Like many people, I have been wrestling with the changes and risks that the global pandemic has brought to our everyday lives. Back at the end of October I was thrown in at the deep end when work offered me the opportunity to go to MarTechFest in London. An extended train trip followed the tube then by a large conference hosted at the Magazine near the O2 arena was outside of my comfort zone, so I took some self-convincing to go. I am glad I did convince myself the event was positive, highly charged and with some great speakers. It went so well in fact that I was excited to hear about DevFest UK and Ireland on the 20th of November.
The key difference between the two, (other than the subjects, speakers, and venue) is that DevFest is offering participation online. MarTechFest was entirely in-person so I had no choice in the matter. For DevFest the logistics were tight, but I could have made it without spending a fortune. The only question was it worth the risk to attend?
As I came down from the conference buzz of MarTechFest I started to notice talk of rising COVID cases with parliament implementing tighter restrictions on themselves and more national restrictions likely before too long. I had to weigh this against the vibe of the in-person event, which is something you don’t get on a Zoom call. Despite the success of MarTechFest, I came down on the side of Zoom. It might not be exciting and I am not looking forwards to it in the same way, it might not be such a great chance to network, but it does mean I am doing the best I can to keep my family and friends safe and though all of this that is all any of us can do.