Building Community at Carolina Codes with Vonage

At the Carolina Code Conference, sponsored by Vonage, developers gathered in Greenville, South Carolina, to foster a sense of community and collaboration beyond just code. This inclusive event, marked by its unique setup of keeping everyone in the same room, allowed participants to connect and share experiences, making it feel more like a gathering of friends than a typical conference. Vonage, as the Platinum sponsor, engaged attendees with small gestures like giving away hats and headbands, which facilitated interactions and lowered barriers. The conference also included talks on topics like gamification and hosted social events, such as a happy hour at New Realm Brewery, which drew over 70 people despite a thunderstorm. Attendees like Justin Jones and Ben Link highlighted the power of forming genuine connections and friendships, illustrating the importance of community in Developer Relations (DevRel). Vonage emphasized its commitment to being an active member of the DevRel community, with the goal of creating spaces for people to connect and share ideas, thereby reinforcing the notion that meaningful connections are at the heart of the tech industry.