Rails Conf 2015

[ThomasBush]

I am going to RailsConf (and my first conference ever for that matter) just wanted to reach out and see if anyone else was going. Also, as I mentioned, this will be my first conference, so if anyone has any tips to allow me to the get the most out of this I would love to hear those as well. Thanks, and hopefully I will see some of you there!

[billgathen]

Have fun! I won't be there, but all my best suggestions are in this post: http://billgathen.com/2014/12/14/generosity_gives_back.html

I believe my buddy Jim Nanney will be there: he's @jimnanney here and jnanney on Twitter. See if you can meet up!

[billgathen]

I let him know you're coming and he says he'll be checking Twitter pretty constantly, so make sure to hit him up!

[DeLongShot]

Enjoy RailsConf! I won't be attending this year, but last year I was in the exact same position as you (first big conference, first RailsConf, etc.)

I honestly don't mean this to be a plug, I don't work for Elevator Up anymore, but I also wrote-up a post on my tips for surviving RailsConf last year: http://blog.elevatorup.com/post/84317456997/tips-for-surviving-your-first-conference

Hope you have a great time!

[ThomasBush]

Thanks for the articles, really appreciate the help and advice. @billgathen I reached out to Jim and Julie as well. Did you guys stick more to talks, or did you go to labs at all? Also, do you know where I can find those BOF sessions, are they listed somewhere?

[DeLongShot]

I did one lab...maybe two last year? I'd say one was good and there other was ok. I believe last year they setup a board on the first day where you could sign-up to do a BOF session. I'm pretty sure they make an announcement about it.

[billgathen]

There weren't any workshops at RubyConf, but I would have gone if there were (assuming interesting subject matter). I really found the most value from talking with other people, though it was a struggle to get started. Trying to help out shifted my thoughts from "helping myself" to "helping the conference", which really reduced my self-consciousness (the real enemy).

My best suggestion is to leave your laptop at home. I took notes with Workflowy on my phone, which worked fine, or use Adam's pen-and-paper idea. Laptops are force fields to keep others away: don't do that. :)

Your best memories of the conf will be of the personal conversations you have. Have lots, with lots of different people. It's hard, but it's worth it.