The main thing about this year's event was undoubtedly the number of attendees. We almost doubled from last year, from the 350 to almost 600 people (575 to be exact). Last year we had great talks and this year was no different. Every year it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to do the selection. I congratulate everybody that participated.
All speakers had important and interesting subjects, going from Data Sciences, Elixir, Architecture, Kubernetes, "devops", Career and even Music! That's what THE CONF is meant to be: a technology discussion with people doing hands-on work on all of those and having fun in the process.
The million dollar question: Are we finally rich this year? :-D
And as last year, nope. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It's not the goal to profit with this event.
For Codeminer, and OmniTrade, it's an investment. And we doubled down this year by making the ticket prices even cheaper (I think it was half the price of 2018)!
If you're an attendee and didn't know, all the speakers came here on their own volition. They are volunteers that are eager to share their experience and inspire the audience. If you know any of them, make sure you show them your appreciation!
Let's break down the costs of this year:
| Resource | Cost |
|---|---|
| Renting Rebouças Convention Center | 39.090,94 |
| Audio and Visual | 28.000,00 |
| Scenography | 23.000,00 |
| Audio Receptors | 6.500,00 |
| Wrist Band | 270,00 |
| Buffet | 21.078,00 |
| Wifi for Speakers | 2.885,83 |
| Security Staff | 1.332,00 |
| Firefigther | 920,00 |
| Designer | 2.215,00 |
| Photographer | 1.600,00 |
| Organizer | 7.000,00 |
| Total Cost | 133.891,77 |
| Sponsorship (Globo.com) | 10.000,00 |
| Tickets Revenue | 20.194,00 |
And when I said that we doubled down in the non-profit aspect this year: we are donating all tickets revenue to 2 social Institutions. Doutores da Alegria and the group QuebraDev. The donation to Doutores da Alegria was already done, and we are waiting on QuebraDev to finish opening an entity so we can do the same. Follow the links and get to know them.
Again, who's paying this bill?
I am. More specifically, my company Codeminer 42 and OmniTrade. And this year we had the support of Globo.com as a sponsor of the event. Many thanks to Globo!
Moreover, I intend to keep organizing this event because we think it's important to set a higher standard and because it personally interests me. There is still no conference held in Brazil where Brazilians speak in English, and with such high quality of content.
There are around 90 videos from the recorded talks. The very first 90 videos of Brazilian speakers delivering their talks in English. There is no other repository like this in the technology community, which is why we think it's essential to keep up.
Before our event, if anyone suggested doing an all-English meetup, they would have been ridiculed. Now we have this event as a reference and new standard. I even suggested that every group everywhere starts an #EnglishChallenge in their communities.
Already I've seen a few meetups following this model. It's great exercise. Every programmer should invest their time learning English to stay ahead. Also, they shouldn't feel ridiculed for doing so. Who says you need to travel abroad to train your English?
More importantly: almost all attendees of this conference came out of their own volition. They attended because they wanted to, not because someone told them so. When I asked how many people were not from Sao Paulo city, half the audience raised their hands again.
These are forward-thinking people. It's the same kind of people that were attending my first Rubyconf Brasil back in 2008. They created an entire market in the following decade.
How do I know that? Tech events in Brazil have to distribute "certificates" for their audience, so the sponsoring companies know that their employees attended the conference. We don't distribute certificates, because this audience doesn't need them.
They invest their own money and their own time. It's only fair that we do the same.
Did it work?
It is working! 3 years in a row and preparing the 4th!
We had more than 300 people last year. We had almost 600 people this year. Imagine this: a very niche, new-tech, and English-only conference with no translations. It's a recipe for failure, and yet it stands strong once again.
We are already planning for 2020. The dates are set for AUG 28-29, 2020 Yes, we plan it almost one year in advance. It's not possible to do an acceptable event with less than that.
As this is not a for-profit event, any help is welcome. How can you help?
pay attention to our social networks, Call for Papers should open around March. When you see it, help us share it to as many people as possible. The more, the merrier.
in 2020 we are presenting in August again. We felt like it's the best time of the year for such an event.
As you can see: we need more people talking more about the event. You have no idea how a simple thing as a retweet helps. Marketing is the one thing that is very expensive and that attendees gain nothing from at the event. Help us spend less on marketing efforts and more in venue goodies.
If your company is interested in helping with our costs, please send us an email and let's talk. Our conference is not expensive, and this audience is very promising, one that is worth reaching out.
To summarize:
- Want to sponsor? E-mail us at contact@theconf.com.br
- Want to keep updated? Follow our Twitter account or Facebook Page.
- Follow us on Twitter to keep up to date.
- I posted the photos on our Facebook Page
- Videos are ready at InfoQ Brasil's Page!
- 2020 dates are set for Aug, 28-29!!
The 2019 edition is a wrap! Preparations for the 2020 edition, already started! Let's make the Fourth Edition even bigger!
