Full name: Rémy Beumier
Company: KPMG
Job title: Front-end developer
Country: Belgium
Twitter: @beumsk
Time working with Umbraco: 10 months
What made you want to go to Codegarden 2019?
I started to subscribe to the Umbraco newsletter and the communication around Codegarden was creating a good vibe. I was gladly surprised that my manager agreed to let me go and got more and more excited with every new piece of communication about the conference.
What were you looking forward to the most before arriving?
I really wanted to listen to Rachel Andrew’s talk about grids. I read a lot of her articles and I wanted to hear such a famous figure of CSS speaking. I also have to mention my desire to experience Codegarden’s side activities such as the running, yoga and meditation sessions, as well as my desire to land in a new country.
What were your biggest concerns/worries about you going to CG19?
I was afraid not to be at ease enough to meet people or that those people wouldn’t be social enough. Spoiler alert: Turned out Codegarden was well thought for people to be in an open-mindset environment which made everything simple.
What did you think of Codegarden 2019? And can you name your 3 favorite things/takeaways from the conference?
Codegarden was a real success! I could feel the experience through everything from the decoration, the interesting talks, the high-quality food, the activities to so much more.
My 3 takeaways are:
- The versatility of Umbraco: Umbraco is way more than a CMS.
- The accessibility and white hat UX.
- “The only mistake you can make is not asking for help.”
- Bonus one: The Umbraco Bingo! I won’t spoil that one 😉
Did you gain something unexpected from participating in CG19?
I gained a new look on Twitter. That has never been a social media platform I really used, but I realized its power during the event. Spoiler alert: My Twitter account is still very quiet.
Looking back, what do you wish you knew before going to Codegarden?
- I would have liked to know that there was a "pre-party" on Tuesday a bit more in advance. I would have joined the party if I had known that before booking the trip.
- I would also have liked to read the perspectives from previous first-timers, which I only discovered while writing these lines.
- Last thing to mention for beer lovers: ask for full reimbursement from your company in order to fully enjoy the interesting selection of beers served in the evening.
What are your top 3 recommendations/tips for CG20 first timers?
- If you can avoid Cab Inn (a hotel), do it! You probably don’t want to brush your teeth while pooping under the shower (if you’re brave enough, go on their website to see pictures.)
- On your way from your stay to Codegarden, 95% of the people will actually head towards the event. Open the discussion. Now.
- Open your mind and enjoy every part of it; talk to that stranger in the line for food. Ask that question at the end of a talk. Enjoy the relaxing times with meditation and yoga. Go on that boat and lastly do lots of H5YR!
Will we see you for CG20?
I hope to be a part of the event again next year. We’ll see how I can convince my manager this time!
And lastly, anything else you’d like to add?
I will conclude with a SuperTak and a huge H5YR!
P.S. If you’re in a bad mood and don’t like to lose, avoid the table football at all costs ahah.
A massive H5YR to Rémy for sharing his first-timer story - what an interesting read 😀! Make sure to read all of the other Codegarden 2019 first-timer stories.
Curious about previous Codegarden conferences and the experiences of other first-timers?
Find their stories right here:
8 first-timers' perspectives on Codegarden 2018