3 new initiatives for Codegarden first-timers

Year after year, we LOVE seeing both new and familiar faces at Codegarden!

The familiar ones come back as they (more or less 😉) know what Codegarden is about, want to meet other familiar faces and don’t want to miss a thing! The new ones, well, they are often very excited, heard stories and recommendations but also have a lot of questions and wonders. Maybe they’ve heard someone say; “It’s a conference like no other”, “It’s the best place to find out all the latest in the Umbraco world”, “What happens at bingo, stays at bingo” - and while this is all very intriguing it doesn’t help the fact that you are going to an unfamiliar conference for the very first time. Perhaps even alone?

We acknowledge that for some, this is part of the excitement - while for others, this can awaken some discomfort. Or maybe you are left feeling a mix of the two. One thing's for sure - its always comforting to know a familiar face who's happy to show you around and answer your questions. 

That's why we have made sure that Codegarden 2019 will be as welcoming and considerate to first-timers as ever before! 

How?

3 new Codegarden first-timer initiatives

We are proud to have 3 great initiatives in place. All of which specially designed to make sure that you have the best, most rewarding and fun Codegarden experience.

And we are confident that these initiatives will be a great success as we have called in the true experts; former friendly Codegarden attendees (so if that’s you, please read on to figure out how you can help us help newcomers have the best CG19 experience!)

Codegarden for first-timers

Previous years, we have helped prepare first-timers with a blog post summing up all the happenings of Codegarden (Codegarden 2018. First-timer’s manual). This year we want to add another layer to this in order to make sure you feel super-prepared for what the 3-day Umbraco conference withholds.

So before the 600+ Umbracians join the conference, before the first key-note speak by the founder of Umbraco, Niels Hartvig, is held, we invite all first-timers to the “Codegarden for first-timers” session.

This is a 45-minute session on day 1 that will sum up the practicalities as well as the stories and the history of Umbraco and Codegarden. It’s basically a Codegarden crash-course.

And we have already booked the very best to host this session:

Get a uBuddy

This initiative is based on requests and ideas from previous first-timers. And we think it’s brilliant!

By getting a uBuddy, you get an Umbraco-buddy to help you with your Codegarden questions. To get your uBuddy you simply have to show up for the match-making session on day 1. You’ll then be assigned a friendly uBuddy together with 3-4 other first-timers (a great way to meet new people as well) and together you’ll figure out how best to support each other during the 3 day conference - maybe you’ll meet up each morning for a quick coffee, maybe you’ll meet several times a day - you’ll agree on this together.

(And we need uBuddies! As a uBuddy you get; a uBuddy t-shirt, a shoutout from Umbraco HQ, and a unique Codegarden experience because you get to make someone else’s first Codegarden experience umbazing! ;) - read the few requirements here and sign-up by the 8th of March 2019!)  

H5YR! Ehm.. what?

As a first-timer at Codegarden and perhaps also a newbie in Umbraco or the Umbraco community the “H5YR” might be a bit (a lot!) puzzling. H5YR stands for high-five-you-rock and is an Umbraco-way of showing appreciation. And let us just reveal this to you now - at Codegarden you’ll end up doing a lot of high-fiving 😉

As you’ll also discover, Codegarden is the place to get official Umbraco stickers for your laptop or where else you like to stick things. For Codegarden 2019, community member Owain Williams (a Codegarden 2018 first-timer!) has come up with a great idea that not only invites first-timers to strike up a conversation but every Codegarden attendee!

Owain will design special “H5YR” stickers that will allow you to collect high-five-stickers from other Codegarden attendees. We really like this idea as it requires minimal effort but might just be that little gesture that ends up being the foundation for an interesting conversation with a friendly stranger. And those conversations are indeed also a big part of what Codegarden is all about.

So #H5YR Owain for doing this!

See you at Codegarden 2019?

We can’t wait to welcome you at Codegarden 2019! And with these 3 new initiatives, we are sure you’ll feel welcomed, prepared and very excited - and by the end, have a memorable, fruitful and enjoyable first-time Codegarden experience.

See you on the 22nd-24th of May? We sure hope so 😃

... and if you are a former Codegarden attendee, remember to sign-up to become a uBuddy by the 8th of March!