WeAreDevelopers World Congress 2024 – A Follow-up Report

This year, the annual WeAreDevelopers World Congress took place on July 18 and 19 at CityCube in Berlin. This is one of the few major conferences that focuses exclusively on software development and technologies. Unlike the usual digitalization conferences, which are appearing more and more often and deal with topics such as digital marketing or digital sales, the focus here is on computer science and software development. The conference is primarily aimed at developers, CTOs and software architects. This is underlined by the high level of professionalism of the lectures and workshops. What was particularly noticeable this year was the strong presence of the banking and automotive industries among the exhibitors.

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The World Congress takes place in Berlin in English over two days in July and is considered the world’s largest developer conference. This is also reflected in the number of visitors, which according to the organiser was 15,000 people (last year: 12,000). The Congress offers talks on the main stage and twelve other stages, a large exhibition area and workshops for a deeper dive. Networking is not neglected thanks to the different formats and the Congress Party on the first evening of the event.

Inauguration and Keynote Speakers

The opening speech was delivered by David Simas, former White House policy director and current managing director of Emerson Collective. In his impressive speech, he spoke about the responsibility of both governments and developers to society in the age of artificial intelligence. Comparing his time in the White House to his time during the Obama administration, Simas emphasized the importance of starting daily work with a clear purpose. In his speech, he provided important inspirations and emphasized the ethical dimension of technological development for society.

A large part of the lectures revolved around the topic of artificial intelligence, as emphasized by Chris Heilmann (VP Developer Relations, WeAreDevelopers). Several panel discussions and lectures were related to the impact of AI on various aspects of everyday work and the technology world. AI was presented as a tool that helps developers implement their software faster and better, as well as as a technology that improves products and operational processes. The discussions also covered controversial aspects and examined the pros and cons of AI in depth. The presentation by Rajiv Rajan (CTO, Atlassian), who presented new AI functions in the Atlassian product suite, also revolved around the topic. Practical examples were given in panel discussions, such as Katrin Lehmann, CIO of Mercedes-Benz, who explained how AI can reduce energy consumption in factories.

Trade fairs and exhibitors

The trade fair was very popular among hundreds of exhibitors from various sectors of the economy. Financial institutions, technology companies such as database providers and cloud operators, trading companies and vehicle manufacturers presented their latest products and services. WeAreDevelopers’ cooperation partner Heise used the heise developer area as its platform, where speakers and authors from the media company’s network shared their knowledge. The trade fair was designed to be interactive so that the 15,000 participants were well spread out across the two large venue halls. Almost every second stand had interactive elements that aroused the interest of visitors. From participatory activities and recruitment opportunities to active try-outs and practical experiences on various technical topics and tools.

In addition to the lectures, practical workshops were also offered to provide more in-depth knowledge on specific subject areas. These were in high demand and were often filled to the last. Various focuses such as patterns in software development or the use of different frameworks were discussed. These practical elements of the workshops were very well received by the participants and were able to underline the theoretical material.

Outlook to 2025

For the next edition of the WeAreDevelopers World Congress in 2025, it is expected that the topic of AI will continue to be addressed in more detail, despite the potential risks and the current lack of profitability. More experiences and specific practical application examples can be expected. It can be assumed that more tools and devices will be presented that actually use AI and benefit from it. Next year, intensive discussions and exchanges about the latest technological developments are likely to continue – the developer conference remains exciting.

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opening of the conference

(May)