🎂🎈🎁

We are excited to announce our first ever half-day, single-track, conference to mark one year of // TODO meet-ups, with a line up of speakers that includes some familiar faces as well as some brand new ones too…

📅 September 28th 2018, 15:00-20:00
💰 Free (yep, that’s right, no charge whatsoever)
🏢 BBC, 7th Floor, New Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, W1A

Supported by the kind generosity of BBC, Moo, O’Reilly Media, The Pragmatic Bookshelf, Ray Wenderlich, The App Business, and Funding Circle and Sketch App.

15:00: Doors Open (with snacks and soft drinks)
15:25: Intro (5 mins)
15:30: Luca Bartoletti – Further Adventures Outside the Glowing Rectangle (20 mins)
15:50: Sally Shepard – Your codebase is a product (20 mins)
16:10: Break (10 mins)
16:20: Alex Watson – The magic of strategy: a practical guide for practical people
(20 mins)
16:40: Stevie Buckley – I hope you’re well – What do recruiters actually do? (20 mins)
17:00: Gen Ashley – What I Do The Work I Do for Women in Tech (20 mins)
17:20: Break (10 mins)
17:30: Sixth Talk: A yoga refresh for // TODO – Gemma Tomkinson (10 mins)
17:40: Stephen Gray – The future of Social Technology and why we should keep it real (20 mins)
18:00: Silvia Cambie – From journalism to tech.. and on to AI (20 mins)
18:10: Break
18:20: Ben Weiss – Self Care (20 mins)
18:40: Emily Webber – People and (agile) teams (20 mins)
19:00: Outro and Social (with food and drinks) (60 mins)
20:00: Close

Speakers (In No Order)

The magic of strategy: a practical guide for practical people
Alex Watson (Head Of Product at BBC News)
twitter.com/Sifter

We say: Alex has been Head of Product for BBC News for the past two years and, before that, he was Director of Product for Dennis Publishing and then Head of Product for The Telegraph. It’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about publishing in our digital age! Alex is someone we have had a tentative yes to speak at // TODO from day one so it was a no-brainer that, given we were going to be in his office (so to speak) we might be able to grab some of his precious time at long last…

They say: What is strategy? Why don’t we have one? Why don’t we act in a more strategic way? In this talk, I’ll try and demystify what strategy is, how developers, designers, product people and other makers, doers and deliverers in digital organisations can understand it, contribute to it – and what to do when there isn’t one you can see…

People and (agile) teams
Emily Webber (Agile/Lean Consultant, Previous // TODO Speaker)
twitter.com/ewebber

We say: Emily was kind and generous enough to give up an evening last September to come and speak at a brand new meet up that was promising to not be like other tech meet-ups, for which we are eternally grateful. The talk was superb and gave us the kind of start we could only have dreamed of, so it was obvious that we would ask he back to inaugurate our first foray into conferences. We could not be happier!

They say: Our organisations and teams are made up of people and we create value when those people interact with each other. In this talk, Emily will talk about the people side of agile and how to create the right environment for teams to succeed.

The future of Social Technology and why we should keep it real
Stephen Gray (Founder of Real Social Tech, Entrepreneur, Futurist, Digital Creative & Strategist)
twitter.com/stephengrayuk

We say: Stephen was someone that Michael added to the list of people who it would be really cool to get to speak, from day one. Well, here we are 365 days later (give or take) and it’s finally a reality…

They say: Are social technologies such as social media, social robotics, virtual realities and online dating really social? What impact does anti-social tech have on us both as an individual and as a greater society? Why is human-to-human connection even important? How can we design tech that really connects us?

Stephen will give his opinions to these questions and more in his introduction to Real Social Tech talk, tell you about the movement he is trying to create and how he hopes to change the world for the better.

Your codebase is a product
Sally Shepard (Technology Manager at Hotels.com, Previous // TODO Speaker)
twitter.com/mostgood

We say: If you’ve never seem Sally talk before then you are in for a real treat but chances are, if you’ve been to // TODO or any number of international conferences then you have. Thoughtful, insightful, inspiring and funny are some the ways we would describe her talks. But don’t take our word for it…come along and hear this brand new talk and decide for yourself…

They say: coming soon!

Further Adventures Outside the Glowing Rectangle
Luca Bartoletti (Lead iOS Developer, Citymapper)
twitter.com/lucabartoletti

We say: After we had Joe speak last year about designing digital systems that interface with the real world (if you were there you will remember the MVP bus in a cupboard…) we immediately thought about CityMapper when we started planning the conference. We are, therefore, delighted that Luca has agreed to come long and pick up the story since then…

They say: At Citymapper we spent years refining and reinventing what a transport app is. Eventually we started running our own transport services, with Smart Bus and now Smart Ride. This talk will share the experience of going from an informational app to one that supports ride booking & payment in a few short months.

A Yoga Refresh for // TODO and Tomorrow (Placeholder Title)
Gemma Tomkinson (Business Transformation Manager / Qualified Yoga Teacher)
twitter.com/gtomkins

We say: It’s halfway through the conference and you’ve heard some amazing talks, had some nice refreshments, but have now been sitting a whole lot more than usual. It’s time to learn how we can refresh mind, body and soul with some simple yoga techniques that will not just work for now, but which you can take back to your desks on Monday.

They say: coming soon!

I hope you’re well – What do recruiters actually do?
Stevie Buckley (Co-Founder of Honest Work)
twitter.com/StevieBuckley

We say: Yes, you read that right…we’ve invited the founder of a company that connects people in tech with jobs in tech. I’m mean, the talk title even mentions the word “recruiters”… Well, let us stop you right there and suggest you go check out Stevie’s twitter feed. Right now. Go On. Done that? Good. We’ll be seeing you in the front row too then.

They say: A behind-the-scenes look at the various tactics (the good and the very bad) that recruiters use. Followed by an understanding of the difference between agency recruiters and internal recruiters and how to get both to work in your favour.

What I Do: The Work I Do for Women in Tech
Gen Ashley (Director at Women Who Code, Lead at Google WomenTechMakers London)
twitter.com/coderinheels

We say: If you want to get an inkling of why we are so crazy excited about Gen agreeing to speak, just check out her twitter feed…we totally love and admire her attitude to her work (and, just as importantly, her play).

They say: coming soon!

Self Care (Placeholder Title)
Ben Weiss (DevRel Engineer, Google)
twitter.com/keyboardsurfer

We say: We are living through a time of enormous change, much of which is driven by the digital world we are building, and live in. Whilst we don’t yet know the full impact that this is having on us we do know that it is affecting us, and that we need to start taking steps to counter the negative effects. So, when we spoke to Ben and the idea of a talk on self care came up, we knew it was a perfect fit for us.

They say: coming soon!

From journalism to tech.. and on to AI
Silvia Cambie (European Lead for Watson Workspace Ecosystem, IBM)
twitter.com/silviacambie

We say: When you read a talk abstract that includes the line “If Quantum computing is helping us simulate nature, are we likely to understand who we really are as human beings?”, if you are a // TODO organiser you start to get really very excited indeed. Therefore, when Silvia came back to us with this idea, we actually shorted our own talk to fit it in. Seriously, if you could have seen the Slack emojis when we found out she had confirmed…

They say: Silvia started her career in journalism and comms and then moved to tech because she believes technology can help remove barriers between people.
As an early adopter of social media over 10 years ago, she used Twitter to reach out to women bloggers in the Middle East who then became key players in the Arab Spring.

Silvia will share the story of her personal journey through tech and what she learned from it. She will also look at the future: How do you focus on the human aspect behind AI and personalisation? If Quantum computing is helping us simulate nature, are we likely to understand who we really are as human beings?