Top Technology Conferences To Attend During Home Lockdown
2020 is giving everyone the opportunity to attend some of the hottest technology conferences in the world right from the comfort of home. Typically these conferences are incredibly competitive and can even require winning a ballot just to get the chance of paying thousands of dollars for a ticket and a trip half way around the world. But this year is different – this might be the year you can attend 4 or more of the biggest tech conferences.
For those not on the front line, if you’re at all interested in technology, then now is the perfect time to attend these global events online. The best part is there is something for all skill levels at these events. If you’re just starting out then come get inspired by the key note speakers or learn from the best engineers in the industry. If you’re more experienced then challenge yourself by learning something new.
This is the time of year where the biggest technology changes happen and you can be a part of that. These companies create the technologies used by billions of people across the world. It’s an exciting opportunity to partner with their platforms to create something truly amazing. And given our current situation being at home full time, there’s an enormous amount of opportunity for ideas technology can, but has yet to deliver on.
These are my top 5 picks for conferences you can attend this year from the comfort of your own home.
1. Apple’s WWDC 2020
When: 22nd June 2020
What: Apple Worldwide Developer conference 2020
Details: https://www.apple.com/au/newsroom/2020/03/apples-wwdc-2020-kicks-off-in-june-with-an-all-new-online-format/
Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) is typically held in San Francisco and previously you had to hope you were lucky enough to win a ticket through the randomised ballot. This year you can attend online and all you need is an Apple Developer registration. This is awesome because now you can learn exactly where Apple is taking its major software platforms (iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS and more). If you’re interested in developing an App then this conference is the perfect way to get the edge on the competition by learning and utilising the new features. Adopting the new features early puts your App in a great position to be featured by Apple.
2. AWS Summit
When: May 13 2020
What: Amazon Web Services Summit 2020
Details: https://aws.amazon.com/events/summits/online/anz/
Amazon Web Services (AWS) powers a huge amount of the internet as we know it today. With this power comes a great deal of services and products and it seems every year there’s an exciting new set of services and features. If you did miss this one you’re in luck as all the recorded sessions are available for another 6 months.
3. SXSW
When: 5th May – 2nd June 2020
What: South by Southwest Sessions Online 2020
Details: https://schedule.sxsw.com
The physical South by Southwest was cancelled earlier this year but thankfully a new format of the event is streaming online. This festival rarely disappoints when it comes to delivering fresh ideas to film, music and interactive media. Many of this years keynotes are already available to stream.
4. Google Cloud Next
When: 14th July 2020
What: Google Cloud Next 2020
Details: https://cloud.withgoogle.com/next/sf/
Google IO might have been cancelled but the next best thing is Google Cloud Next. Expect great talks and interactive sessions on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and much more.
5. Facebook F8
When: TBC
What: 2020 Facebook Online Hackathon Series
Details: https://devpost.com/facebook
This years Facebook F8 developer conference has been postponed and may also end up becoming a virtual event. That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to learn from the company that provides some of the most widely used web technologies such as React or GraphQL. This year Facebook has already opened up 2 public Hackathons that include invitations to create a World Filter on their augmented reality (AR) platform. The second Hack is due to start 24th June.
There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that we are truly living in a unique time. Let’s take this as an opportunity to reflect and learn how we might create a brighter tomorrow.
