Blog | GDG DevFest Season 2018

We're looking for speakers

Sun, 12 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

GDG DevFest Ukraine was announced, for the sixth year in a row, the conference will bring together 900 developers, managers and entrepreneurs on October 13-14 to Lviv.

This year our team is doing big advancement in the content, we're building an extra stage to accommodate more visitors and provide three fully independent tracks on Android, Web and Google Cloud topics.

Our focus is the content. We’re looking for speakers like you, who are ready to rock the stage and deliver the best talk or workshop in the field. "I've been to conferences all over the world and what you've created in Lviv is world class. It's easily first league of conferences." - Piotr Tuszynski, DevFest '16 Keynote Speaker

Submit a proposal

Why is it cool to speak at the DevFest

DevFest Ukraine is not an ordinary tech conference, besides selecting only the best speakers, we help them to succeed in delivering an exceptional quality talk on the stage. Here are few perks that all our speakers get:

Expences covered. Hotel for 3 nights, travel costs and entrance to exclusive speaker parties are covered for all speakers.
Professional video recording. We work with experienced video production companies to create session recording of the best quality. Stage, screen, audio, all is recorded separately and combined later. Check the session videos from the last year.
Exposure. By being a speaker, you are proving your level of expertise to a potential business partners or employers. Your talk will be promoted in our online resources and recording published in YouTube channel with more than 35k views.
Unique networking. Being a speaker means you’ll have the unique chance to network with other speakers - the best experts in the industry.
Coaching. We're in the same boat, after being selected as a speaker our program committee will help you to deliver the best talk possible. We provide information about the audience, presentation templates, feedback on the slides, all to help you to prepare. "It was a best DevFest I ever attended. So professional, so much enthusiasm from the community. You managed to bring the vibe of Google I/O to Ukraine." - David Vávra, DevFest '16 Speaker

What are we looking for

We're looking for experience-based talks, the information that can not be found in the documentation or easily googled. We're looking for your stories, your struggles, research results and experiences with the frontier tools or technologies. Check the list of topics we're interested in (it is not full and updated all the time).

Format

You can submit as many talks as you want. This year we accept submissions in two formats:

40 minutes sessions.
2(or 3) hours workshops.

Talks that will not pass initial review

Talks about a specific tool/library/project explaining how it works or how to use it.
Talks whose focus is pitching a company or project. It’s cool that you mention your company during the presentation, but it shouldn’t be the focus of the talk.
Proposals that are not in English.
Recruitment talks to attract talent. We strongly recommend you check out speaking.io website from Zach Holman. It includes good tips and guidelines for speakers.

Timelines

Call for Papers submission deadline is July 1, 2017. Submission results will be announced by July 16.

Any questions? Email organizers at devfest@gdg.org.ua

Submit a proposal

Announcing GDG DevFest Ukraine 2017

Mon, 06 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

It is official. GDG DevFest Ukraine 2017 is going to take place in Lviv, on October 13-14. Described by many as "Google I/O of Ukraine", DevFest has grown from the small 100-people event to the biggest Google tech conference in the Central and Eastern Europe. This year, we expect over 900 engineers, managers, and entrepreneurs from over 20 countries come to DevFest to learn about Android, Web and Cloud technologies, and to experience the phenomenal atmosphere. ## What to expect? 3 parallel Tracks and Workshops Area. You asked, we did. We're building an additional stage and expanding Workshops Area to highlight even more topics and provide more hands-on time. Only experience based presentations. Speakers from product companies like Google, Intel, Amazon, and Twilio. We take talk selection seriously. Our program committee carefully screens each and every submission. Expo Area. Smart home, IoT, AR/VR devices, face emotions recognition using Google Cloud. Interested? With the help of GDG groups from all around Ukraine, DevFest is going to feature the biggest Expo Area on Google related devices and technologies. Unique networking and party. Network with other like-minded industry colleagues and DevFest partners throughout the event and after-party.

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## Stay in touch We've already got first confirmations from speakers from Google, Twilio and Telerik. Subscribe to DevFest newsletter or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram not to miss new speakers announcements and conference updates. We can't wait to meet you in Lviv, the rising tech capital of Ukraine.
GDG DevFest Ukraine Team.

Thank you all for your support

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT

We want to thank one more time our partners, who made DevFest 2016 possible! THANK YOU for being creative and motivating our participants for new challenges, THANK YOU for your experiments and expertise during the insane 2 days of GDG DevFest Ukraine. We want to highlight the most interesting and catching moments that made our conference so special: - Our general partner and our source of inspiration, Google, motivated us to materialize some crazy experiments, like Emotobooth and AR Music Kit - Intouch, our Diamond partner, carried developers contest with magnifical prize fund of $2000 - Weight research from DataArt. Now we know that the biggest tech conference related to Google technologies in CEE accommodated almost 20 tons of geeks :D - Thanks to N-iX for bringing incredible HTC Vive VR experience to our house - Fresh mojito & delicious snacks from CoreValue. And even more - charges of all types, which saved a lot of devices and made possible more photos from DevFest - Big variety of different prizes from GlobalLogic, all attendees were so excited trying to do all needed requirements (e.g. get as much likes in social networks as possible) - Flavored coffee and yaammmii cupcakes from Wolters Kluwer - Mirantis raffled big variety of prizes - Our Platinum sponsor - Zalando - Our Platinum sponsor - FM Standart and Design Proof - Super robust Wi-Fi powered by our Gold partner - Ruckus. It was so good that our attendees were able to make live streams via Periscope - Ciklum has raffled cool speakers and cups - Our Gold sponsor - Sigma - Shulga Massage - heroes who have brought moments of real relax and peace in the center of Brownian motion of people Again, THANK YOU all, you are amazing! Hope you to join us next year! With love, GDG DevFest Ukraine Team

DevFest Ukraine rocked - SUMMARY

Sat, 10 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT

DevFest Ukraine - it was fun, advantageous, crowded and exciting event! The scale of DevFest is simply breathtaking - 2 days full of Android, Web and Cloud hardcore! The 5th annual conference GDG DevFest Ukraine - the biggest one related to Google techlogies in CEE - was held on September 9-10, 2016 in Lviv, Ukraine. The conference was powered by Google Developers Group Lviv (GDG Lviv) in together with the Google Developer Groups from all over Ukraine. Some terrific facts about DevFest: ---------------------------------- - almost 700 attendees - great open-minded people, full of passion and great ideas - incredibly high concentration of Google Developer Experts in one place - 12 top-notch professionals - 33 speakers - well experienced, armed with knowledges and obsessed with Google technologies from all over the world (UK, Israel, Germany, USA, Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Romania, Turkey, Russia) - 14 participating GDG Groups’ representatives (GDG Krakow, GDG Cherkasy, GDG Basel, GDG Prague, GDG Dnipro, GDG Kyiv-Center, GDG Istanbul, GDG Lviv, GDG Odessa, GDG Ternopil, GDG Uzhhorod, GDG KPI, GDG Kremenchuk, GDG Khmelnytskyi) - 16 participating countries (UK, Israel, Germany, USA, Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Romania, Turkey, Russia, The Netherlands, Belarus, Finland, Kazakhstan, Côte d’Ivoire) - lots of sessions were full of deep knowledge and inspiration. Only technical stuff, only hardcore! Android sessions as always overcrowded. - Progressive Web Apps (PWA) theme was the most popular on Web track, moreover, people could try it in practice on 2 workshops, hold by Martin Splitt and Jakub Škvára. - amazing demo zones were around (AR-music, DIY cardboards, Tilt Brush....) - especially Emotobooth - a big number of epic selfies :) - the silent party was definitely something new for everyone! People rocked the floor like they never do before! The conference became possible through the support of a number of companies. Big THANK to all of DevFest’s sponsors, namely: - General partner - Google - Diamond partner - intouch - Platinum partners - CoreValue, GlobalLogic, Wolters Kluwer, N-iX, Mirantis, DataArt, Zalando, FM Standart, Design Proof - Gold partners - Ciklum, Sigma, Rucus. And, of course, a BIG THANK to all the volunteers from different GDG groups of Ukraine for their priceless help. We hope you found the conference informative and worthwhile. The primary goal of DevFest was to bring together all of you - professionals and passionate geeks of our industry - from around the world to exchange experience, share valuable knowledges and to contribute in possible strategies as to how Ukraine can become recognized and more engaged in initiatives taking place in developing IT industry and education first of all. Your presence helped to make this event a great success, and your enthusiasm and positive spirit helped to make our time together both productive and fun. We wish you all the best and hope that you continue to be engaged with the DevFest Ukraine. BTW, stay tuned for upcoming events by visiting lviv.gdg.org.ua and subscribing to our news, like us on Facebook, check Twitter or add to circles on Google+! Post-Conference Follow-Up ------------------------- As a reminder, we are working on transcribing the plenary sessions' slides (in ~1 week) and HD video records (in ~1-2 months), and once everything has been aggregated, we’ll notify you. Please visit our Facebook page to view the photos, or the DevFest website in one week. See you at the next events! With love, GDG DevFest Ukraine Team

What to do in Lviv

Sat, 20 Aug 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Ukrainian city of Lviv is no doubt one of the most charming and yet not well-known parts of Ukraine. It’s been recently gaining plenty of attention from the world, and was proudly featured on BBC and EuroNews. City’s impressive architecture, absense of large tourist crowds and unique combination of rustiness and timelessness bring out a very special charm, capturing the hearts of everyone who’s ever visited it. For the perfect vacation in Lviv, check out our extensive compiled selection of top things to do in Lviv! ## Walk around Rynok Square UNESCO-listed Rynok Square is one of the top attractions in the city! Your first stop in Lviv will inevitably lead you to the heart of the city – Rynok Square, that can be translated as Market Square. For the past 500 years it has been the bustling center of city life and till now retains all the charm of the old European city, without the pretentions of its more famous neighbors – Prague and Krakow. Where to find: in the very city center, hard to miss! When to visit: any time How much to pay: for FREE ## Climb City Town Hall How about spending 15 min counting up all the steps in Lviv Town Hall? Getting to its top is one of the most fun things to do in Lviv! We won’t break the secret to you, but will hint that the staircase has more than 300, but less than 500 steps. As they wind up to the tiny round tube at the top of the tower, the counting is even more interesting! Where to find: right in the middle of the Market Square (hard to miss!) When to visit: Tuesday – Friday from 10 am till 5 pm, Saturday – Sunday from 11 am till 7 pm. It is closed on Mondays. How much to pay: 5 UAH, which is 0.5 EURO ## Take a photo with Neptun Even though Lviv Rynok Square has a total of four fountains at each side – Diana, Neptune, Adonise and Amphitrite, local Lviv residents give their special love to Neptune. ‘Where shall we meet?’ – ‘At Neptune!’ is a typical phrase in conversations of Lviv university students. Where to find: at the Rynok Square, hard to miss! When to visit: anytime of the year How much to pay: for FREE ## Choose your favorite coffee in Svit Kavy If you are looking for locals’ all-favorite place to sit around and watch the life pass by, go straight to the charming little coffee shop right opposite to the Boim’s Chapel and Latin Cathedral. Svit Kavy or the World of Coffee is famous for its beautiful interior, lovely summer terrace and, of course, more than 30 varieties of coffee to taste! Deliciously brewed, it will take you to the core of what Lviv is all about. Where to find: Katedral’na Sq. 6, between Amadeus Restaurant and Cafe1. Svit Kavy also has a souvenir-shop that sells coffee-themed souvenirs and coffee beans; look for it to the left of the café’s main entrance When to visit: Mon – Fri: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sat, Sun: 9 a.m. – 11 p.m. The best time is the end of September during traditional Coffee Festival How much to pay: starting from 3 EURO and up ## Buy handmade chocolate at the Lviv Chocolate Workshop No one has the heart to pass by this tiny shop and its large glass window, stocked with rows of delicious tempting chocolate. Right off the Rynok square, it’s a must visit place for anyone with sweet tooth. Or – what the heck – simply anyone! While first floor hosts a lovely cafe, the biggest attraction of the place – the chocolate shop – is up the narrow winding stairs. The shop features plenty of chocolate souvenirs – truffles, bars and figures of famous buildings. All the chocolate is handmade, straight from the factory, and packaged in beautiful wrapping. One perfect souvenir from Lviv! Where to find: Serbska st., 3 When to visit: Anytime of the year, 9 a.m. – 23.00. However, best time for chocolate tasting is during city’s Chocolate Festival (first week of February) How much to pay: 5-10 EURO at a coffee shop, 10-15 EURO at the gift shop (credit cards are accepted only at the gift shop) ## Enjoy performances at Lviv Opera Theater Much can be written about this most famous Lviv landmark. Known as the Grand Theater originally, it is now formally called The Lviv National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet of Solomiya Krushelnyts’ka, in honor of Ukraine’s most well-known female opera singer. The Lviv Opera House was built in 1900 using forms of Renaissance and Baroque architecture. The result is one of the most beautiful opera houses in Europe with a luxurious interior, including the Mirror Hall and Parnassus Curtain and a stunning facade with ornate sculpture work. Where to find: Svobody ave., 28 When to visit: 11 am – 7 pm, tours are available starting from 5 pm. Alternatively, you can buy an entrance ticket and tour around the theater on your own. How much to pay: performance tickets cost from 0.5 EURO to 20 EURO, self-guided tour ticket is 1 EURO. ## Take bird view photos of Lviv from the High Castle hill Lviv High Castle can be both a major disappointment and biggest surprise to you! Why disappointment? Because despite its promising name, the place is not that high (unless 413 m is impressive for you) and has no castle whatsoever. Why surprise? Because it offers a quiet refuge from the busy city streets, and it has indubitably the best aerial views of the city! The hill, also known as Vysoky Zamok, used to be a wooden fortress, built in the 13th century by King Lev. Where to find: High Castle (Vysokyi Zamok) is located just outside Lviv’s center inside Vysokyi Zamok Park. There are no direct transport links to the park, so wear good shoes and enjoy the 15-20-minute walk from the center. Just follow the small brown signs. When to visit: sunny weather is the best for great bird view of the city How much to pay: for FREE ## Explore Lviv underground labyrinths Would you like to check out the 18th century sarcophagus made from a solid stone? Its cover weighs over 600 kg. The object itself is taken apart, but the nature of wreckage indicates that sarcophagus was broken not from the outside, but …from the inside! Eerie, isn’t it? To hear the full Black Monk legend, head to the catacombs of St. Peter and Paul Cathedral of Jesuit Order. Where to find: Contact to arrange for an underground tour of Lviv When to visit: any time in the day How much to pay: depending on your group size ## Explore the weaponry collection at Lviv History Museum ‘Arsenal’ Unquestionably, the biggest attraction for any male traveler in Lviv! Museum boasts thousands of weaponry items from more than 30 countries and as old as 10th century. Knives, daggers, swords, sabers, épées, yatagans, axes, halberds, maces, czekans, pernaches, and many other strange names of cold, fire and defensive weapons that will keep your interest throughout all the exhibit. The collection’s highlight is Eastern type sword from the 17th century with double blade, the so-called “Zulfakar”. Where to find: Pidvalna st., 5 – close to the town center When to visit: daily 10:00 – 17:30, except Wednesdays How much to pay: less than 1 EURO, extra fee is charged for photo and video footage These and a lot of others impressive things you can do and see in Lviv!!! Try most of them! I bet you will be thrilled!