What an absolute blast it was presenting at DDDPerth this year! Something that’s always been on my bucketlist, and I can finally tick off.
I’ll be doing a few different posts to cover the whole adventure, as it was quite the journey! Here’s a quick overview:
Part 1 (ie. this post) provides an overview of DDDPerth, and runs through the lead up to the event.
Part 2 is THE post about the actual event (the only word I have is EPIC)
Part 3 is all about reflection and learnings.
What is DDDPerth
DDD Perth is Perth's largest community run conference for the tech community. Their goal is to create an approachable event that appeals to the whole community, especially people that don't normally get to attend or speak at conferences. The conference is run on a Saturday, and strives to be inclusive of everyone in the Perth tech community.
While it’s heritage is as a developer-focussed conference, DDD Perth is not just for developers, but for all professionals in the software industry.
The lead up
There were several stages leading up to the actual event. Here’s a quick and easy breakdown of how it went for me:
Mid April 2022
I noticed (through Twitter, perhaps?) that calls were open for DDDPerth. And it remained a thought, right up until the final 2 weeks until calls for submissions closed! I had previously done a talk internally at HBF, and thought the topic may be of interest. So, my submission was for a talk that I hadn’t actually prepared yet… WHELP.
Early May 2002
It was over a couple of days that I crafted my synopsis… making it simple, catchy and also feasible to actually talk about. Once I hit the submit button, I’d realised I’d forgotten a sentence or two. Typical!
27 May 2022
VOTING OPENS! This was the day. But, it was completely different to previous years where it was a random draw, where people would vote between 2 talks at a time. Very Tinder-esque DDDPerth…. I was having flashbacks to my young and carefree dating days!
7 July 2022
After what felt like forever, the agenda was announced…. and HUZZAH! I was nominated! But then the realisation set in… I NEED TO ACTUALLY PULL TOGETHER THE PRESENTATION!
The preparation
DDDPerth is a super organised and supportive. Leading up to the actual day, there were 3 x speaker training sessions made available for all speakers. Luckily for you, they have made some fab blog posts with all the amazing resources we received!
Speaker Skills Part 1 — Planning, Format, Structure, and Slides
Speaker Skills Part 2 — Performance and Delivery Tips and Tricks
Each session went for 2-3 hours each, and you had 2 options - in person or remote. Being a mummabear, I had no option BUT to be remote. But because DDDPerth is so inclusive, it was totally fine. PLUS it made it so much easier as I was able to still put her to bed during one of the breaks. Bonus!
We had a 3rd session, where we also did a dry run of 10 minutes or so of whatever we had pulled together for our talks. To be honest, this was where I wished I had done the in-person sessions, but heyho - toddlers! (And, lack of sleep because of said toddlers. I remember that day, it was an exhausting one!)
The verdict
Even if you’re considering doing a conference talk, I would highly recommend DDDPerth. It’s a safe, inclusive and supportive conference that I’d recommend for anyone who is in a technical (or tech related) field. The support provided is above and beyond any other conference I know of. A huge thank you to the organisers and volunteers (oh, did I mention… it’s completely volunteer run. Amazing!)