Created as a spin-off of Devoxx, Voxxed Days are technology events dedicated to local developer communities and focused on Java, Web Mobile and JVM languages that bring together internationally and locally renowned speakers, industry leaders and software engineers. Participants united by a great desire to learn, compare, train and be inspired, along a day made up of independent conferences organized by developers, for developers.
A story that, in retrospect, can be called a success story that saw Federico Yankelevich, CEO of the company Exteso and organizer of Voxxed Days Ticino from their first edition, personally involved.
“In May 2013 together with my colleague Celestino Bellone we managed to convince our employer at the time to let us attend a Devoxx conference in England: a three-day event dedicated to developers like us. I remember it as a wonderful experience, where we learned so many new things, but mostly things that interested us. The great thing about this event is that you can choose the talk that is most like you, and then exchange impressions and opinions or catch up on the talks you missed thanks to the videos posted on Youtube. When we returned, we did not fail to tell our colleagues about this experience. We were so enthusiastic that on the last day in the UK we approached the organizer of Devoxx UK, Mark Hazell, and asked him if we could organize a similar event at home as well, because we knew that there were quite a few developers in Ticino but few opportunities for exchange. Although we caught him off guard in the midst of Devoxx, he did not say no. Rather, he pointed out to us that we were developers and not event organizers and that perhaps we were underestimating the commitment needed. He told us, however, that they would take their time to think about it.”
Three months later Federico Yankelevich and Celestino Bellone received an unexpected email in which the creators of Devoxx announced the creation of a sub-brand, Voxxed, for small local conferences in Europe and around the world, inspired by the main event.
“That email got us so excited. After an initial test run by Devoxx in Vienna, it was our turn to launch into what today, with some pride, we can call the first real Voxxed that had continuity. We spent 2014 preparing for it, to arrive ready for May 2015. We had to improvise ourselves as event organizers: we were quite serene about the content and speakers; perhaps a bit more acerbic about other not-so-marginal aspects such as sponsors, logistics, and audio-visual technology. To promote the event we reduced our work rate. We spent one day a week in a Fiat Panda up and down Canton knocking on the doors of companies where we knew there was at least one developer to deliver the event flyer. The first impression was a bit skeptical, but being able to introduce ourselves as developers to other developers immediately created some confidence, and the first edition, minus a few youthful mistakes, was a success with 299 registrants and extremely positive feedback from the Ticino community.”
A story born from an improbable premise can only have an equally improbable sequel. In fact, at the end of the day, in the same way that Federico Yankelevich and Celestino Bellone had appeared before the organizer of Devoxx UK, a group of developers from Lucerne approached them.
“They were quite amazed, not to say a little annoyed, that such an event was being organized in Ticino and not in another city in Switzerland. We told them that from our side there was no objection to others proposing it, but they insisted that it should be us. A year later we opened Voxxed Days in Zurich, and the same scene as in 2015 came up again. This time it was some CERN developers who demanded that we hold the event in Geneva as well. In 2017, the first edition of Voxxed Days was held at CERN.”
Over time, Voxxed Days has carved out an important space in the development world, thanks to a program that is carefully screened by Program Commitees, who evaluate speakers extremely carefully, checking the quality and veracity of the speeches. Over nine editions, this rigor has allowed organizers to host industry celebrities. “Come to think of it, it seems unimaginable: we had Jürgen Höller at the opening of one edition. A name that won't say much to those outside the industry, but whose contribution to us was disruptive. It's like Bono Vox coming to Ticino to open a middle school concert. Last year we had Venkat Subramaniam, who I consider an idol of mine since I saw him on stage in 2013, and for this year, we're still working on it, but we're aiming very high, hopefully we'll be able to pull off a big surprise.”
Besides the stars, how have Voxxed Days changed over the years?
“Compared to Devoxx, which has always been an event for the Java community, we have tried to give a more generalist, less single-technology-specific focus. A local event has to respond to local needs, so adapt to the developers and the technologies they use in their daily lives. Another change concerns the sponsors: if before it was the big companies that wanted to profile themselves, today it is the local entities that see in our event an opportunity to make themselves known and promote their skills. Finally, we have noticed that Voxxed Days is an opportunity to catch up with school or college classmates or former co-workers. Participants often come because they know they will see many people they would not normally meet in our industry. Not surprisingly, the final toast is always a very heartfelt and participatory moment.”
“In addition, we have been offering in-depth workshops the day before the event for a few years now. It is a great opportunity to take advantage of some of the speakers who come to Lugano for the event, and this year we are organizing three very interesting ones. More info can be found on the website.”
From these words it is clear that Voxxed Days is enjoying fairly good health. “Last year in the three events in Switzerland we reached 1250 participants, 400 of them in Ticino, a record that we hope to confirm again this year. Then there are the speakers who are very keen to participate. Although they do not receive compensation, they know that Voxxed can be an opportunity to make themselves known and create new opportunities. The premises to make this 10th edition memorable are all there, we want us to be a party for the whole Insubric community, where we will celebrate 10 editions and 30 years of Java. We will have interesting talks on applied AI, with very concrete and practical examples of how to integrate it into one's own applications, and I can anticipate that the speakers already selected are top-notch.”
And what future does Federico Yankelevich see for Voxxed Days?
“One message I will send from the pulpit will be to younger colleagues. We would like our event to one day become theirs; for them to take the reins and evolve it according to their needs. It is a message that fits into a broader discourse about what Ticino could become for the development world. We are in an ideal area for reconciling private and professional life; now we need to create extra-work opportunities and expand the local community. We live in a place of great natural beauty that stands in the way of our sedentary lives. We are close to Zurich and Milan, and exciting new opportunities are being created for the industry. Now we need to convince younger developers to pursue a career here, which is also why we have collaborated assiduously with SUPSI and USI over the years.”