uncodebar 4
Sat, 15th September | 09:30 - 17:30 BST (GMT+01:00)

The codebar unconference is back! Now in its FOURTH year, uncodebar is our annual one day event that encourages the codebar community to come together, share knowledge and strengthen the community that supports our workshops.

You can get the scoop on last year's event here.

What is this?

uncodebar is an unconference, a "loosely structured open space event emphasising the informal exchange of information and ideas between participants".

At an unconference:
• no topics predetermined,
• no keynote speakers invited,
• no panels or working groups arranged

Instead, the event lives and dies by the participation of its attendees. They propose and decide what topics will be discussed. Then they convene separate breakout sessions.

In other words, an unconference has no agenda until the participants create it.

Who can lead a session?

This is an opportunity for anyone to propose and run a session on the day - in a supportive environment that codebar is known for. So we're counting on everyone attending to make some amazing sessions to happen. Of course, not absolutely everyone needs to prepare something but we encourage all levels to think about the topics/sessions they are interested in. We welcome sessions from seasoned and first time speakers, there is no better setting to practice that talk you had in mind for a while.

This is a 100% participant-driven event: we're only going to suggest time slots and spaces, and in the morning, you'll pitch sessions and snag slots on the schedule.

What kinds of sessions are suitable?

As this is an unconference, you can decide what type of session you want to run: workshops, talks, discussions, etc are all welcome. Topics can include anything related to web development, software development, game development, learning, mentoring, community, and many more. It would be awesome to have sessions related to any of those -- last year we had sessions ranging from an ‘Intro to Styled Components’ to ‘Typography for Developers’. We got an ‘Intro to Docker’ and saw a demonstration on how to build ‘IOT Puzzle Gadgets using LISP’. But, if you really want to pitch a session on something else entirely, you're more than welcome to. This event is what we make of it -- the organisers will just be present to make sure you're engaged, entertained, well-fed and well-watered.

At our regular workshops the number of students outweighs the number of coaches by a fair bit. For this event we are aiming to have at least half the coaches if not more. This is only to ensure that we have a good base of industry knowledge and experience among participants to drive knowledge sharing and insightful discussions on a variety of topics. This does not mean that you shouldn't propose a session if you are student or only recently entered the industry. We would especially like to see sessions run or initiated by such attendees. Having a good amount of coaches is to ensure that there's a bit of balance. So please do not be discouraged during the sign up when you need to choose between signing up as a coach or signing up as a student.

If you sign up as student, this doesn't mean you can't run a session. If you sign up as a coach, this doesn't mean that you are obliged to run one.

If you have an idea for a session but need help developing it, feel free to get in touch with any of the codebar organisers.

All attendees are welcome to join the #uncodebar channel in the codebar Slack to discuss potential sessions and session ideas. We will also be using the channel on the day for posting info and other updates.

Are you travelling from outside of London? We encourage you to get in touch with us on [email protected] before you book your travel. We have set a budget to contribute towards travel expenses. Usual eligibility criteria apply, however if you are running a session and we haven't used up our budget then we may also be able to help.