My GDG Devfest Experience

It is officially one day after the biggest tech event in Kenya and probably Africa, GDG #devfest2022 . Someone requested that I share my experience since they missed the ticket and I thought why not? Let's do it on a Monday morning when we need all the necessary motivation to carry us throughout the rest of the year.

First, this was the first official tech event (outside Moringa School tech events) that I attended. Remember, I started my journey in tech in August 2020, graduated from Moringa School on March 2021, and my tech interest was piqued this year (2022) when I started looking for communities in tech.

Being part of Women Techmakers Nairobi ambassadors and also part of the #devfest2022 crew (Ground control), we had to do a reconnaissance visit at USIU where the GDG Devfest was going to take place. The visit was on Friday at 4 pm (4/11/2022) and this was also to allow the event organizers to designate tasks for each of the crew members. The crew members showed up in huge numbers and we were around 70+ who were tasked with making sure the event and more so the attendees have a smooth run.

For the WTM ambassadors, we had a preparation for the Women Techmakers Nairobi breakfast that was happening at the dawn of the Devfest event on Saturday (5/11/2022). We had to check the venue and also run some logistics and debrief to ascertain that the breakfast runs smoothly for the WTM attendees.

The reconnaissance visit run smoothly albeit starting at a later time than the one stipulated meaning we had to leave late than what was indicated. The organizers ascertained people understood their tasks and we were to be at the ground by 6 am on Saturday (5/11/2022).

On Saturday, 6 am, my first stop was at the auditorium where the WTM breakfast was to unfold. Being my first official time to meet the ambassadors physically, it was exhilarating and an honor because we had been in communication virtually planning for the breakfast. There was harmony among the ambassadors and a feeling of belonging that was exuded. The ambassadors did their tasks diligently as we awaited the attendees who started streaming in as early as 6:30 am, and by 7:30 am, the USIU auditorium which holds around 400-500 people was three-quarters packed with women ready to learn from the speakers Ada Nduka Oyom , Dr. Chao Mbogho , and Sabrina Barongo and later joined by Ida Nganga .

The WTM breakfast was a huge success and the turnout was amazing. The conversation around claiming your seat at the table in tech left a lot of us motivated and made our dreams so achievable. The speakers who are a huge success in their own fields ascertained that their wisdom was shared equally with every attendee. And of course, there was breakfast served to every attendee and it was more than enough as well as the swag that comes with attending tech events.

After breakfast, I was back to the ground control as one of the GDG Nairobi #devfest2022 crew. It was not an easy feat but I really enjoyed just being on the ground and directing the attendees and interacting with different speakers.

What I learned from the whole event is that the tech space is huge enough for all of us. Also, in the tech space, you can overlook a lot of big giants because they do not walk around with inflated egos. During the event, everyone was equal and they were open to connections without the need to announce their titles and expertise. Why is this important? Because it showed me how easy it is for one to make connections and network with people in the tech space regardless of imposter syndrome. The cake is big and everyone can have a piece of it.

The event was inundated with people interested in tech, students, students' tech leads, community members, community leads, senior software and web developers, technical writers, UI/UX enthusiast as well as leads, cyber-security engineers, web3 developers, and many more. This goes to show it was an event for everyone and anyone, which made it more interesting to attend because you had the opportunity to interact and network with different people from different tech backgrounds.

Of course, the time management was a little bit off, and this created some disconnect for those who are keen on time management. It also demanded some reshuffling of different topics that were to be addressed in different breakout rooms. The speakers as well as the attendees had to get acquainted with the new time schedule and ascertain everyone gets value for their time by getting an opportunity to attend their chosen speaker event. The adjustment also meant that as ground control, we had to stay on our toes and ascertain that everything went smoothly regardless of time readjustment.

There were forty-five different topics spread across 5 hours in different break-out rooms. There were forty-five expert speakers such as Tabitha Kavyu , Rose Adhiambo , Ian Okumu , Bethany J. , and Harun Mbaabu Mwenda among others from different companies such as 微软 , 谷歌 , Elewa , Moringa School , Kodally , and Postman among others. One of the most attended sessions was by Polaris Track (Web/PWA) : Make Your React Website Fast by Tony K. as well as Polaris Track (Web /PWA) : Let's talk about web performance - Great Performance is Great User Experience by Wycliffe Maina . However, each session had people fully packed.

The event was a huge success. I mean, you do not want to miss out on the next GDG Nairobi #Devfest 2023. It had 3000+ attendees, 44+ Speakers, 10+ Partners, 12 Organizers, 70+ Crew Members, 10+ participating GDG Groups, and 26+ participating countries. Also do not sleep on the networks that come with networking with different people in the tech space. Put yourself out there and be on the lookout for community events. Check out Google Developer Groups since that is how I got wind about this event and managed to get to the ground control team. Also if you are a woman and interested in being part of the Women Techmakers Community, just reach out to me and you can be one of us. Do not feel alone in the tech space where there is a whole community out there ready to receive you. Come and occupy space.

After the event, I was exhausted. Still, I am exhausted, but it was worth every bit of energy. If you attended the GDG Devfest event, what was your best moment?