Introduction

Hey, I will be sharing my Virtual KubeCon Valencia, Spain experience along with a guide on how to attend the event and plan a schedule.

I struggled with the planning and attending event part and figured that many first-time attendees might have the same issues which we will be covering in-depth in the blog. Let's get right into it by knowing a bit about KubeCon history!

KubeCon History

KubeCon got its name by Kubernetes Conference.

Kubernetes started from an inside project at Google called Borg. Recognizing the revolutionary scope of their product, Google open-sourced Kubernetes in 2014, prompting huge advancements in the distributed computing world.

Google held the first KubeCon in November of 2015. The meeting lasted three days and highlighted an assortment of speakers who talked about themes going from application improvement on cloud-local stages to coordinating Kubernetes on the AWS stage.

Aside from talks and featured discussions, KubeCon 2015 additionally planned a few workshops so attendees could get some hands-on experience with Kubernetes deployment, and the conference concluded with a Kubernetes Hackathon.

How has KubeCon Changed?

KubeCon in its initial days focused only on topics pertaining directly to Kubernetes. However, in the years following its inauguration, the primary purpose of KubeCon has expanded to encompass its exponential growth.

KubeCon was originally hosted by the KubeAcademy. However, the Linux Foundation (a nonprofit that seeks to provide a neutral hub for developers to collaborate, build code and form new ideas) envisioned a KubeCon of a higher scale, and, shortly after the first conference took place, one of their subsidiary companies- The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) - began hosting the event. As one of the largest homes for cloud-native technology and software, the CNCF aims at democratizing code to make cloud-native technology readily available and accessible to all.

Accordingly, KubeCon is now focused on promoting engagement and education of all open source and cloud-native technology. It is extremely welcoming to newcomers and its focus on diversity and inclusivity is commendable. Check out more about Diversity + Inclusion here

Who should attend KubeCon

According to the official website, The Cloud Native Computing Foundation’s flagship conference gathers leading technologists from leading open-source and cloud-native communities to further the education and advancement of cloud-native computing.

Kubernetes and other cloud-native technologies enable higher velocity software development at a lower cost than traditional infrastructure. Cloud-native – orchestrating containers as part of a microservices architecture – is a departure from traditional application design. The Cloud Native Computing Foundation is helping to build a map through this new terrain, and KubeCon + CloudNativeCon is where the community comes together to share their expertise on this formerly uncharted but increasingly popular territory.

• Application Developers
• IT Operations
• Technical Management
• Executive Leadership
• Product Managers and Product Marketing
• End-users
• Service Providers
• CNCF Contributors
• Those looking to learn more about Cloud Native

This information is straight from the official KubeCon page.

In my opinion, everyone should attend the conference once to expand their horizon and learn about the exciting developments taking place in the community, it really is inspiring and motivating.

Code of Conduct

KubeCon has a strict Code of conduct which you need to keep in mind while attending the conference both virtually and in person.

Read the Code of Conduct and follow it to have an amazing experience for yourself and others too!

Register for KubeCon

You can register for KubeCon by the Registration page, this link directs you to KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America Oct 24-28, 2022 event. If you are reading the blog after the event has taken place, don't worry the process is the same.

Registration fees for in-person range from:

• $999 to $1650 for Corporate
• $299 to $700 for Individuals
• $99 to $150 for Academic

While Registration fees for virtual attendance range from:

• $10 to $75 for All Access Attendees
• $0 for Keynote + Solutions Showcase
• $0 for All-access attendees if you apply for a scholarship. Learn more about Scholarships. I applied for a scholarship as I am still a college student.

Navigate KubeCon

For navigating KubeCon and attending events efficiently, go to the Schedule page and make your own schedule of the talks/events you want to attend.

There are various tracks listed, the talks are color-coded for reference.

People who have been attending technical conferences suggest planning your talks beforehand so that you can maximize your time at the event. Sharing your schedule and talks to are excited about on Twitter helps in networking with people. Go through the sponsor list and visit them in the sponsor booth to know more about their products.

My Experience

I attended the event on 16th May 2022 then afterward I was not able to attend. The event is jam-packed with learning and fun events. I really liked the DoK Day the introduction and Bart's search for the horn were fun to watch.

I enjoyed the various music events they really got me bobbing my head sitting in my room. The poetry was something I did not expect in a tech event but, I loved it!!

I did face some issues also, I was not able to attend the events after Monday as the website is not very intuitive. I was not able to navigate from where can I attend the event, the "join session" button directed me to a new tab but there was no video playback there, eventually, through the chat window of that page, a YouTube link was shared.

Co-located events + sessions has sessions listed by date but there was no "click here to watch" button. This was my first technical conference and I was too afraid to ask in the Slack channel but thinking back I should have asked from the start as the community is really kind to newcomers.

My learnings

• Setup your slack if you don't have one already, and join the slack channel for communication.
• Use Twitter to share about your schedule and events you will be attending, there are a lot of people who would be happy to tag along.
• Don't be afraid to ask, there are no silly questions.
• Technology conferences are not so overwhelming, they are people just like you and me, who have gathered for something they are passionate about and want to learn more.
• The most important one, have fun and learn.

KubeCon + CoudNativeCon Schedule 2022-2023

If you are interested in knowing about all the events conducted by Linux Foundation you can visit Linux Foundation Events Page. I have listed the next KubeCon dates below.

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2022

• Dates: Oct 24-28, 2022
• Location: Detroit, United States
• Link to website

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2023

• Dates: Apr 17–21, 2023
• Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Link to website

Conclusion

It was my first ever tech conference, there were some issues but they could have been easily addressed had I asked for it. I had a lot of fun, it was a new experience.

If you haven't attended or had a chance to attend it, you should definitely try it out. Workshops and Conferences are a great way to learn and know about new technologies, best practices, and interactions.

Is KubeCon worth it? - Definitely YES!

• You get to tune in to the talks delivered by industry experts from Civo, Google, Microsoft Azure, Red Hat, and many more.
• You get to interact with the sponsor booths and learn about the displayed technologies or tools.
• If you are a new or experienced developer, there is something for everyone to learn with the various workshops that are conducted under around 22 tracks ranging from 101 track, Application + Development track, Maintainer Track, and many more.
• Networking Opportunities at events such as KubeCon are immense, you will find and meet like-minded people working on exciting projects.
• IT world, moves at a fast pace, and in order to keep up with it, you need to continually push yourself and expose yourself to the latest technology. KubeCon will help you achieve just that.

I will try to attend the North America event in person, hope to see you all there!

Resources

• Linux Foundation Events
• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2022
• KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2023