Subscribe

Entelect hosts 1.5k people at its largest tech conference to date


Johannesburg, 06 Nov 2023
Megan Steyn presents her talk on the benefits of reading fiction for your career.
Megan Steyn presents her talk on the benefits of reading fiction for your career.

More than 1 500 Entelect employees gathered in three continents, across 10 offices for DevDay Spring edition 2023, Entelect's bi-annual internal conference. DevDay is a cornerstone in Entelect’s calendar, offering its employees (affectionately referred to as Entelectuals) an exciting opportunity to refine their tech prowess and enhance their collaborative and professional skills.

DevDay, hosted at the Sandton convention center.
DevDay, hosted at the Sandton convention center.
Entelect employees from the Cape Town office.
Entelect employees from the Cape Town office.

DevDay Spring Edition 2023

This year, DevDay was hosted and streamed from the Sandton Convention Centre. It featured insightful presentations by Entelectuals, delving into topics such as the significance of cultural diversity in problem-solving, the comparison between low-code and no-code technologies and the valuable impact of reading fiction in enhancing critical thinking and teamwork skills.

The event ended with Entelect's renowned Fight Club: impromptu presentations where speakers are challenged to address a subject matter only revealed to them when they step onto the stage.

Zakiya Safi presenting her talk on Tech Accelerator, an Entelect initiative.
Zakiya Safi presenting her talk on Tech Accelerator, an Entelect initiative.
Over 800 individuals attended the conference in Johannesburg.
Over 800 individuals attended the conference in Johannesburg.
Megan Steyn presents her talk on the benefits of reading fiction for your career.
Megan Steyn presents her talk on the benefits of reading fiction for your career.

Bianca McFadyen, marketing and communications manager, has walked an exciting journey, organising the event and mentoring the speakers. “It has been truly awe-inspiring to witness the remarkable growth of this tech conference at Entelect over the past few years.”

Pizza is a longstanding tradition at DevDay conferences.
Pizza is a longstanding tradition at DevDay conferences.
Entelect employees from the Cape Town office.
Entelect employees from the Cape Town office.
Clive Makume, DevDay’s presenter, Introducing the first fight club.
Clive Makume, DevDay’s presenter, Introducing the first fight club.
Entelectuals were presented a diversity of topics.
Entelectuals were presented a diversity of topics.

She says: “Excitement fills me as we prepare for our next DevDay – a gathering not only for shared enjoyment but, significantly, a space for guiding and mentoring our upcoming presenters who will grace the stage.”

Growth isn’t optional

Fifteen years ago, DevDay emerged as an intimate gathering, providing software developers an informal platform to exchange insights gleaned from their individual projects. Over the years, the event has evolved substantially, and its audience has steadily grown to include user experience engineers, quality assurers engineers, data engineers and business analysts. The conference has had the honour of welcoming esteemed international speakers in recent years, including the multi-award winning CTO, researcher and author Gene Kim, as well as the visionary futurist and inventor Pablos Holman.

This event heavily underpins Entelect’s value of “growth isn’t optional”. The company firmly believes in providing consistent and meaningful opportunities for its employees to expand their skills and knowledge.

"Getting on stage at DevDay this season was surreal for me,” says Matthew Butler, CTO, who has been part of the company for over a decade. “The size and energy from the Joburg crowd, and knowing there are another five cities tuned in around the world, is simultaneously intimidating and inspiring. Reflecting on some of our first knowledge shares with a dozen attendees in a small company, the evolution just filled me with pride. Entelect DevDay has blossomed into a major event for thousands of our people and presents a diversity of topics, but the mission has never changed: share, learn and grow."

Share