A while ago I attended my first tech event. In this article, I'll talk about what I learned, what to expect, and how to prepare to have a great time!
If you've ever thought about attending a conference, meetup, or workshop or you're signed up to attend one, this article is for you! I'll talk about experiences I had at my first conference, things I'm glad I did, and things I wish I had done. Hopefully, this will help you get the most out of your first (or next) event.
About TechFest IITB
Techfest is Asia's largest Science and Technology fest with an annual footfall of 1.75Lakhs and an online reach of 5 million+. It has various events like lecture series, Exhibitions, Competitions, International Summits, Techfest World MUN, Technoholix, E-Sports and whatnot.
So if you have any interest in Tech or are curious in general, checkout their page.
Before you attend the event
Techfest has so many things to offer that you might get overwhelmed at first. There are the Robowars (nothing gets better than to see the little machines beating each other up), Coding challenges, aero modelling clashes, lectures by well-known researchers and engineers, workshops, tutorials, Gaming and E-Sports. Literally everything you can imagine.
So it'll be helpful if you create a list of all events and lectures beforehand to get the most out of the summit or if you are like me, just go, have fun, explore various events and stay at what catches your attention.
How did I get to Techfest?
For attending Techfest, IIT Bombay I just needed a registered ID to enter the IIT campus and there is no age limit to attend the fest. The fest caters to all age groups of people whether school students, college students, professionals, homemakers, or elders.
But if you want to participate in any of the competitions offered by Techfest, you should head over to the official site linked above, navigate to the competition page and register yourself/team.
Do I need to know anything about Tech?
Even if you have less or no knowledge regarding a certain topic that attracts you, you should attend Techfest workshops as they are led by industry experts who start from very basic and advance slowly ensuring that participants are able to follow up.
After these successful workshops, you will discover just how enjoyable learning about new ideas and processes can be, but more importantly, you will gain knowledge that could instantly set you apart from the crowd. Moreover, you will be able to take what you learned back to your peers and pass along that knowledge. In addition to improving your career options, you could efficiently strengthen your entire organization.
Apart from tech what else does Techfest has to offer?
If you are someone who's not particularly interested in tech, IITB has a lot of other cool things to offer. You are certain to find something that interests you there, for example:
It organizes the Biggest College Gaming Event in India - Techfest Gamers League where players compete for a prize pool.
One of the major highlights at Techfest is Ozone. This is the place with futuristic gaming setups and artists performing from all over the world. There are activities like Unicycling, 9-D Simulator experience, Zorbing, F-1 Simulator, Paintball, and many more which surely you don't want to miss.
At the end of the day comes the techno-cultural night of Techfest, IIT Bombay-Technoholix. Technoholix promises to replenish your veins with immense adrenaline and give you an experience like never before. It includes events like EDM nights, Laser shows, UV light shows, Tron dances, Acrobatics, and Virtual 3D holographic displays that will blow your mind.
Attend lectures and Workshops
After a full day, it can be tempting to close up shop. Challenge yourself to attend an Intellectual talk or a technical workshop. It truly gives you a new perspective as to how technology plays a part in building the future. I was convinced that most of these workshops and lectures wouldn't be of my interest but one of my friends compelled me to join him.
Organic conversations from those outings opened stories on non-traditional paths toward tech and unfolded discussions on mental health. You might find your next startup Idea or an investor for your next business there. Always try to connect with people and mentors.
Impostor syndrome is real
The moment I entered the campus I was ecstatic...for about five seconds before the weight of impostor syndrome set in. This was THE summit to go to. I figured my story’s likely nothing compared to everyone else’s. New friends shut those ideas down real quick and were a great source of energy to learn from and recharge with. Find your people online and in person. Find excuses to reconnect. Uplift one another and nurture your own interests to debug any idea that you don’t belong.
Conclusion
Most talks are posted online, so don’t hesitate to take time for yourself as needed. I encourage those who are even slightly curious about exploring a personal hobby or new career to step outside of their comfort zones and actively pursue opportunities for growth. If this has been helpful pass this along to anyone looking to get the most experience out of their next tech event.