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Rocky Mountain Ruby Conference organizers Spike Ilaqua and Becky Freeman share how they revived this regional event and why smaller tech conferences create uniquely valuable community experiences.

• Rocky Mountain Ruby started in 2010, ran until 2017, then was revived after the pandemic
• The conference builds on Boulder's strong Ruby community, including regular meetups and an active Slack channel
• Small regional conferences create more intimate experiences where attendees can meet everyone
• The "Pac-Man rule" encourages conversation circles to always leave space for newcomers to join
• Single-track programming and community lunches help foster connections between attendees
• Volunteering at conferences provides an immediate icebreaker and helps overcome social anxiety
• Making eye contact, smiling, and joining pre-conference activities helps newcomers build connections
• Conference organizers benefit from mentorship and learning from experienced community builders

Rocky Mountain Ruby returns to Boulder, Colorado on October 6-7, 2024. The CFP will open in late May/early June, and tickets will be available in July. Submit talks at rockymtnruby.com.

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Marty Haught, Director of Open Source at Ruby Central, shares insights on securing the Ruby ecosystem and the evolution of community spaces at tech conferences.

• Ruby Central's open source program focuses on three key areas: security, reliability, and sustainability
• Pre-compiled binaries for native extensions are coming to RubyGems to eliminate supply chain attack vectors
• Hack Spaces at RailsConf are evolving with two-hour blocks to allow maintainers to interact more freely
• Evening code parties could provide structured socializing opportunities for solo conference attendees
• The EU Cyber Resilience Act will become the "GDPR for cybersecurity" affecting commercial software by 2026
• Companies will need to produce Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) and track vulnerabilities in open source dependencies
• Ruby Central is participating in working groups to help shape implementation of new security regulations
• Getting involved in open source is a marathon - find projects that genuinely interest you

Use code ODETORAILSCONF at checkout to get 10% off at GoRails.com

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Chris Oliver joins us to discuss his experience co-chairing the final RailsConf and provides a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to organize a major tech conference.

• Co-chairing RailsConf with Ufuk was an opportunity too good to pass up for the final Rails conference
• Site visits to Philadelphia's Sheraton included evaluating spaces for keynotes, breakout rooms, vendor areas and social events
• This year attendees will explore Philly for lunch rather than having catered conference meals
• Reading Terminal Market is just a 10-minute walk from the venue with incredible food options
• The CFP process involved reviewing 250 submissions to select just 29 talks
• Initial proposal reviews were anonymized to reduce selection bias
• Creating the conference schedule required balancing competing talks across three simultaneous tracks
• Booking rooms at the conference hotel supports the event financially and creates more networking opportunities
• Meeting people at conferences is easier when you remember everyone shares a passion for Ruby and Rails
• Ruby Central maintains critical infrastructure including RubyGems and Bundler beyond organizing conferences

Use code ODE2RAILSCONF at checkout to get 10% off at GoRails.com