00:00:07.759
Well, hello everybody! Oh my gosh, here we are. It has finally happened: we have reached the end of RubyConf, the virtual edition for 2020. What just happened, friends? Oh my gosh, that was three fast days, if you ask me.
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First and foremost, I want to thank you all for coming from around the world. Let's just start there. I mean, many of you it’s probably around 2 a.m. right now and you’re half asleep. So, thank you, thank you, thank you!
00:00:43.920
Oh, sorry, my notes have just escaped me. We decided to get super fancy for you today because who doesn’t need an excuse these days to dress up in their fanciest clothes? I wore my fancy tie and brought my fancy plant. Barrett wore his fancy headphones and Allison has put up her fancy background. You know, everything is fancy here. With that, let's take a look at what we have seen over the course of this conference because it is pretty impressive.
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Thank you, everyone, so much for truly engaging with this conference and bringing the magic of the Ruby community to life. We had over 750 people register, and the average session attendance was 380, with 40 countries represented. There were so many Slack channels and messages, and 51 Run/Walk exercise participants. This community is just so incredibly special.
00:02:08.320
As a reminder, RubyConf is organized by Ruby Central. We're a nonprofit dedicated to supporting and advancing the Ruby programming language and the worldwide Ruby community. For example, we help with hosting rubygems.org. I know that many of you might know that there’s a nonprofit behind all this, and Barrett just mentioned it, but there are also very active individuals on the Ruby Central board. This board is a working board; these individuals are not just present by name, they are actually present by action.
00:02:54.599
All of the individuals in this group help organize these events every single year. Some take RubyConf, others take RailsConf, but the bottom line is they’re all actively involved, and they deserve a huge round of applause for the tremendous effort they put into this event and others just like it.
00:03:39.440
We also wanted to say thank you again to the Ruby Central staff for your many hours of work that you put into making this conference so amazing. A special thank you goes to Abby today, as this will be her last conference with Ruby Central. She has been with us for eight years and has been instrumental in making these conferences run. Abby, we appreciate you, and we will miss you. We will have a public announcement with more information on this tomorrow.
00:04:14.000
It cannot go without mentioning the program committee. This entire event is significant, involving a lot of people who show up and participate. We have to ensure that the curated talks truly represent the community as a whole, based on the topics and the people that are involved. This committee is composed of volunteers who participate in that process.
00:05:12.080
These six individuals have curated all the talks, reviewing the hundreds of proposals that have come in. They have worked with the speakers to refine certain aspects of their talks if necessary and helped put the program together. Again, these six are just a small segment but a hugely important part of what makes these conferences such a significant event.
00:05:23.680
A huge round of applause for the work they put in! And thank you to our ambassadors for making RubyConf feel inviting and welcoming in the true Ruby spirit. Yes, thank you! Also, a special thanks to our emcee Adam, who has been, with maybe a couple of exceptions, the most amazing MC ever.
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Check out softwareresidency.com for more information on the work that one of Adam's groups does to help place junior and mid-level developers. And last but not least, I cannot take such a pleasant compliment without acknowledging two of the individuals who are not only on the board but are also helping drive the program committee. Our program chairs are Barrett and Allison. Huge thanks to both of you for setting the tone and direction for what this year is going to look like.
00:06:26.160
Not only are the program committee and Ruby Central board actively involved, but also all of you as participants are here. They are the ones steering the direction of the event this year, so let's give a huge round of applause to both of you. I am very lucky to call you both my friends.
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A deep and heartfelt thank you to both of you, and thank you to Tribal Gatherings for helping us with the hallway track. Thank you to our sponsors as well. Our diamond sponsor is Braintree, our gold sponsors are Engine Yard and Scout APM, and our silver sponsors are Cedar Code, Michelada.io, and Cover My Meds.
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Finally, our scholarship program and engagement session sponsors are Vonage, TaxJar, ActBlue, AWS, Shopify, and D&D Simple. Thank you all so much for your support. We could not have conducted this program or conference without your generosity.
00:07:24.479
Now, speaking of someone we absolutely could not have done this conference without, that is you, my friends! This conference is entirely made up of the community. From all the individuals mentioned to the sponsors and the roles they played, every element is a big part of what makes this community successful. The fact that you've been so engaged, even with all the insanity I’ve thrown at you, and have been patient during technical challenges, shows how wonderful this community is.
00:08:27.520
I cannot express enough how much I appreciate you and how much I care for this community. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being such an amazing part of what makes Ruby so great and strong. Keep an eye out for an email from us after the conference. There will be a link to give us some feedback on the conference, so please fill out the RubyConf survey.
00:08:55.760
I’ve seen this question asked a few times in Slack: when will things be available and for how long? Talks will be available on Crowdcast to registered participants until we make them live for the public. The conference Slack and job board will be available for the next few weeks before shutting down.
00:09:21.440
We’ll give a notice in the public channels in Slack before we close it down, so make sure to check for that. To continue the conversations, go to underscore rc underscore on social media. For more information on the job board, go to underscore rc underscore jobs.
00:10:05.760
Now, for the big announcement: Ruby Central organizes both RailsConf and RubyConf, and this coming spring, we'll be doing RailsConf. It will be virtual, similar to how we handled RubyConf. I’m very excited for this. The previous conference included many first-time attendees.
00:11:08.880
I do believe that a lot of those numbers come down to the accessibility of a virtual conference, and what RubyConf was able to provide. So, I’m really excited that RailsConf will have similar opportunities for attendees from around the globe. We’ll have incredible speakers joining from all over the world.
00:11:33.280
So, again, RailsConf this coming year is going to be virtual, just like RubyConf was, with a few tweaks to accommodate. Now for the anticipation building towards next year’s location... our anticipated location will hopefully be in Denver!
00:12:06.479
Thank you, everyone! Thank you so so very much! Make sure to pick up on Slack. Remember, as Barrett mentioned, the Slack will stay open for a little while longer, but eventually, it will be closed.
00:12:48.320
So, I need to echo this again because it has happened a few times: do make sure to follow the folks you want to reconnect with in the coming week, so you can ensure that you stay connected.
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Otherwise, we will see you at RailsConf and, if not, at RubyConf next year. Thank you!
