I have very fond memories of my first time at WWX in 2014. I had just come along to keep Simon company and maybe learn a thing or two and during the course of one weekend, I became so caught up in the Haxe that today I am actually working part-time for the Haxe Foundation.
During the last two years, WWX has made a huge leap forward. In 2014, it was hosted at a local technical college in Paris. Have a look at us back then:
It was a lovely albeit cold place. I remember borrowing Simon's jacket permanently and stacking multiple layers of conference t-shirts at some point. Nonetheless, we had an amazing time with a lot of interesting talks and many awesome people to meet.
Then, last year, Silex Labs really outdid themselves when they managed to secure the Mozilla Space as a venue for the conference. Not only was it way more central, it is also a very nice building and comes with very good audio and recording equipment. The quality of the live stream alone was so much better! Also, just look at the place!
This year, the conference will take place in the same venue and I am very much looking forward to it. The website for this year has also seen a major style overhaul and you can find all relevant information at a glance.
Things To Consider
Leading up to the big event, there are still a few things that are left to do, though.
1. Getting The Event Funded On Ulule
Like last year, Silex Labs have put up a crowd funding campaign on Ulule to help fund the event. If you have not contributed yet, you have four more days to do so:
Of Course, the Haxe Foundation will help sponsor the event like we did the last times.
2. Giving a Speech
During the last years, Nicolas has always opened the event with a keynote about what is new in Haxe. This year, though, he will not be able to make it due to already planned family holidays and we will have to find a different solution. He will probably record a keynote for us to enjoy. There are also some other new things, like the Haxe Blog, the Haxe Code Cookbook and HaxeDevelop as well as some stats about the community and web presence that we could talk about. We still need to settle on topics and coordinate this with Silex Labs (Hey, Antonin!).
3. A Place To Stay
In 2014, Simon and I stayed in a lovely Hotel very close to the city center. It was a nice place to stay and conveniently close to the bar where we had the conference party. Last year, we decided to be a little more adventurous and booked an apartment through Airbnb where we stayed with 6 other Haxers. While it was a little crowded, it also made for very good late-night Haxe talks and gave us all so much more time to meet.
4. Definitely By Train
The first time we went to Paris, we went by train. The journey takes only four hours and is very convenient seeing as there is a direct connection from Cologne. Last year, in spirit with the general sense of adventure, we went by car. It was quite a trip and driving in Paris is definitely an experience. I think I will stick with the train from now on.
5. People To Meet
The best thing about WWX is getting to meet all the people you have not seen for a year and find new people to see the following year. It is also a good opportunity for the core development team to meet and exchange ideas, talk features and make plans. For me, there is quite a list of people that I want to check in with and see how their projects are coming along and what is new in their Haxe world. Finally, I am, of course, also looking for interesting projects that can be featured on the blog or the use-case section on the website.
See You Soon!
I am very happy that I get to go to WWX this year and can not wait to meet everyone again. In my expereinece, it is a great event to find new ideas and get some energy for the next year in Haxe. I love seeing the community come together and I am very happy to see things grow and change.
Talk to you soon!