Wednesday Evening
Wednesday is what we call our “Summiteer Party.”
Honestly, it’s not much of a party. We call it a party because we’re geeks, and we want to be seen as people who are fun! and exciting! and stuff. So if you’re anticipating a huge, raucous frat party with 300 of your closest friends… sorry, but that’s not what you’ll find.
Look, by Wednesday evening, we’re all getting a little tired. We’ve had three days of technology crammed into our eyes and ears, and we just want to have a sit down and chat with some friends. And maybe get the heck out of the conference venue for a minute, right?
Well, that’s what Wednesday is. We rent out a restaurant or tavern space, lay in some good food, and provide everyone with some beverage tickets (we offer both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options). We’ll carry over a box of board games. Sometimes the venue will have pub games like darts, pool, or shuffleboard. We all grab a plate, pile on some food, grab a seat, and just chill for a bit. After everyone’s fed, the board games will get opened, or someone will start an informal pool tournament. It’s pretty low-key, compared to some parties we’ve heard about.
Wednesday is a great time to chat with folks about the sessions you’ve attended. And if you see a presenter from a session you liked, walk up and tell them that. No presenter anywhere will ever tire of hearing, “Hi, I loved your session today. Great stuff!” It’s a great way to start a conversation and get more info about, well, anything. Summit presenters aren’t highly paid mega-stars, they’re community members just like you. Questions like “How did you come up with that idea?” or “How did you figure that stuff out?” will net you a great conversation. Also, if you’re even remotely thinking about presenting something yourself (hint: you should be) then asking a presenter you enjoyed for some tips is a great way to start that journey.
As the evening ends, some will go for a proper dinner. Others will wrap up their pool or shuffleboard game and linger for a bit. It’s a good time to hang with some new friends that you might not have spent much time with to that point, and the last big chance to introduce yourself to a few new people.
Don’t miss out on Wednesday evening. Even if you just hang out for a few minutes, it’ll be good to see you. We do hope you’ll stick around for a couple of hours, though — it’s these kinds of eat-and-mingle opportunities that really let you form meaningful connections with your peers and colleagues. Try to remember a couple of their names (we’re constantly re-introducing ourselves, so it’s fine if you do too), and connect with them on Slack later. These are the friendships that differentiate a job from a career, after all!