Translated from 日本語 • View original What is TOA?
Hello, this is Aimi Nakajima.
I received 10,000 yen from the company during my 12-day summer vacation and participated in Tech Open Air 2017 held in Berlin!
Actually, this is the second time this year.
Going to a conference in private? You're too conscious lol You're a pervert lol
It is sometimes said...
Without the pressure of a business trip, I freely interacted with people from all over the world, gave new inputs, and went to explore the current state of European Tech!
An overview of Tech Open Air can be found in our 2016 article.
Report on Tech Open Air 2016, Europe's coolest tech conference
TOA2017 Highlights
First of all, watch the official recap video to see the atmosphere.
Around 0:52, only the back was shown ^^
What has evolved compared to 2016
Above all, the overall scale has expanded!
First of all, the date of the event has been extended by one day to July 11th (Tuesday) to July 14th (Friday).
However, this is because the main conference is still two days on Wednesday and Thursday, and satellite events have increased on the first night. It's like the excitement of the eve festival.
The venue is the same Funkhaus Berlin, but according to the official website, the number of participants in 2017 has increased to 20,000.
The session timetable was increasing and new content was increasing, which made the venue many times larger.
What is the new content?
- Sub-events for an additional fee DISRUPTED! Women In Tech MUSIC TECH LAB Music Hackday - Startup Pitch The winner was Zify, a ride-sharing service in India and Europe. - Sponsor company sessions and booth displays Not only German companies, but also major companies such as Facebook and Instagram will exhibit.
This made the atmosphere more business-like. That means it has become an event that has attracted so much attention.
In February of this year, a one-night event was held in Tokyo as part of the TOA World Tour, so I saw a few Japanese people who were rarely seen last year.
Satellite Events Personal BEST3
TOA is characterized by satellite events held throughout the city of Berlin.
Since it was my second time, I learned a lot of tricks, so I checked the event page frequently in advance and prepared for what I definitely wanted to participate in and what I didn't like.
Here are the best 3 of the 5 that I participated in!
No.1：AJ&Smart 『Design Sprint Workshop』
AJ&Smart, a Berlin-based startup design agency. I participated in a workshop where I could experience part of the 5 Days Sprint advocated by Google Ventures.
It seems that this day also served as the unveiling of the new office, and at dusk (even this is around 7:30 p.m.!) There is plenty of networking time for about an hour.
After that, about 8 people × divided into 8 groups for group work.
I hurriedly experienced the problem-solving flow of "What should I do to liven up this workshop?"
- Generate ideas on your own
- Prioritization in groups
- Decision-making on one of the most important tasks overall
With the rule that "the person who comes from the farthest distance in the group is the facilitator", of course, TOKYO is by far the best.
I was the least fluent in English, and I think it was difficult for my teammates, but everyone followed me aggressively. Thanks!
Anyway, everyone was kind in a homely atmosphere, and at the end, they gave me a Sprint book as a gift. Moreover, it is signed by the author.
With co-founder Jonathan!
No.2: Deutsche Bank "Design Thinking at Deutsche Bank Labs"
Here is what I participated in on Friday morning.
In a stylish space that doesn't look like a megabank, you can enjoy a delicious breakfast and lunch, and study design thinking.
I also did group work using a business model canvas that is often used by marketers in Japan.
At first, it was a study session around the teacher, but gradually the number of questions increased, and everyone formed a large circle and had a free discussion.
The open and free atmosphere that I couldn't think of in Japanese seminars was very stimulating!
No.3：Perdoo 『How to Achieve Exceptional Success with OKR』
Perdoo, an OKR management tool.
OKR stands for Objective and Key Result, and it refers to a way of thinking and methodology that focuses on goals and key results. It became widely known when it was proposed by the CEO of Intel and adopted by Google.
The UX and UI are different, but the way of thinking is similar to ISAO's Goalous! Goalous advocates GKA (Goal/Key Result/Action).
We were able to exchange information while listening to Perdoo's thoughts and business developments.
Tips for Running Satellite Successfully
Satellite events are held simultaneously in various parts of Berlin, so it is very difficult to narrow them down to one!
Even if you check in advance, new arrivals will suddenly increase 2-3 days in advance, so it is recommended to rework your schedule at the last minute.
Surprisingly, even at Learn and Make events, the first hour is often networking time instead of starting at the start time.
Don't forget to bring a heartfelt attitude to introduce yourself and spark conversation, and the courage to talk to strangers.
Also, be careful of sudden cancellations! Through the reservation app Eventbrite, I received a cancellation notification via email, but there was a pitfall that I didn't notice because it was not reflected in the app's My Tickets...
I was also disappointed about the venue.
Extra: Goodpatch GmbH Office Visit
I also went to visit Goodpatch's new office!
Last year, the office introduced in this blog was expanded and relocated, and the location was from the shopping spot Mitte to Kreuzberg, an area with many nightlife.
It was a busy area, perhaps because it was Friday evening, but time passed in the office leisurely.
Goodpatch will be exhibiting at a booth at this year's TOA, presenting on stage, and holding satellite events!
Recently, it seems that it has expanded its offices not only in Berlin but also in Munich and Taiwan.
Khanh from Munich and Jun from Tokyo were very happy!
Conclusion
Now, the second Tech Open Air.
- Gathering industry information
- Test your English skills
- I want to go abroad freely
There were several purposes, but the reason why I went again this year is simple.
Because last year was fun.
And the reason why I enjoyed this year more than last year was because the amount of communication I had with people in the local area increased.
Since last year's trip, I have been steadily improving my English every day, so I chose TOA as a place to play other types of matches.
People who listen to the same sessions or come to the same satellite events have similar interests and are easy to create conversation starters. Even if you have a variety of backgrounds and nationalities, the topics you deal with in the common denominator of the IT industry are the same all over the world.
Even if you go to a conference like this, it is recommended to take the plunge rather than show up in a place full of Japanese people because you can't speak English.
**The next time I go abroad, I want to go for work. **
I will mutter on the company blog. (Please let me go on a business trip.) laughs)
There is still not much information about TOA in Japanese, so I hope this blog will be helpful.
Thank you for reading to the end!