So I had the opportunity to attend a first-ever iOS/Mac conference called “CocoaConf“, that was held in Columbus, OH earlier this month.
For a first-time conference my expectations were exceeded. CocoaConf was strictly focused on delivering top-notch tech talks. There weren’t any vendor booths, no business/marketing tracks, no sales presentations, etc.
First off, you should know that the WiFi was good, the food was great, the swag was cool, the sessions were solid, and the attendees and presenters were all brilliant!
Cocos2D Talk - Photo by Ed Crockett
I learned a LOT from the sessions, which included everything from Core Graphics, MapKit, Cocos2D, NSURLConnection, etc. Daniel Steinberg gave the keynote talk, as well as a couple others, and it was great to see my old Sensei again. (Daniel was one of my instructors, along with Matt Drance, at an iPhone Studio I attended a year ago).
It was fun to see people that I had only ever known on Twitter before, and hang out with so many smart people. I really liked the way lunch and dinner had everyone sitting together at round tables. It felt easier to get to know everyone over the meals. The people that hosted the conference are essentially one big family, literally, and that made the whole thing feel more “homey”.
Me, Presenting "Time Off" - Photo by Ed Crockett
One of my personal highlights was the “We Made and App For That” segment on Friday. 6 developers had about 6 minutes each to present their app to the whole audience. I had the privilege of being able to show a demo of Time Off and was really encouraged that it was voted 2nd best app presentation 
The other apps were great as well, check them out:
If I’ve managed to talk you into attending this great conference, then you’ll be glad to know that they will be doing it again in Columbus, OH next year. This year they also have plans to host an event in Raleigh, NC in December!
