One beauty of WWDC being in San Francisco was that every part was shut. It didn’t matter a lot which occasion you selected to go to after the convention completed every single day, it was all inside strolling distance. AltConf, which grew to be a essential a part of WWDC week was often hosted throughout the street within the Kids’s Museum 🎠, and the Layers convention joined a few years later. All mixed, they supported many extra individuals than the official occasion might accommodate.
If something San Jose may’ve been even extra handy than San Francisco! AlfConf was hosted not more than 20 paces away from the convention centre, and there have been many extra venues inside a couple of minutes stroll for impromptu meetups or organised occasions.
We sadly haven’t seen the opposite conferences transition to Cupertino since in-person occasions began at Apple Park. Probably as a result of Cupertino is nowhere close to as walkable as the opposite cities are. Probably as a result of the official occasion is just a one-day occasion? Or possibly it simply didn’t really feel fairly the identical because the pandemic.
So I used to be delighted to see this week’s announcement of a brand new community-run convention that can run alongside this yr’s WWDC. One Extra Factor is a five-day occasion with labs, workshops, and different occasions. It’s being organised by J’aime Ohm with assist and recommendation from each AltConf and Layers organisers.
The location for the convention is nice, too. It’s a stone’s throw from Apple Park (the customer’s centre is walkable from the venue), and there are many espresso outlets and eating places proper exterior the lodge door. It’s the proper location for an occasion like this.
It’s early days for a full schedule, however there’s already a Keynote/SotU watch occasion deliberate for Monday and “particular occasions” by Paul Hudson and James Dempsey on Thursday and Friday. 🫨 Proposals for talks are open and volunteering alternatives can be found, too. Tickets are free and out there now, however there are supporter choices out there for assured entry and for individuals who need to assist make this occasion financially possible.
I’ll do a broader round-up of every part else occurring that week as we get nearer to the date, however I wished to spotlight this occasion now, particularly as I feel it might kickstart the particular ambiance that WWDC week had in San Francisco and San Jose. I want J’aime and her crew all of the luck with getting this off the bottom!
Dave Verwer 
