Attended GDD India 2017 on Dec 1, Dec 2 - and it was a great experience all round. Could have done more networking perhaps but for an introvert like me whatever happened was satisfactory !
This is an invite based event. No idea how many people apply but in each and every mail it is re-iterated that there is a long wait list due to overwhelming interest. If one is not planning to attend they ask that you send a mail to them.
The queues at BIEC were pretty long. Additionally there were people who were on the wait-list and were standing aside. When I went in, there were around 50-60 people in that area.
People came from all over India and some from outside India too. That's some dedication !
A guy I was chatting to at the conference mentioned it was a paid event outside India. Did not check the veracity of that but in India it was free. All one needed was an invite and the confirmation code.
It was mentioned in keynote speeches on both days that this was the biggest event so far. It was pretty crowded. Although I do know that the salesforce conference is very crowded too.
My impressions of the GDD (2 days) --
Negatives
1. Crowded
I did not expect it to be that crowded. One can argue that it offers better networking opportunities but I still thought it was too crowded. On the 2nd day people were being turned away from the design workshop.
2. Wifi issues
Due to the sheer volume - in the trainings there were issues with wifi when working with the codelabs. Yes, the engineers got it working most of the time - still it was a little frustrating.
3. Certification Lounge
I went to the lounge to ask about the Data Engineer certification track. The lady who gave a brief background of the 3 tracks was good. And then she said for more details you can ask so-and-so.
And that guy was completely disinterested. Don't know what his problem was. Brushed me off by saying everything is available online. Well that completely defeats the purpose of having the lounge itself right ?? Even GDD is not really required. After all - codelabs are available online !!!!
Anyway; inspite of asking more questions - I got nowhere. Since he was chatting with the previous person amicably - either it was a gender issue or he decided that I was wasting his time with just one look. Annoying.
Positives
1. The ratio of women attending GDD was 36%. Highest in all GDD events so far !
2. Got to meet a wide variety of people. From students, professors, marketing people, product mangers, developers, founders etc.
3. Trainings were really valuable and so were the sessions. Sessions are available online now.
4. Keynote on Day 2 was exceptional.
- The brief talk with NIRAMAI founder Geetha Manjunath was very interesting. NIRAMAI is building a non-invasive method of detecting breast cancer at early stages.
- Sowmya Subramanian's talk on inclusive design was excellent. The talk was not pedantic but fun with relevant insights for each point.
Touched all kinds of areas
- Airbags in cars
- Youtube for kids
- Cheetos
- Emojis
- Inherent Bias
Very engaging while reiterating the importance of inclusive design.
Reminded me of the soap dispenser that would not dispense soap for darker people but if a tissue was kept below it - it dispensed the liquid soap ! Definitely not inclusive design.
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| How kids saw youtube. |
5. The session on improving your networking skills by Jozef Vodička was awesome !!!!
It was a short session but full of valuable nuggets !
- A very very simple 2 word ice breaker - Business or Vacation ?
Couple of questions that can help start or keep the conversation going
- On which activity are you spending maximum time now ?
- What habit are you trying to inculcate now ?
The words I am using are not exactly the same but I think they convey the general idea - this was a session that was really worth attending.
6. The sandbox area with its demos, codelabs, android things, IoT demo, meet a googler, women techmarkers etc was informative. Met more google engineers at these points and it was something to listen to them talk about their products/work and their patience with the numerous queries !
7. During the sessions there were screens on the side which showed the live transcription of the speaker's talk. Fabulous marketing !
8. Goodies - T-shirts, Wallet by Women Techmakers, Bag, IoT kit, Android kit etc.
9. After party ! :) Free food and drinks .. and Raghu Dixit on the live band. Need I say more ?
All in all - It was a wonderful experience and if GDD happens next year would love to attend it !
