On 23 May 2024, over 1500 Entelectuals took flight across three continents, touching down in 10 different offices for DevDay, Entelect’s bi-annual tech conference.
This year’s aviation themed event soared high, as attendees navigated through lightning talks, some focusing on the latest tech trends, others on ways of working.
A highlight in the Entelect calendar, DevDay provides Entelect’s people (affectionately known as Entelectuals) with the unique opportunity to practice their presenting skills in front of a large audience, bond with co-workers and learn from one another.
As Entelect has grown over the last two decades, so has the scope of DevDay, which occurs twice a year in both the Western Cape and Gauteng regions, with simultaneous live watch parties streamed across our global offices.
Speakers delved into thought-provoking ideas on how our well-intentioned actions can lead to inefficiency, the benefits (and misconceptions) of being introverted, lessons from aviation, and the two-side coin of mentorship – told from both the perspective of the mentor and mentee.
The event ended with impromptu presentations where speakers are challenged to address a subject matter only revealed to them when they step onto the stage.
Bianca McFadyen, Entelect’s Marketing and Communications Manager has played an instrumental role in the growth of DevDay, from organising the event to providing a solid mentorship program to the selected speakers.
“DevDay is for Entelectuals by Entelectuals. It’s grown over the years, to the extent that it is now one of the biggest tech conferences in Southern Africa. But what’s remained constant is the intention behind it. It is homegrown, provides a platform for our people’s growth and an opportunity to network and have some fun afterwards,” added McFadyen.
The day closed out in style, with Entelect’s tradition of pizzas and milkshakes, as well as live entertainment provided by Entelect musos.
Growth Isn’t Optional
Sixteen 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, and its audience has steadily grown to include user experience engineers, quality assurance engineers, data engineers and business analysts. The conference has had the honour of welcoming esteemed international guest speakers in recent years, including Gene Kim, Troy Hunt, Scott Hanselman as well as Pablos Holman.
This event heavily underpins Entelect’s value of “growth isn’t optional.” The company passionately believes in providing consistent and meaningful opportunities for its employees to expand their skills and knowledge.