Last week, we celebrated the 10th-anniversary edition of Techorama in Antwerp with our Fun Fair edition. This year’s event was bigger, better, and crazier than any edition before. If you don’t know Techorama, it is a yearly international deep knowledge technology conference in Belgium and the Netherlands, mainly focused on the Microsoft stack. This event brings together about 2000 attendees including developers, IT professionals, and data experts. If you want some impressions of this latest edition, watch our after movie where you can see that our mission is to not only create a great conference with deep-dive content but to create an experience and an atmosphere that proves that learning can be fun.
I’m very honored that I’m part of this group of friends, because that’s what we became during those years. Being part of Techorama has changed my life and since it’s now 10 years since the first edition, it’s a good time to reflect on those 10 years.
The impact of Techorama
on my career
When Gill Cleeren, Pieter Gheysens, and Kevin DeRudder started with Techorama, they wanted to invest as much budget as they could in the experience that every stakeholder of the conference (attendees, partners, and speakers) has. This is something that has grown over the years and what makes Techorama such a unique event. Although it is important to have a photographer wandering around at such an event, to have some pictures to promote the next event, they wanted to save some budget that first year on this. Back then I had a strong passion for photography and being Gill’s wife, I decided to help them out by making pictures during the conference days, but also as a crew member and help with the build-up and tear-down. Little did I know that this decision would change my life.
Inspired by the conference, intrigued by the content and the vibrant atmosphere among the attendees, and maybe also because I wasn’t happy anymore in my job as a lab technician, I decided to go back to school and made a switch to tech. The support I got from the people I got to know through Techorama was wonderful and sparked my new passion for tech even more.
on my community involvement
Techorama also introduced me to the .NET community. Because I got so much support when making my career switch from that community, I wanted to do something back. And so, after I graduated, I also got involved in Visug , the .NET user group in Belgium which was ran also by Pieter and Gill at the time. Taking the lead of this user group has put me way out of my comfort zone, especially when I started organizing a free full-day event once a year. Thank you, Pieter and Gill, for the trust in me to take over the user group that both of you have run for so many years.
on triggering me to share knowledge
My journey in tech didn’t end there. Techorama and Visug are built around knowledge sharing. This has also triggered me to start sharing my knowledge so maybe one day I can have an impact on someone’s life, like the .NET Community has had on mine. A few years ago, I started with a blog, which I now start over again. A year ago, I also got the opportunity to start authoring courses on Pluralsight and maybe in the near future, you can find me on stage for a session for a user group or conference.
Thank you
Techorama
I’m very grateful that I’m part of this since the very beginning. Thank you for the opportunities that came my way because I started helping build this amazing conference to what it is today in Belgium and the Netherlands. Being part of Techorama and actively engaging with the .NET ecosystem has enriched my career beyond measure.
I also want to thank the rest of the crew for making the events the highlights of my year, for the support I got when taking my first steps in tech, and for being an amazing group of friends.
Team4Talent
I’m also very grateful that I’ve found a company, first eMenKa, later Team4Talent, that encourages me and supports me in my community involvement. Thank you for standing by me as I navigate in my own way in the tech world, for supporting my growth not only in a technical way but also for believing in my potential.
Conclusion
As I wrap up this reflection, I am grateful for Techorama, for the .NET community, and for the opportunities that have come my way. So, to all aspiring developers out there: Attend conferences, join user groups, and embrace the community. You never know where it might lead you - a new skill, a lifelong friend, or perhaps a blog post like this one. And maybe I will see you at one of the next editions of Techorama in Belgium or the Netherlands or at a Visug session!
