Grace Hopper Celebration is the world’s largest annual conference for women in computing. And this past year was no joke -- boasting over 18,000 attendees and held October 4th - October 6th at the humongous Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. I feel truly blessed to not only be able to spend 3 days with such inspiring and gifted women from all over the world but also to get a sponsorship through Google to attend this event.
PRE-CONFERENCE
On August 2nd, I received one of the best news I could’ve gotten to beat my mid-week slump -- I was selected as a travel grant recipient to attend the 2017 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing! This grant included conference registration, round trip flight to Orlando, hotel accommodations, $75 for miscellaneous reimbursements, and even a fun event planned just for grant recipients.
I’ve never attended such a big conference before, especially by myself, so I wasn’t too sure of what to expect. I began searching around online and found Facebook groups that helped people network prior to the event as well as answering any questions. I also prepped by checking the conference schedule and marking the talks/workshops that I definitely wanted to go to. Around a month before the conference, many companies started posting events (breakfasts, after parties, etc.) that they were hosting for GHC attendees. One of the cool ones that I saw was a HBO Game of Thrones after party at an ice bar!
DAY 0
I arrived in Orlando a day early to have some time to explore the city a bit. As soon as I checked into my hotel and dropped off my stuff, I headed straight to Universal Orlando Resort! I spent most of my time in the Harry Potter World - Hogsmeade section and was glad I was able to check it out since it’s not yet open in California yet. After Universal, I walked back to my hotel to explore the city a bit. My main takeaways about Orlando: It's super humid and it's known for alligators.
DAY 1
It's finally the start of the convention! I was particularly most excited for the keynote by Melinda Gates. She was an amazing speaker and truly someone inspirational. It was a great way to pump everyone up for the start of the conference. After the keynote, I explored the conference Expo Hall a bit to grab some free swag and to just feel out the area. The Expo Hall was huge! It would definitely take someone several trips to the Expo Hall throughout the conference to be able to cover the whole area. Afterwards, I went to a few sessions and some after parties.
DAY 2
After an exhausting first day, I was not as excited to wake up early to explore. However when I got back into the convention center, I immediately regained my energy. I attended a few more sessions this day and spent the rest of my time interviewing or exploring the Expo Hall. I got to meet some great companies and learn a bit more about their products. After day 2 of the conference, Google hosted a fancy dinner for all grant recipients for working professionals. They rented out a restaurant in the hotel lobby and had someone draw caricatures of everyone! I also finally got to meet some of the people that I was networking with in the Facebook groups before the event.
DAY 3
By the third day of the conference, my feet were in pain but my excitement for the conference kept me going. I was most excited for the event Google’s Women Techmakers was hosting for GHC -- they rented out Disney World’s Epcot for an after party! We got the whole park to ourselves and they had a DJ, photo booths, lots of delicious food, and towards the end we got to go on several rides that they opened up with no lines! Also at this point I was slightly considering buying another suitcase to bring back all the swag...
CONCLUSION/TIPS
Overall it was a great experience and I highly suggest any woman in tech try to attend if the opportunity comes up. You never know what will happen from it and at the least, you will leave with new friends, new swag, and an unforgettable experience. I actually had an interview while at GHC that eventually lead to my current job!
Tips for a GHC Attendee:
- Network in GHC groups before the event
- Sign up for events/parties hosted by companies
- Make a schedule for the talks that you definitely want to see -- while leaving extra time to explore the Expo Hall
- Be flexible with your schedule
- Prepare resumes and/or business cards
- Submit your resume to the GHC Attendee database as soon as you can! Companies will reach out to schedule interviews.
- Pack comfortable shoes, you will be walking a lot
- Network with as many people as you can
- Bring a half empty suitcase, you’ll be bringing home a lot of swag
- Come in with an open mind and you will have fun!
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