You are invited to a brand new conference overseas and have never heard of the organizers, but you trust them and proceed anyway. What could possibly go wrong?
According to my extensive research on the internet... checks notes... 15 blog posts, 3 youtube videos and a Twitter storm Spoiler Alert! Basically everything!.
This was not the case at all at WeyWeyWeb
What happened at "The conference that shall not be named" was horrible for the community, and we should never let it happen again...
In this post, I would like to add positivity and highlight and appreciate when things are done correctly.
The Organizers
So there I was earlier this year, minding my own business, and suddenly, out of nowhere, I got an email from these three mysterious organizers of WeyWeyWeb - Luis, Rowena, and Carmel. They're inviting me to speak at their conference in Malaga and, being the adventurous type, I decided to take a chance on these strangers. Plus, they seemed super friendly, and the communication was top-notch - they were clear about what they covered, flight bookings, accommodation, airport transfers etc., all sorted. They even asked me if I would like to bring my wife and daughter (which was a nice touch since it is hard to be away from your family, especially if you have young kids)
If you want to run a successful conference, take note... Communication is key!
The Location
So, Malaga in December? 🤔 I was honestly a little hesitant at first - I mean, who wouldn't want to go to the beach in the summer instead? But boy, was I pleasantly surprised. I mean, sure, it rained most of the time I was there 😅 (I swear I didn't bring the British weather with me). But the Christmas markets, lights, and still lovely weather more than made up for it. Plus, have you tried the food in Malaga? So good. And the atmosphere? Excellent.
The organizers of WeyWeyWeb even took us on a tour run by a professional guide to the neighbouring town of Antequera. It was so much fun exploring the surrounding areas, and I almost forgot about the beach for a minute. And the best part? They made us feel like locals and even gave us the honorary title of "Malagueños."
And then, in the evening, the town council had this reception with excessive food (seriously, they must have thought we were a bunch of ravenous conference-goers). The Mayor was even supposed to make an appearance, but he had a last-minute engagement and couldn't attend.
All in all, I highly recommend visiting Malaga - it's becoming a popular destination for digital nomads, after all. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.
Attention to Detail
The production and set up of the conference were top-notch. The event wasn't live-streamed (it wasn't meant to be, that was clear from the beginning! 😅), but the videos and postproduction of the talks were terrific (take a look for yourself at the end of this article).
And let me tell you, the volunteers really went above and beyond to make sure us speakers had everything we needed - mics, laptops, connections, you name it. They treated us like royalty. But there was one thing that really impressed me:
There was no "speakers room." No exclusive lounge for us to hide out in between talks. The organizers told us there wouldn't be one from the beginning because "Our attendees are as important as our speakers, and most of them admire you, so please mingle with them." Talk about levelling the playing field. It was a refreshing change from the usual conference hierarchy, and I have to say, it made the atmosphere feel pretty darn special.
The Topics
Now, the organizers of WeyWeyWeb were super humble and told us it was going to be a "small" conference with just 300 attendees (which ended up being more than "that other conference" 😂). But let me tell you, we had a wonderful two days of high-quality talks delivered by some seriously outstanding speakers.
Josephine took us through the latest trends in Experience Design, Aashima covered the latest features of React 18, Alba used Pokemon to show us how to optimize images (yes, you read that right), Matteo launched Platformatic UI on stage (I mean, how often do you get to see that happen?), and Douglas Crockford shared his wisdom on JavaScript vs low-level languages.
Seriously, the content at this conference was top-notch. Great stuff throughout the event.
A truly inclusive event? You bet.
One of the best things about WeyWeyWeb was that they really nailed gender diversity. I mean, have you ever been to a frontend conference where a lot of the attendees aren't male? It was seriously refreshing. And on the speaker side, the male speakers were outnumbered by female and non-binary speakers by a lot.
I was so privileged to speak at an event where inclusivity wasn't just lip service - they took it to the next level. Plus, the female and non-binary speakers were seriously killing it. All in all, it was a fantastic conference with a great mix of diverse talent.
Conclusion
All in all, my experience at WeyWeyWeb was an absolute blast. There were some minor issues, like at any event, but running a conference is not easy, and I would be nitpicking at this point.
If you're a frontend developer or just interested in the latest trends in modern frontend development (no pun intended), I highly recommend checking out WeyWeyWeb. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. And if you're lucky, you might even become an honorary "Malagueño" as I did.
Until next year, WeyWeyWeb!
PS: Here is the recording of my talk if you are interested:
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