Intro

June is almost at an end, and I want to I want to share a quick recap of my participation to some conferences. First of all, a big thanks to the organizers who dedicate their energy to these efforts.

Milan, June 20, 2025 : Tech Community Day

Community Day is a one-day nonprofit event dedicated to Italian tech communities. Its mission is to create a space for sharing, learning and networking open to everyone who works in and is passionate about tech.

Organized in collaboration between Coding Bunker, GrUSP and Fondazione Brodolini, the event aims to strengthen ties between different communities and promote collaboration as an engine of innovation.

On this occasion I had the honor of giving a speech about a maintainer’s life and how anyone in the community can contribute!

Here’s the video recap and some photos:

20250620_085343.jpg 20250620_085439.jpg Milan, old and new

20250620_095535.jpg IMG_20250629_163203_988.jpg Swag and candies!

IMG_20250620_194658_279.jpg IMG_20250629_163152_767.jpg IMG_20250620_202811_841.jpg It’s a-me!

Reggio Emilia, June 27, 2025 : Working Software

For this one I got a last-minute ticket, after invitation of some developer friends. The focus of the event is on agile development and testing, and all the people who get their hands dirty building products that work, making users happy and companies profitable.

The website is pretty cool, and physical location gave off good vibes: an abandoned and renovated industrial complex, hosting coworking space and the local university. The talks were high-level, mixed with very interesting workshops in a tight schedule. Coffee and Lunch breaks were valuable networking occasion, as always in those kind of events.

IMG_20250629_163058_394.jpg IMG_20250629_142741_229.jpg Postmodern architecture

IMG_20250629_142734_845.jpg Comfortable speaking room

20250627_122746.jpg Gabriele Santomaggio, RabbitMQ core developer

20250627_130529.jpg 20250627_132104.jpg Lunch and more duckies!

Back home

I like going to small, local conferences for many reasons:

  • Low travel time and costs: They often fit within a single day, and registration fees are usually lower
  • Deeper connections with “nearby” people, speaking same native language and working in the same territory. Also the networking is more relevant
  • Manageable Size leads to less chaos and easier navigation, giving more time to attend talks and speak with guests and speakers, who are also more accessible than in big conferences.

For aspiring speakers, a local conference can also be a great stepping stone to gain experience and build confidence before aiming for larger stages. The bar for becoming a speaker is often lower, so I strongly recommend them.