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What a trip. From the dynamic format of the Unconference, to the Air Guitar competition, the opportunity to speak, and a lens into what's coming in 7.2, it was by far the best event that I have ever been to. I've been to many conference, but my first developer conference. It was so good that I forced myself to find the time to document the exprerience to share it with all of you. 

Day 1 - The Arrival

I arrived the day before to try to cope with the time change. If you arrive early morning and are trying to overcome jet lag with activities, don't start with the river cruise. David N. warned me, but I didn't listen. The warm cabin, the gentle rocking of the boat, the quiet -- all that was missing was a lullaby. David was right, I fell asleep for most of that ride. 

Day 2 - Unconference

I now understand why the Unconference has both limited seating and why it sells out so quickly. At first it feels a little bit like group therapy; everyone sitting in a circle, cues around the room for you to share and not be afraid to share. That's how I felt at least. But the dynamic agenda was inspiring. The participants decide the days topics. Anyone, ANYONE, can stand up, go to the mic, and propose a topic. The topics are then sorted and organized until you end up with an agenda. The discussions are open forums. You can share something cool you have done, ask a question, gripe about something that is bugging you, whatever you want. It's the perfect format for developers; after all we love to argue and we love to boast. Best of all, the leads from the various Liferay teams are present so it's a great opportunity to have your voice heard. For example, I proposed and led a discussion with a topic "Documentation: What is missing?". Cody Hoag, who is the lead for the docs team, was there and shared with us some of the challenges his team faces. He also took notes of the complaints, suggestions or ideas the participants had to digest and share with his team. For me the best part of the Unconference was the opportunity to connect not just with other community members but also the Liferay people from various teams. With only a little over 150 people in attendance it was a nice intimate atmosphere -- perfect for learning and sharing. As if the day and the sessions weren't good enough, the community event that was hosted by Liferay that evening was a blast. If you have not been to an unconference before, I would highly recommend you attend the next one! I certainly plan to. 

Day 3 - DEVCON: Day 1

If first impressions really are the most important thing, then the events team from Liferay nailed it. The venue for this year’s conference was a theatre. The main room (the Red Hall) was amazing and it was one of the first times I found myself at a conference sitting in a seat that I was sure didn't double as a torture rack. I know how silly that sounds, but when you spend most of your day sitting and listening to others talk, a comfortable chair is pretty important! 

The conference kicked off and Liferay didn't waste any time talking about 7.1. I could barely hold back a grin as Brian Chan mentioned BBSes and IRC (items I had included in my own talk that was yet to come). The keynotes and the sessions for the day were awesome -- though I made the same mistake I always make of attending a workshop, with no laptop. The worst part is the walk of shame 20 minutes in as you try to make a quiet (read: impossible) exit from the front of the room to the back. All the sessions I attended were very well done and I can't wait to see the recordings so that I can watch several sessions I was not able to attend. Session aside, there was a very rewarding personal moment for me -- receiving a 2018 Top Contributor award. It wasn't my first award, but who doesn't like to be recognized for the work they do? Actually, the best part of the awards piece was probably the guy to my right who was "picking it up for a friend" ... uh-huh :). 

The after party was chalk full of fun, fun that included and Air Guitar competition. What did I learn? Liferay doesn't just hire some exceptional developers, they also have some impressive air guitar skills! The combination of some awesome old school rock mixed with some all-in passionate head banging air guitar displays makes me think that there are several engineers and community members that might have had aspirations of a different career path in their youth. As if a great party and atmosphere wasn't enough, I also managed to meet Brian Chan (Liferay's Chief Technical Architect and Founder) -- the guy that started it all. He actually thanked me for the work I have done with Liferay. That was a little shocking actually. I give back to Liferay and the community because I feel Liferay and the community has done so much for me! As with the community event I also met some great people from all over Europe and beyond. I even met a Siberian who's name escapes me at the moment, but the shot of vodka he made me do in order to gain passage through the crowd to go home does not. 

Day 4 - DEVCON: Day 2

Day 2 for me was D-Day. My session was right before lunch. Having rehearsed more times than I could remember, most of my nervousness was gone.  My topic was: Journey of a Liferay Developer - The Search for Answers. The content was a community focused session where I decided to share with the group how I got involved with Liferay, the challenges I have faced along the way and how I overcame those challenges. I was a little uneasy since I wasn't really sure anyone would really care to hear my story, but when it was all over, people clapped, so it couldn't have been THAT bad :). All of this was validation that giving back, the hard work to prep, the courage to stand up and share, was worth it. It's something that I would gladly do again and something I would suggest everyone try at least once in their life. 

After my session I shook hands with Bryan Cheung (CEO of Liferay) and had a conversation with him for a few minutes around some of the pieces I highlighted in my talk. This is one of the many things I love about Liferay -- the fact that you can connect with people in their organization at all levels. You think Mark Hurd or Larry Ellison would ever take the time to sit down with me? Maybe, but I doubt it. 

Just like Day 1, the sessions were once again amazing. I learned about tools that were coming to improve developers experiences, I learned about integrations between Liferay and other platforms like Hystrix, and I watched some of my friends presentations discussing their challenges, including how to navigate the rough waters of an upgrade. The day ended with an exciting roadmap session where Jorge highlighted some of the things that are coming in 7.2 which, for me, was really exciting to see some of the potential features coming down the line.

Apart from all this though, I was amazed at how, in just a couple of days, I had covered material that would have otherwise likely taken me weeks or possibly months to learn. With all this information I was anxious to get home to both improve my skills, but also to share my experiences with others (developers and clients) so that we can all get the most out of our Liferay investments.  

Day 5 - Home Again

On your way out, before you check that bag? make sure you have your headphones -- I didn't. The silver lining though was that it gave me time to reflect.  9 hours to sit and reflect to be more precise (that's A LOT of reflection).  I found myself dreaming of the next conference that I might attend and topics I might propose with the hope that Liferay would once again give me the opportunity to share. My goal now? Continue, catching some of the content I missed during the conference (https://www.liferay.com/web/events-devcon), connecting with as many people in the community as I can and to make my way to Boston in 2019.

Hopefully this year goes well enough that I'll find myself back in Europe again next fall -- the question is, where? And will I see you there?