Exploring Conferences: iOS Conf SG 2023, Preparations

Conferences are fun. They are amazing. I get to meet people from different parts of the world and escape the tiny bubble and the four walls I comfortably put myself in.

I was working as a Developer Relations Engineer, and part of my role was to roam around conferences. Yep. It was a heavenly perk of the job. I educated and helped the iOS developers, and it made sense to start the year 2023 by going to an iOS conference. Getting a European visa is difficult for me due to my weak passport, but the first conference of the year was in Singapore, which was much easier! I asked my team if I could go for a few days, and they said yes! My boss even said to go and have fun, haha.

The next iOS Conf SG 2024 iteration is happening on the 18th and 19th of January, so if you have already got the tickets, here are a few things on my checklist that may help you next month!

If you are still thinking about it, I highly recommend attending the conference, especially if you are from Asia. Take advantage of the educational budget that your company/startup provides, and talk to like-minded iOS developers from around the world. The conference was a turning point in my life, as I got some extremely valuable advice from the organiser and made friends that I still talk to every day.

Also, you will find yours truly on the stage talking about GPT and iOS next year!

Visa Hurdles

The most important thing for the paranoid me is to get the visa on time. Especially after a courier service lost my passport last year. Getting a Singapore visa is either through an agent for Indians, which is cumbersome and takes probably a week. I did not want to give my passport to a third-party agent at any cost. So, I tried finding an alternative. I stumbled upon the other quicker route: applying through an SG resident. You do not even have to have confirmed flight tickets! I took this route and got the e-visa in 2 days. You can find more details about it here.

Booking the Flights

Second, I booked the flights via Air India. I was a bit late and did not want to go out of budget, so I took a layover flight from Delhi via Chennai to Singapore instead of a direct one. It cost me around 400 USD. I do regret procrastinating as a direct one is so much better than the hassle of changing planes.

Looking for Stay

Singapore is expensive. And so are the hotels. I had some trouble finding a decent three-star hotel for 100 USD. I somehow managed to book five nights under 500 USD, but at different places, and wasted time changing hotels. Again, I wish I booked refundable hotels beforehand instead of waiting for a New Year's discount and hoping for a steal on a four-star.

Meeting People!

Conferences, for me, are all about people! I can watch the sessions at home, too. But meeting my Twitter friends from around the world, making new ones, hanging with them and having a beer at the after-party, and complaining and ranting about how SwiftUI was in iOS 13 is where all the fun is at. I love meeting new people from a distinct culture from mine, different minds but shared interests in developing Apple Platforms.

Hearing about their experiences just opens your mind to all the possibilities that are out there. Even while typing this, my mind is racing with all my conversations with people I met during the breaks between the sessions and the after-party. So worth it.

I had a list of people I wanted to meet, like Subh, the organiser, from Singapore, Daniela from Canada, Jordi from the Netherlands, Daniel Steinberg and Mikaela from the US, Tunde from the UK, and so many more.

I have much more to write about, so stay tuned for the upcoming posts in the coming weeks!