KubeCon and CloudNativeCon North America 2023 is fast approaching. It is without contest my favorite event of the year.
What I wanted to do was outline some tips for everyone - from first time attendees to experienced attendees - for what I believe contributes to a great event.
Situational Awareness
First an foremost do some logistical planning:
- How far are you from the venue?
- What will you need to bring based upon that?
- What all do you have have planned that may change what you need?
Rarely has the venue ever been hot - and we’re talking November in Chicago so a warming layer may not be a bad idea.
Schedule
You can do a lot of planning ahead of time from the schedule.
If you download the Sched app from your applicable phone app store - it gives you the information you’ll need to quickly understand when your next presentation is going to be.
Presentations
If you find presentations that interest you - please go and support the presenters and engage them appropriately!
That said - I’d also say presentations are a double-edged sword:
- Yes I plan to support friends and connections who are presented OR the presentations that super apply to my day-to-day development
- No I do not plan to spend the entire conference in presentations
Why?
All of these presentations are recorded and uploaded to YouTube. By far my favorite post-conference activity is to create playlists and watch them as I workout or have other spare time. Due to this - they are the one activity at this event that I can learn from later. I have this opportunity to connect and network with others that will be arguably harder later.
Showcase Floor
By far one of my favorite activities is to browse the showcase floor. I am likely not a decision maker for the sales pitch but more often than not - the sale isn’t the only reason companies are investing in booth space at the venue.
Often You can probe companies about technology decisions and someone will be able to answer your questions.
- Find common ground - what technologies do you share
- Discuss implementations - “Why SaaS vs a COTS solution?”
- Discuss Open Source - many companies are investing more and more resources into open source development
- Discuss collaboration - you might have the missing piece of information they need to traverse the market
But also realize that YOU do not need to be the talker/engager. These booths are common spaces and you may get more information about joining an existing conversation and listening in on the insights another perspective provides.
Collaboration
These events are more than the collection of the above - they also are the melting pot for groups to collaborate in person when they otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
TAGs/ SIGs/ Working Groups etc can take advantage of this event to work alongside eachother and break down current work or concerns.
Other Activities
There are other events to consider when looking to attend.
ControlPlane is hosting the Capture the Flag Experience which may be enticing for those looking to put their Kubernetes Security knowledge to the test.
Throughout the venue there will be a variety of after-hours events. These are great to connect and network with others over food and drink. Please do so responsibly.
After hours activities such as PartyCon'23 hosted by Defense Unicorns, Chainguard and TestifySec:
Care for yourself
These events are an incredible mental/physical/emotional stimulus and it can be overpowering at times. Need some time to decompress - step away and relax.
These are long days of mental and emotionally draining activities that can be overwhelming at times. Make sure you are taking breaks, eating, drinking and getting time for your own thoughts.
Check-in with family or grab a snack. Maybe attend a presentation as a way to shift out of communicating with others and into a time to reflect.
Logistics
Back to the situational awareness piece. If you know you’ll need something like your laptop for collaboration or demonstrations etc - it makes sense that you should bring it along.
But if you don’t have a critical need for it - consider if you want to be toting around your laptop all day. Worth consideration.
Closing
I look forward to KubeCon for many reasons. It provides that opportunity to connect and engage with others in ways that are often hard to do remotely. It provides space for the Working Groups I participate in to meet and discuss things that matter to us and the community. It provides a great opportunity to learn and grow.
If you will be there and want to connect - please let me know.
Also I’d love to hear your thoughts. What KubeCon hacks do you use? What are your favorite things about the conference? What are your favorite things about the community?