After PHPNW, we were extremely excited for the PHP East Midlands Un-conference 2014 as it was closer to home. As strong advocates for expanding the PHP community in Leicestershire and the East Midlands, it was a great opportunity for us to spread the word and get more people who live locally, to get involved with the world of PHP and the tech-community.
To get further behind the user group and their events, we signed up to become Prime Supporters of PHPEM. This allows them to run events, workshops and subsidise tickets so that they are available to more people.
The un-conference was held at Dock, which was even more convenient for us, especially as that meant there was an extremely slim chance of any travel disruptions! Dock is the perfect space to hold an event like the un-conference; it has a bright and spacious atrium, perfect for large numbers of people to gather and socialise in; several meeting rooms and empty workspaces, which are good for talks and lectures; and brilliant catering, which is great for any kind of event.
Similar to the PHPNW14 event that we went to last month, the talks at PHPEM14 were divided into three different ‘tracks’, giving everyone a different choice so they could attend talks on subjects they were most-interested in. All of our developers have different views and interests, so all of them went to different talks. This allowed us to share the experiences and knowledge together at the end, when the event was over.
As the event was an un-conference, there was a lot of room for people to still put themselves forward for talk. If you don’t know what the general idea of an un-conference is, it’s basically a conference that is a little bit more relaxed. None of the talks were set in stone, and as it’s a more laid-back atmosphere. People who are wanting to do a talk, especially novice speakers, sometimes feel less intimidated so it is a good way to practice your public-speaking skills.
It was encouraged throughout the day for people to propose ideas for talks and step forward to do a talk (whether it was their own, or one of the suggested ones), the good thing about these kinds of events is that even if you aren’t an expert on the subject, someone will be able to learn something from you. Even some of the Viva IT developers even did their own talks over the course of the day.
At the end of the event, the Viva IT team and some of the other un-conference attendees went into Leicester for more socialising and a few drinks.
We’d like to thank everyone for taking part in PHPEM14, and everyone who was involved with organising the un-conference. This includes all of the speakers, organisers and the Dock staff. It was a great event, and we can’t wait until the next one!