This was my first time at RailsConf and my first time attending a Ruby Central-powered conference as Executive Director.
Going in, I had heard there was something magical about the Ruby community, but I didn’t yet understand what that meant. Throughout the conference, in small micro-conversations, I started to feel it.
By the end, it hit me a hundred times over.
There was something deeply meaningful about hearing from attendees about why they come to this conference, and how this year felt uniquely different from years past. That kind of feedback matters, especially as Ruby Central is asking big questions about what comes next.
I sat across tables from passionate local meetup organizers who shared about their attendees and how they hope to work with us in the future. I could feel how much they care about this ecosystem and how much they appreciate being connected to it.
I made a point to speak with every sponsor I could, just to thank them for showing up and sharing who they are with our community. Sponsor booths and job fair spaces can sometimes feel transactional or overly processed. But this was different. It was thoughtful. You could feel that they really considered the attendee experience, whether through the swag, the kazoos, the photo booths, or even the ice cream. That care mattered.
It was also powerful to hear the keynotes, especially the personal histories of how speakers found Ruby and what the language means to them. As someone new to the community, I loved the panel discussions, the wide range of perspectives, and the reminder that we’re all building something together.
I also spoke with attendees who were actively looking for jobs. There’s something incredibly powerful about someone paying out of pocket to attend a conference because they believe it might be the place that connects them to the next opportunity. That’s not just about networking. It’s about financial stability, growth, and believing in what this community makes possible. I believe Ruby Central has a responsibility to lean into that and to ensure we’re connecting those attendees with the resources and opportunities they need.
Others I met were founders. They were building, scrapping, scaling, and pushing through growing pains. Each story had its own reason for being at this conference, and it reaffirmed something important. Our community is diverse. Our community brings different perspectives, values, and voices. In my role, I carry a deep responsibility to understand who and why, individual by individual.
Over the next few months, we’ll be asking that question more deliberately as a team. We’re working to strengthen our internal infrastructure, including policies, procedures, and systems, to ensure we can support the community in the best way possible. More importantly, in the way this community deserves.