Most conferences have been cancelled, since it is difficult to hold a conference these days. The idea to move the conference online has been obviously around, but it was rejected by most organizers, because it it not the same and the all important chance to meet other people is just not the same. So the Devoxx in Antwerp, which I like to visit every year, did not happen. But Devoxx Ukraine decided to go for online.
So how did it work: There were three tracks. Each track was represented by a youtube channel, on which the live talk was transmitted. Before and after the talks, professional moderators appeared in these channels, announced the speakers and did what moderators do in normal conferences. The devoxx App worked on my cell phone and that seemed to be the most up to date schedule.
Some talks were really excellent. I enjoyed them a lot even online. For talks that are not so good, it requires more discipline to stay tuned.
The discussion was done in zoom channels that belonged to the three tracks. So discussions could technically last until the end of the next talk. The discussions in zoom also worked quite well, which was a surprise.
I think it is probably the right reaction, to have fewer conferences than usually in a year and to cancel some and move some to online, exactly as it is happening. I think DevoxxUA had around 10’000 visitors, so they absorbed audiences of several conferences. Also some common speakers at Devoxx conferences were not giving talks, so I assume that also part of the speakers decided that the online format is not ideal for them.
About the contents I will write in another Blog article.