My Java conference was a real success

The weeks leading up to this big day, organized in partnership with AVH, were extremely stressful for me. It wasn't so much preparing my talk that gave me trouble — it was mostly built on my own memories, and the stories I had to tell were still vivid in my mind. The hardest part was filling the room. One thing I hadn't planned for: June 27 turned out to be the school fair date for the whole Angers area, so all my friends with kids were busy. Many others already had weddings or family gatherings planned. After a week of promotion, I only had 7 people signed up. I panicked. In the end, after an intense communication push online and among people I know, around thirty people booked a seat for the Java conference. I was thrilled with the turnout, which comfortably beat my initial goals.

That cursed projector

Before this Java conference, I had never used a video projector in my life. So I had no idea I needed a ten-meter HDMI cable to let the machine sit far enough from the wall to project a large enough image. I rushed out to buy one with my friend Baptiste just 30 minutes before the doors opened. And if that had been the only hiccup, it wouldn't have been so bad. Unfortunately, ten minutes into my talk, someone in the audience told me the screen had gone completely black. Completely black! What do you mean, black? I had to stop talking, and it took fifteen long minutes to track down the problem. Thanks to the kind woman from the audience who came up to help me fix that dreadful technical glitch.

A lovely afternoon

After that rocky start, the rest of the afternoon went off without a hitch. I felt fairly at ease at the mic, despite a few hesitations and moments where I raised my voice a bit too much. Listening back to the audio recording, I realized I'd been pushing my voice harder than I needed to just to be sure people could hear me — turns out I was coming through just fine. Other than that, I told my story with ease. People loved the food we served and the glasses of cordial they could help themselves to as much as they liked to cope with the incredible heat in the room. With the mercury sitting around 33°C, it fit the Indonesian tropical mood perfectly. Between the handcrafted objects laid out on display tables, the sounds I was playing, and the delicious smell of spices drifting in from the kitchen, the immersion was complete.

Very positive feedback

The Q&A session that wrapped up this sensory journey reassured me about the quality of my talk. Several friends congratulated me — not exactly a surprise — but I also got warm words of encouragement from complete strangers. Some told me the Java Horizon concept caught their interest and that they'd be ready to travel with me as soon as the first offers become available. I can't wait for this adventure to officially begin.

A replay of this Java conference is in the works

For everyone who couldn't join us on Saturday, we're currently working on the video edit of the Java conference. It should be online soon, so stay tuned. The full audio version will likely be released on my podcast. Until then, I hope you all have a wonderful summer.