Conference evaluation / personal feedback

[nfrydenholm]

First of all, thanks for a good conference in a beautiful location. I think it’s really great with a conference that focuses on apps, and strives to cover both iOS and Android. And it comes at a fair price.

Overall I’m leaving with a few new learnings, and some good inspiration for things I need to try out in the apps I’m working on. But like with everything else, there is always room for continuous improvements, and here is my personal feedback for that :-)

Lugano is a beautiful location, and the venue was fine with big rooms and visuals/sound that worked. But Lugano is unfortunately a bit cumbersome to travel to, so it takes a long time to get there (at least from Denmark, where I travelled from).

Like at all other conferences there were some hits and misses among the talks. I’m interested in both Android and iOS, but I think the topics in the “iOS track” were better than the Android ones. So for next year I would hope for a bit stronger Android track. Also, as mentioned in another feedback, there could have been some more advanced talks as well. An idea could be to mark the talks from 1-3 on how advanced the talk is.

The interview-sessions did not really work for me. I quickly lost focus and zoned out, so they ended up not bringing me any value. I think it’s bold to “experiment” with other formats, and maybe it’s just me that this interview-style didn’t work for.

To me, an important aspect of going to a conference, is to be able to meet other developers, and discuss various topics with them - not only listen to talks.
Sadly I think this is the conference where I’ve spent the least time doing that. Of course it’s great with a packed program with lot’s of talks, but I could have used some more breaks.
During the breaks I found myself running to the restroom, and then waiting in line for either coffee or the food/snacks. (Due to the long wait for lunch on the first day, I went out for lunch in the city, which of course is my own fault for missing out on meeting others during the lunch break). The days were also very long - ending a bit earlier would have been nice as well.

This was my first visit to the conference, and seeing that it’s only the third time it’s held, I think you have already come a long way in hosting a good conference, so keep up the good work, and I can easily see myself coming back next year.

[mpospese]

I was going to write my own review, but @nfrydenholm said everything I wanted to say better, so consider this a +1 on the above opinions.

My only difference was that living near Zug I found Lugano extremely easy to reach, so no complaints on the city.

As you are aware, the lunch service needs improvements in terms of efficiency. The afternoon chocolate fountain suffered from the same problem.

Keep up the good work and thank you!