The Organiser's Tale

Hi everyone!

Here we are to share with you some personal observations about the second edition of Wey Wey Web, not only because we believe in self-analysis and self-criticism, but also to make you even more aware of what happens behind the curtains. Last but not least, there should always be some space for self-celebration ;)

Let’s start by saying that WWW was born in 2022 as an “experiment” to give voice to the front-end side of things, all the aspects that were normally not covered in the BigBrother event J On The Beach, to shape it in a cuter format and, hopefully, replicate its success.

To make this successful, we needed a local expert, so we teamed up with Carmel Hassan, Product/UX specialist and founder of Yes We Tech, a Málaga-based association aiming at giving voice to underrepresented communities in tech, especially women.

Since the beginning, WWW has identified diversity, social inclusion and accessibility as its core values. It is no coincidence that many of our talks and workshops are prime examples of how these major topics apply to the virtual and visual worlds of design and code.

We understood that we were doing it right when the number of attendees doubled just after one single edition and reached soldout one month before the second one took place. All in all, we think that in 2023 we have reached our number 1 objective for Wey Wey Web event, namely in the words of our attendees: organising and generating “good vibes” in the context of a diverse and “inspiring event” which perfectly “complements and mixes design and code”.

These words already fill us with joy and satisfaction, but here are some numbers for a better, more practical and transparent view of everything.

The international audience had an incredibly strong presence in WWW and exceeded the number of the Spanish public, which is not bad for a Spain-based conference with a very malagueño touch. This not only means that WWW raises the interest in knowledge beyond geographical distances but also that Málaga-Costa del Sol is becoming a magnet for many and has the potential to become one of the greatest tech hubs in Europe. We can’t be prouder for having been pioneers in this and having contributed, even if just partly, to this incredible growth.

As Carmel mentioned at the beginning of the event we have increased the percentage of women and non-binary attendees from 25% to 36% which is amazing and in our opinion reflects the idea that the more diverse our panel of speakers the more diverse is our event.

And what did our attendees say about the event?

When it comes to dissecting event feedback, there are critical considerations to keep in mind.

First off, let’s remember that a post-event survey isn’t the sole source for gathering feedback. The image we’re presenting below reveals insights solely from respondents who filled out the survey after the event. However, our feedback net cast much wider. We conducted additional surveys with sponsors, engaged in on-site conversations with attendees, internally shared a feedback document among volunteers and the organizing team, and closely monitored social media activity during and post-event. This multifaceted approach helped us construct a comprehensive view of the event.

Now, onto an important point: the number of responses to the post-event survey, which totaled 48 individuals (representing 11.5% of attendees). Admittedly, this figure isn’t expansive enough to encapsulate the sentiments of the majority. It’s a snippet of information that, while helpful, doesn’t paint the complete picture. Another crucial aspect is considering who typically responds to these surveys. With eight years of organizing tech events under our belt, we’ve learned that taking feedback too heavily can adversely impact team morale. There’s a need to be cautious of the vocal minority—both the exceedingly satisfied and the extremely dissatisfied—so as to maintain a more balanced and objective perspective of the event.

Overall, our post-event feedback showcases positive trends. The overall satisfaction aligns closely with last year, dipping by just half a point. Notably, we’ve managed to elevate the venue rating from 7.5 to 8.5. However, despite witnessing the event’s growth and feeling the enthusiasm firsthand, it’s essential to acknowledge that not everything is all sunshine and rainbows. We’re not fond of making mistakes, but we highly value the learning that stems from them.

The Venue

After dealing with an endless series of requests for authorisations that a private venue would not imply, we’ve been honoured to be allowed to use Málaga’s local government facilities (Auditorio EN) and to operate under its patronage. We were happy with the auditorium’s size, aesthetics and equipment, in addition to its exceptional location, able to give the best Málaga vibe, security and the welcoming smiles of the receptionists. Unfortunately, the auditorium has just.. one auditorium, and we had to be creative to find an adequate location for the workshops. The best option we had was La Térmica cultural centre, the -beautiful- building just nearby but yes, we know that having everything in the same venue is ten times better and we’ll work hard to avoid long walks and labyrinths for our attendees (and volunteers who kindly escorted the groups each time).

The content: Talks & Workshops

We have received positive feedback about the variety of aspects covered and the program’s structure, which is carefully designed for developers’ and designers’ respective talks and workshops not to overlap, but at the same time to have a full overview of these two main fields.

Having both topics on our event is one of our main strengths and that has been said in the feedback and also from our speakers.

In the image provided above, it’s evident that Anton Lovchikov’s talk on “3 Reasons to Switch to OKLCH” received the most outstanding rating, marking a significant success for several reasons. Initially, Anton stepped in for Andrey Sitnik, originally slated via the CFP but unable to attend due to personal reasons. Initially, there were reservations about Anton’s delivery after reviewing some of his previous presentations. However, Anton demonstrated an exemplary level of professionalism, possibly ranking among the most skilled speakers we’ve hosted. Right from the outset, his commitment and positive approach illuminated his performance. He submitted a video, receiving meticulous feedback from our fantastic Josh Goldberg, which undoubtedly contributed to the polished delivery reflected in the feedback. For those interested, the video of “3 Reasons to Switch to OKLCH” is available on our Youtube channel.

Regarding the other talks, we acknowledge the need to further refine our selection process, particularly in terms of talk complexity, as some were deemed too basic. Our goal is to make the conference accessible to everyone, especially catering to junior profiles. Yet, we understand the feedback and are dedicated to enriching your experience with more stimulating and engaging content.

Networking activities

We are proud of the success of the first night’s networking event with the trivial quiz about the tech topics addressed in the event and the karaoke contest. We are thinking of opening a talent scout agency or sending some video performances to the X Factor.

Unfortunately, the affluence was not as high as expected at the closing party on Friday. Still, we know this can happen for different reasons: the people who don’t leave immediately after the conference prefer to enjoy Málaga centre by night, get lost in tapas, or simply are not into punk-rock as Luis is. But especially, you must be sick and tired of us after two full days, who can blame you? :)

Food & Coffee: an open wound

The catering sphere was the most challenging aspect of the whole event, both logistically and financially, and part of it is still an open wound.

First of all, coffee. Quality takes time, and the exceptional quality of our coffee and the bartenders we chose for this event had as a side effect an unacceptably long queue for people who just wanted their survival morning shot. Then, some people queued to have their righteous 4th coffee of the morning, but who are we to judge? Especially with such a good coffee indeed. We will do our best to prevent this next time.

We also had some logistical issues during the serving of the first lunch, due to unclear permissions and communications with the venue and our anxiety for everyone to fit comfortably in the limited space allocated to catering. Juan of Recio’s catering was an absolute gentleman in dealing with this pressure and calmed us and the attendees’ stomachs with definitely generous portions of traditional food.

While we aspired to offer a more refined menu, circumstances three weeks before the event limited our options. We had exciting plans for a vibrant vegan menu, but unfortunately, the journey turned murky. Denied tastings or customary courtesies, payment terms took an unexpected turn, leading to a cancelled collaboration and an impending legal dispute.

Considering all of the above, the Wey-conomics for this edition resulted in the following:

BUT. This doesn’t bring us down! We did the best we could with the time and resources we had in not showing the weight of the negative sides. As we always did, we will take every experience, advice and observation as a lesson and we will work even harder to: be surrounded by quality and reliable suppliers, streamline procedures, polish the tone and level of the talks, make sure that the event run smoothly in every aspect to make everyone’s experience the best as possible and create the ideal environment for those YayYay vibes that have become our signature.

We hope that you enjoyed the event as much as we did in the making of it and we hope to see your smiling faces again next year and the ones to come!