code — or to project manage, or blog, or whatever your connection to the tech industry is — you will fit right in. You will meet many other people who are passionate and excited about how much there is to know and to learn.

Finally, here is a list of some tech-related terms you might hear, and their plain-English definitions, which may help if you attend talks/keynotes in areas of tech you’re less familiar with.

That’s it! Now you know what I know; I hope this post encourages you to attend your first tech conference. Please comment with any questions, or tips/perspectives of your own, thanks!

Diversity
Conferences
Women In Tech
Technology
Junior Developer

--

--

Lorien Smyer
The coderSnorts

Written by Lorien Smyer

66 Followers

Web dev; amateur cook, gardener, photographer; cat mom; avid traveler. Views are my own. She/her.

Help

Status

About

Careers

Press

Blog

Privacy

Terms

Text to speech

Teams