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Showing posts from 2019

7 Things I hope conferences change for 2019 and beyond

As a conference speaker, attendee, organizer for GR8Conf , and developer advocate for an organization that sponsors conferences, I get to see a lot of different sides of tech conferences from small, community-run events to large for-profit companies. No matter the size of the conference, there are some trends I've noticed over the years that I really hope we can change: 1. Stop making excuses for a lack of diversity There are now countless articles on how to make conferences more diverse. Really. Just search for it. Yes, there aren't as many women to speak/attend your event as men, but they do exist so at least make an effort. How much clearer do we need to be with conference organizers? Do not have an all male speaker lineup. It is not complicated. Don’t do it. Work harder to find women speakers. They exist, they are willing & able. There is simply no excuse for an #AllMalePanel #Manel @DianeSmithG https://t.co/eO0wuAgsbh — Dr Kirstin Ferguson (@kirstinfergu