# Render ATL 2023

Source: https://www.dandenney.com/posts/front-end-dev/render-atl-2023
Date: 2023-06-03
Tags: conferences
Summary: Recap of an awesome experience

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I'm at the Atlanta airport, replaying the last few days of [Render ATL](https://www.renderatl.com) in my head. They say it's "a tech conference where talent feels welcomed." If I had to describe it, I'd say, "[it's a vivrant thing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYTjBhplTGY&pp=ygUNdml2cmFudCB0aGluZw%3D%3D)." I have been to a lot of conferences, but I have never experienced the energy that the people at Render brought. I'm ready to buy my ticket for [next year](https://twitter.com/ThugDebugger/status/1664770491087765504), and I highly recommend you do, too.

## Where Tech Meets Culture

I'm not sure if that's an official slogan, but one of the emcees said it, and I think it perfectly describes what sets Render apart from other web conferences I've been to. Most emcees were not tech workers, and they all had dynamic personalities, which raised the energy for each presentation. In hindsight, I should have asked, but I imagine it helped the speakers as well.

The event was part of Tech Week in Atlanta, so there were some evening events that were mixed with people who were and weren't attending the conference. I forgot to RSVP to Tuesday night's event, and it sold out, so I made sure to grab a spot for [The BLK Out ATL](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-blk-out-atl-tickets-631360635657) on Wednesday night. It was touted as a couple of hours of networking, followed by an R&B session. Uh, yes, please. I'm pretty shy, and I didn't know anyone at the event, but a handful of people went out of their way to make me feel welcome. The DJ was hilarious and really got the place going once the networking time was over. It turned into a packed club filled with fantastic music, which was a fabulous preview for the next few days.

Wednesday was also workshop day and I got a great intro to Remix from [@chancethedev](https://twitter.com/chancethedev). I've been pretty curious about Remix, and this was a great way to get it explained by someone who helped build it.

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/chance-strickland.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>Remix Fundamentals</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/chancethedev">Chance Strickland</a>, Senior Software Engineer @ Replo</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>It's the remix stir, server-side rendering occurs, <br /> In this framework blur, the future it ensures</p>
</article>

## Day One

Render is a multi-track event with tracks for leadership and entrepreneurship, networking, product and project management, and web and mobile engineering. They also had a huge sponsor area and some specific chats and events around them as well. I mostly stuck to the presentations, and here's what I saw on Thursday, with a fun little takeaway for each with the help of ChatGPT.

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/josh-comeau.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>Building Whimsical Interactions With React</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/JoshWComeau">Josh Comeau</a>, Founder @ Josh W. Comeau Courses</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>Web animations level up, React makes them disrupt,<br />In this digital habitat, their benefits never corrupt</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/colby-fayock.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>Creating a Whole New World With Generative Ai</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/colbyfayock">Colby Fayock</a>, Director of Devx Engineering @ Cloudinary</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>AI's the light, media creation takes flight,<br />Web constructs in sight, future's bright, hold tight</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/adam-rackis.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>The Bleeding "Edge" of Web Development</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/AdamRackis">Adam Rackis</a>, Senior Software Engineer @ Spotify</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>Keep database queries close, on the edge we propose, <br />Or let Vercel impose, with its tech composure it shows</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/margarita-caraballo.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>Building Together: Technical Product Management in Your Engineering Organization</h3>
      <p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/margarita-c/">Margarita Caraballo</a>, Senior Technical Product Manager @ Mailchimp</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>Technical PMs, guiding engineers like hymns, <br />In the tech domain, they're the transformative stems</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/ayo-k-duyile.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>Product Viability to Product Scalability</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/AyoKDuyile">Ayo K. Duyile</a>, Senior Technical PM, Software Engineering @ Google</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>Minimize features early, the path can be swirly, <br /> Talk to customers, grow and learn, the journey's worthy</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/tom-raviv.jpeg" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>Codux Demo</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/RavivTom">Tom Raviv</a>, DevRel @ CoduxIDE</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>Keep components in sync, visual code's the selector, <br /> In this digital architecture, be the trendsetter</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/homer-gaines.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>Seeing Eye to Eye</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/xirclebox">Homer Gaines</a>, Staff UI Engineer @ Self</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>Many struggle with vision, it's our mission, <br /> To design with precision, inclusive decision's the ambition</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/chris-coyier.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>Modern CSS in Real Life</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/chriscoyier">Chris Coyier</a>, Co-founder @ Codepen</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>CSS on the rise, it's a skill to prize, <br /> Forever in use, in the coder's eyes</p>
</article>

## The Rooftop Party

I've been to some amazing conference parties, but this was on another level. Thousands of us took over the rooftop of Ponce City Market, with carnival games, mini golf, multiple DJs, and amazing views. This pic captures maybe one third of the space and crowd.

<img class="full-to-half-bleed" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dtlow08pj/image/upload/f_auto,c_limit,w_686,q_auto/v1681092603/posts/IMG_7605.heic" alt="Screenshot of the Vercel UI" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dtlow08pj/image/upload/f_auto,c_limit,w_686,q_auto/v1681092603/posts/IMG_7605.heic 718w, https://res.cloudinary.com/dtlow08pj/image/upload/f_auto,c_limit,w_2286,q_auto/v1681092603/posts/IMG_7605.heic 768w" />

## Day Two

In a surprising twist, I made it out of the party early enough to get some sleep and not be hung over for the morning talks. This was a new experiment and I may try it again! 🤪

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/rizel-scarlet.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>Level Up With Copilot</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/blackgirlbytes">Rizel Scarlet</a>, Developer Advocate @ Github</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>Copilot on deck, elevating code's quality, <br /> Comments more in check, it's the new tech modality</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/scott-tolinski.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>Fresh Style: the Next Generation of CSS</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/stolinski">Scott Toliniski</a>, Founder @ Level Up Tutorials</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>So much to ship, with PostCSS in your grip, <br /> New CSS trends flip, on this coding trip</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/leesa-ward.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>Styling a React App: Let Me Count the Ways</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/doubleedesign">Leesa Ward</a>, Front-end Developer @ Various</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>Find your CSS groove, make your coding move, <br /> Choose your approach, watch your skills improve</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/shaundai-pearson.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>Streaming Server Rendering With Suspense</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/shaundai">Shaundai Pearson</a>, Senior Software Engineer, Productivity UI @ Netflix</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>Stream to intercept, long data requests we respect, <br /> In this tech concept, delays we'll eject</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/evan-you.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>Thinking Across the Framework Barrier</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/youyuxi">Evan You</a>, Author, Vue & Vite @ Vue.js / Vite</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>Learn from others' grind, build tools of a new kind, <br /> For everyone we find, tech progression intertwined</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/gant-laborde.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>AI in React</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/GantLaborde">Gant Laborde</a>, CIO @ Infinite Red</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>With TensorFlow, create, AI apps that captivate, <br /> Innovate, don't hesitate, it's the future we activate</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/sarah-drasner.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>The Wind and the Waves: the Formation of Framework Waves From the Epicenter</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/sarah_edo">Sarah Drasner</a>, Director of Engineer, Web, at Google @ Google</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>Angular's on the climb, learning from others in time, <br /> With each framework's rhyme, it perfects the code line</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/mark-techson.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>Rise of the Robots - How to Thrive in the World of AI</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/marktechson">Mark Techson</a>, Sr. Developer Relations Engineer @ Google</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>Grasp the AI's mechanics, don't be the one who panics, <br /> Stay ahead in this game, ignite the tech dynamics</p>
</article>

<article class="border-2 border-pink-500 mt-4">
  <figure>
    <img src="/posts/conferences/render-atl-2023/james-quick.webp" height="120" width="120" />
    <figcaption>
      <h3>How Content Creation Took My Career to the Next Level</h3>
      <p><a href="https://twitter.com/jamesqquick">James Q Quick</a>, Content Creator @ Learn Build Teach LLC</p>
    </figcaption>
  </figure>
  <p>My Takeaway</p>
  <p>Be authentic, drop knowledge worldwide, never frantic, <br /> While the paper stacks, it's more than semantic</p>
</article>

## Ending With a Concert

The "after party" was a full [Kaytranada](https://www.kaytranada.com) concert in the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark. This was also part of tech week and open to the public, which made for a huge celebration. Check this out....

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Such a great way to end the conference!<br><br>Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/RenderATL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RenderATL</a>!<br><br>This experience was everything I hoped it would be and more. 🍑💪🏼<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RenderATL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RenderATL23</a> <a href="https://t.co/voyUQ8EneN">pic.twitter.com/voyUQ8EneN</a></p>&mdash; Anna Nettles (@_annanettles) <a href="https://twitter.com/_annanettles/status/1664843539274932228?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

## The People

I didn't get to meet him, but I couldn't agree more with Tejas in [this tweet](https://twitter.com/TejasKumar_/status/1664616910669991939?s=20) that "the people are truly my favorite part of any conference!!" There was so much joy and energy in the crowd, it was almost intoxicating.

I was very much looking forward to seeing people like [Chris](https://twitter.com/chriscoyier), [Homer](https://twitter.com/xirclebox), [Jina](https://twitter.com/jina), and [Sarah](https://twitter.com/sarah_edo) who I hadn't for a few years. My last conference was in October of 2019, which feels like forever ago. There were some surprises as well, like running into [Keith](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brand180) from the #frontendconf days and randomly seeing [Jared](https://twitter.com/jponch) at a brewery unrelated to the conf.

I met a bunch of new folks that I'll be looking forward to seeing at future events as well. There's too many to list out, but I wanted to give an extra thanks to [Domitrius](https://twitter.com/domitriusclark) for being so welcoming and to [Keegan](https://twitter.com/keegandonley) for an awesome chat and sharing a Bluesky invite.

I'll wrap this up with some tweets from other folks sharing how wonderful this event was.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shout out to Justin and the entire <a href="https://twitter.com/RenderATL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RenderATL</a> crew. You did an AMAZING job of curating a safe space where *everyone* can be comfortable and Black voices can be heard and celebrated. <br><br>My heart is full and my soul is fed. See yall next year, June 12-14 ❤️🙌🏾🎉<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RenderATL23?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RenderATL23</a> <a href="https://t.co/vKO9MAKnxy">https://t.co/vKO9MAKnxy</a></p>&mdash; Angie Jones @ #RenderATL23 (@techgirl1908) <a href="https://twitter.com/techgirl1908/status/1665001124523302914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2023</a></blockquote>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This conference, <a href="https://twitter.com/RenderATL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RenderATL</a>, is really something special. <br><br>Aside from amazing events and speakers, <a href="https://twitter.com/ThugDebugger?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ThugDebugger</a> did an incredible job making an event where *community* was center stage.<br><br>(Also check out this game room! 🤩)<br><br>Thank you for all you do! <a href="https://t.co/dSeDODP76i">pic.twitter.com/dSeDODP76i</a></p>&mdash; Sarah Drasner (@sarah_edo) <a href="https://twitter.com/sarah_edo/status/1665104672602898434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2023</a></blockquote>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My favorite part of any conference is still the people, look at all those smiley faces 😅❤️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RenderATL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RenderATL</a> <a href="https://t.co/VISKrvRAqF">pic.twitter.com/VISKrvRAqF</a></p>&mdash; Ekene Eze (Kenny) (@kenny_io) <a href="https://twitter.com/kenny_io/status/1664749100951060482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2023</a></blockquote>

I hope to see you at Render ATL 2024 and maybe some other events between now and then!

</div>