Highlights from ElixirConf 2020

We love ElixirConf; we've been attending for years, and while this year's conference was different from most, there was a lot to enjoy this time around. ElixirConf 2020 was all online due to the global pandemic; it used a new conferencing platform to support the multi-track event. Despite some technical challenges, overall we had a great time, and we were also glad to help make sure that some of the community aspects of the conference continued during this time of social distancing.

Here is a roundup of some of our favorite talks, shenanigans, and virtual hallway track moments from ElixirConf 2020.

Favorite Talks

Elixir Ecosystem Survey Results

Brian Cardarella presented the results of the 2020 Elixir Ecosystem Survey; really great insights for the community.

Japa Swadia: Domain-Driven Design with Elixir

DDD has been a recurring topic on this season of Elixir Wizards, and Japa shared good tips and thoughts around the domain of your application.

Quinn Wilton: Type-Safe LiveView with Gleam

Strong typing is a favorite for some of our team members, who also really enjoyed Quinn's demo which included writing an emulator on the BEAM and running space invaders.

Nicholas Henry: The Upside Down Dimension of Elixir - An Introduction to Metaprogramming

We liked this talk particularly for the metaphors and analogies for how to think about metaprogramming; particularly how one world is for humans and the other is for the computer.

Yutaka Kikuchi: Applying Elixir for driving small hydropower plants with Nerves

This presentation had some great takeaways for embedded Nerves projects.

Eric Oestrich: Writing Game Servers in Elixir

Melvin Cedeno: Teaching Functional Programming With Elixir

We are probably biased, but we love seeing our team members present; Eric gave an overview of how his code architecture has changed in the latest version of his MUD server, and Melvin talked about how he got into teaching Elixir, and gave tips on what he's learned works well when teaching newbies functional programming with Elixir.

Jenn Gamble: Robust data pipelines for machine learning driven industrial IoT

One of the better introductions to Machine Learning we've seen; it made the basic mechanics of ML clear without getting into the deep end of linear algebra. Also, nice to see a new face on the keynote roster!

Favorite Extracurriculars and Shenanigans

We feel strongly that social events and fun swag help make the conference experience; this year required a different approach to make that happen.

Flat Swag

We mailed out flat swag from sponsors to a couple hundred folks who opted in by providing their physical address when they registered for ElixirConf.

PS: If you missed out on the sweet holographic stickers and want us to mail you a packet, we still have some available; just send us your address.

The Purple Carpet

Hosted by the fabulous Sophie DeBenedetto and Meryl Dakin, the Purple Carpet was our idea for a social hang in lieu of the normal speakers' dinner. A play on the idea of the "Red Carpet," it was a fun way to introduce the who's-who of ElixirConf.

The pet introductions were delightful and the horoscopes were 100% accurate, as promised; in an unexpected twist, this event also included a surprisingly in-depth conversation about handheld Dyson vacuums.

Lazier River Conf

There were some technical hiccups Thursday morning, and the hosts of 2019's LazyRiverConf quickly put together a Twitch stream while waiting for the official re-launch of the conference.

Emcee Scene and Costume Changes

Justus took the opportunity to mix things up, presiding as emcee from a variety of locations, including beachside and from a very fancy bath tub.

We certainly enjoyed the conference and look forward to seeing everyone again in person whenever it is safe to do so.