Margaret Mead once said, „Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world.”

While they may not be changing the world, a small group of thoughtful, committed and extremely talented individuals are definitely changing the world of droidcon London. With droidcon London reverting back to management by the HQ team in Berlin, we took the opportunity to rethink many aspects of the London event that will enable it to be a truly community-driven and community-inspired endeavor.

Recently, the Program Committee and droidcon Global met to officially relaunch droidcon London and reimagine its value proposition for both attendees and partners. The committee also resolved to involve the community in a more meaningful way than in the past and to make decisions more transparent. We are looking forward to welcoming back the community on October 29–30 to a revamped droidcon London event. 

Here are just a few changes that we are making to the program:

Junior Growth Track & Certification

We are developing a new two-day dedicated track for junior developers who are already working in Android Development and are ready to take their skills to the next level. The two-day track will include sessions and hands-on training as well as a certification of completion showing key takeaways and skills learned. Stay tuned for a track curriculum and the learning outcomes!

Pro-Development Working Sessions

The schedule will include multiple moderated sessions with 15-20 participants. The Working Sessions will give senior developers a forum to exchange expertise and know-how on a range of advanced Android development technologies, tools, and techniques. 

Fewer Keynotes = More Learning

In a break with the past, we have decided on a maximum of 2 keynotes (1 each morning) rather than 4 spread throughout the show.  This will allow more flexibility with the program to integrate more workshops, codelabs, roundtable discussions and more.

Ticket Prices and Sponsorship Benefits

We are working hard to ensure a consistent experience and consistent pricing across the four flagship events (droidcon SF, droidcon NYC, droidcon Berlin and droidcon London).  This will include lower ticket prices for London and much better cost-benefit ratio for sponsors. We feel like the ticket prices were a bit out of control and sponsors were not receiving enough benefits for the prices being charged. Going forward we expect the event to be much more attendee- and sponsor-friendly :-)

More changes coming…stay tuned!

We are working on a number of new features for the show and will keep you informed.  Be sure to sign up for the newsletter at (london.droidcon.com) or on twitter (@droidconLondon) to keep up to date with all the announcements!

Again, many thanks to the fantastic members of the droidcon London program committee.  These individuals are dedicated to improving the event and making droidcon London truly a community-driven event.

Here are some thoughts from the members of the droidcon London program committee about some of the positive changes and new features that await you in October: 

		Anastasia Lopez – As many of the members of the committee, droidcon was the first Android conference I attended. It is where I fell in love with the Android community, and where I made friendships that still last to this day. I am so honoured to be part of an amazing group of people to help organise it, especially being able to bring new ideas to make it more inclusive, for attendees and speakers. Really excited for droidcon London 2020 🎉
		Friederike Wild – Since 2013 droidcon London has been my annual go-to conference in many ways; as an attendee, at a sponsor's booth, and as part of the program committee. I'm excited that this year we will freshen things up and reimagine how to make it an even better experience for everyone – independent of where you are in your Android journey. Join us in October to inspire and be inspired by Android topics beyond your job and connect with the community from all over the world.
		Sebastiano Poggi – It was at droidcon London 2013 that I first came in contact with the vibrant and wonderful London Android community, and it played a huge role in convincing me to move to London in the following months. In the years I organised and attended the conference, I met many people from around the globe that I now call friends, and some I had the pleasure of calling colleagues over time. I’m very happy to be part of the organisation once again, and to help shaping its future. Hope to see y’all there!

		Ana Capatina – droidcon London 2014 was my first Android conference and I went again almost every year since. Every time I met lots of people, cheered on friends doing talks, got excited of many new things to try. I’m looking forward to the 2020 edition, driven by community, full of surprises and improvements. See you there!
		Adiba Maduegbuna – droidcon London 2020 will be a vibe! I joined the Android dev community officially in 2013 and it’s quite rare to witness a conference as rich as this one. I'm looking forward to another round of high quality talks and connecting with the lovely droid community.
		Antoine Danois –  I’m proud to be part of the Program Committee of droidcon London. It's a huge event, known worldwide, and when I was working in Paris, I always wanted to come to the event. Now, I live in London, I went to the conference 2 years in a row, and now, I have a role in it, to help to build an even better event for the community. Really looking forward to seeing your talks, and to meet you in October.
		Ben Weiss – With the a new set of people behind the London conference I am looking forward to seeing the conference move closer to what really matters for Android development; the developer community. And I see that reflected in tickets as well as a wide range of other changes described above. This makes me very excited for droidcon London 2020.
		Danielle Vass – Like many in the committee, droidcon london was one of the first conferences I attended where I really felt part of the community. So I’m excited to be a part of the droidcon london committee, particularly helping with the dedicated growth track to help make the event more inclusive and accessible.
		Maria Neumayer – droidcon London was the first conference I attended back in 2010. It introduced me to the London Android community and I got to learn so much as well as meet so many great people through that. I am very excited to be part of this year’s edition and help shape it with and for the community. I can’t wait to see many familiar and new faces there!
		Neil Hutchison – droidcon London is where I changed from just working as an Android developer, to being a part of a wider community of passionate and inspiring people. The Android community really is something special, and droidcon London is a shining example of this. Being on this committee of people who truly care about the event is a real honour. I’m excited at how we can shape this into the best droidcon London yet. 2020 is going to be a year to remember.
		Ataul Munim – droidcon London was the first conference that I attended and also the first conference that gave me the opportunity to present. It’s where I got the lead for my first Android developer job, and where I met some of my closest friends today. I’m really excited to see droidcon London return this year and even more excited to meet you there too.