GDG DevFests harness the power of community

By Phoebe Peronto, Developer Marketing

The global reach of GDG DevFest season continues in this third update. The season kicked off with DevFest Manila in early August, and since then, the community has organized 30 events all over the world. We’re only part way through the season, with many great events still to come. Powered by local Google Developer Groups, this past weekend saw 9 more events. From real-time updates directly from event attendees, to app demos, to memorable moments, here are the latest updates in DevFest-ing:

DevFest Santa Fe | Host: GDG Santa Fe
“Muy bueno el evento! Me gustaría que estas actividades se realicen más seguido, ya que generan relaciones profesionales y académicas muy fructíferas. Saludos!” -- Andrés Testi, DevFest Santa Fe attendee

“Gran evento +Matias Molinas y +Santa Fe GTUG. Felicitaciones por compartir el talento con toda la comunidad de desarrolladores!" -- Nicolas Bortolotti, DevFest Santa Fe attendee

DevFest Ninja | Host: GDG Buenos Aires
Catch up on all things DevFest Ninja with real-time updates from attendees on the GDG Buenos Aires group site.

DevFest Kuala Lumpur | Host: GDG Kuala Lumpur
GDG Kuala Lumpur utilized Google+ in the planning of their event, encouraging attendees to add speakers to their circles to get the most up-to-date information throughout the day (list of speakers).

DevFest Mumbai | Host: GDG Mumbai
It was a full house at GDG DevFest Mumbai--check out the full photo gallery on Google+.

DevFest Pune | Host: GDG Pune
Photos from the event are all viewable here, including sessions, speakers, and registration.

DevFest Bandung (BDG) | Host: GDG Bandung
“Thanks to everyone for attending and for being part of our first-ever GDG DevFest held in Bandung [...]  The event was attended by around 140 people from different backgrounds, including experienced developers, designers, students, lecturers, and newbie programmers.” -- GDG BDG [read full recap here]

DevFest Kathmandu | Host: GDG Kathmandu
“On October 6th 2012, GDG Kathmandu organized one of the best events since its March 2011 founding. Within the first 3 days of announcing the event, we already had 200 committed participants.  A session conducted as a Hangout On Air by Android Developer Advocate Anirudh Dewani was an entirely new experience for Google Developers here in Kathmandu. It was a grand experience of GDG Kathmandu and DevFest Kathmandu was huge success.” -- GDG Kathmandu

DevFest Mbale | Host: GDG Mbale
“GDG DevFest Mbale was the first Devfest to be held in Uganda and the biggest event with technical content held in Mbale with 120 total attendees. The code lab, conducted by James Muranga from GDG Kampala, was the most memorable moment for participants. He introduced Google App Engine, and followed with a code lab that saw attendees getting up to speed developing web apps that run on Google’s platforms. James also demoed an app, Mafuta Go, that he and a team of 4 developed working out from OutBox Hub. It was very inspiring to developers and students alike to see an idea like James’ team’s materialize.” -- Nsubuga Hassan, GDG DevFest Organizer

DevFest Yarmouk University | Host: GDG Yarmouk University

“Best Event Ever”

What’s up next?
Berlin | October 13
Chlef | October 15
UPDATE: Brazza | moved to November 10
Firenze | October, 19
Zurich | October 20
UPDATE: DevFest West (Mountain View) | October 20
Nebrodi | October 20
Thiès | October 20 [tentative]

DevFest isn’t close to over – we’re still going strong! Events are being held all over the world until November 11, and getting involved is a simple 3-step process: find your nearest GDG, attend an event, and join the community. Visit devfest.info for specific event details and session updates.


Phoebe Peronto is an Associate Product Marketing Manager on the Developer Marketing team here at Google. She’s a foodie who has a penchant for traveling, politics, and running. Oh, and of course...Go Cal Bears!

Posted by Scott Knaster, Editor