Episode 014: Conferencing After Babies

00:16 Welcome, Tess and Sean Griffin!

Tess is a Site Engineer at GitHub. Sean is a developer at Shopify, renowned Rails committer, the creator of the Diesel Framework, host of The Yak Shave podcast, and a former host of The Bike Shed podcast.

02:14 Deciding on Conference to Go To and Speak At

Conferences who offer on-site childcare are very attractive. Shoutout to Ruby Central conferences and Rust Belt Rust!

09:56 Evening Childcare

Going through conference organizer recommendations is preferencial because they spend a lot of time scouting the cities, however, services like UrbanSitter and Care.com are options in a pinch.

Conferences that offer child/kid-friendly after-hours activities are also great for parents. It seems like more conferences like that are popping up and opting for less bar atomosphere gatherings. 👍

16:38 Awesome Conference-Provided Amenities / Wishlist Items

• Swag Options for Kids (onesies and t-shirts!)
• Badges for Kids and Babies
• A list of kid-tolerant folks / Babysitting Co-ops for parents amongst attendees / Equipment share (Could be in the form of a Slack channel.

23:34 Having Answers BEFORE Asking People to Commit

Just having people click a box saying they will need childcare but not having any details about what those plans are isn't cool. (It also gives them a great excuse to turn down coming.) Parents want to know from the get-go that there is a solid childcare plan in place before they commit to going to a conference. Remember, the younger the child, the more logistics are involved around needs and stuff (equipment).

• Is there a supermarket or supermarket delivery service nearby?
• How will I get from the airport to the conference hotel?
• Is there additional costs for children?

27:31 Getting Around

Public transportation around your conference is key. 10-15 minutes away from the airport is an ideal distance.

29:26 School-Age Children and Conferences

32:43 Genius / Fail Moments

• Chris: Print-and play projects (#Genius)
• Tess: Investing in a nice child gate (#Genius)
• Allison: Having thoughtful and interactive conversations with your kids (#Genius)
• Sean: Teaching babies words is hilarious! 🤣

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Panel

Chris Sexton
Allison McMillan

Special Guests: Sean Griffin and Tess Griffin.