Meet Magento October already began. But, apart from the fact those kinds of events are a great opportunity to network, they are a great time to reflect on the importance of community. As we prepare for Meet Magento in Spain, we collected some thoughts on getting involved and what that brings to you.
Why get involved?
Because, essentially, it pays off. Going to events is a place to meet and connect with like minded individuals who are all exquisite in their own, very special way. For us, organizing Developers Paradise was an opportunity to show our gratitude to the community and give something back. But, apart from that, it was an opportunity to peek into people’s minds and get a fresh info on the latest Magento news right on the spot. Going to a Meet Magento event means advocating for decisions to be made and problems to be tackled. You will never learn as much by reading a book as you will by hanging out with a group of experts.
Here’s what Nenad Andrakovic, one of the speakers at Meet Magento Spain has to say about this from a speaker point of view:
Preparing for Meet Magento is always special since you’re aware of the fact that experts will attend the conference and the workshop you’re having. They have their expectations that we, speakers, must meet.
When dealing with professionals, you really must understand your topic and dig deeper during preparations. You can’t fake it. :)) That means that you will learn something new so apart from giving your knowledge to the others, you get an opportunity to explore the topic you’ll be presenting way better.
What are the key benefits?
You have a voice people recognize and value. You have a word in solving puzzles. You spread the excitement when you’re overcoming challenges. The best part? Excitement doesn’t come from the community only – people in the company get excited about being involved too. After all, they are the ones who create the voice and send out the message you’d like other community members to remember. Think of it this way: by getting involved, you encourage your employees to get better. They are happier with their working environment and because they get to travel and spread the knowledge. Clients are happy because they get experts working on their projects. Community is happy because it has a helping hand whenever there’s a need for one. Mutual build up is what makes us all better. As Kuba from Snowdog once put it: “Coopetition.”
Nenad: “Key advantage of Meet Magento and other conferences is that you have an opportunity to talk with other developers and share knowledge and experience with them. Also, people can ask speakers whatever they want and receive instant feedback on things they want to know (no, speakers are not rock stars, we are developers who love to talk with other developers :)) Bottom line, think of Meet Magento events as a perfect chance to get up to speed on everything Magento related.”
What are the next steps?
You think about attending a Meet Magento event? First step would be to check the list of the upcoming events. We already know that we’ll be visiting Madrid where our Nenad will have a talk on Magento 2 Frontend. But, it doesn’t mean you have to stop there. You can attend an event, write a post about it, write another post about the topic you found interesting, decide to tackle a problem on your own, offer a solution to the community, organize your event – Magento world has a limitless potential.
One of the proofs is building a community of PHP enthusiasts right here in Osijek. Nenad is one of the key people involved and has seen the community grow throughout the years. His experience is a proof that networking paves the way and can yield amazing results.
It’s all about networking. Here in Croatia, in a small town of 100,000 people, we have more than 1500 people who work in IT. 5 years ago, that number was maybe 100. Networking helped companies to get together, organise and grow. Networking helped junior developers to connect with those companies and senior developers who were helping them in their personal progress.
We also have IT organization which help all IT-related people to connect with each other due to free workshops we helped to organize. I just can’t stress the importance of networking in this business.
So, don’t look at conferences like only workshops about topics you are already familiar with. Look at them as an opportunity to meet other developers from Magento world since that’s what really matters.
If we got you thinking or interested, perfect way to deepen this conversation would be to join two Inchooers in Madrid. They’ll be able to give you a nice overview on all things Magento related, but will also enjoy a drink or two served with Magento as the main dish.
See you in all in Madrid! ;))
