What is F8?

F8, otherwise known as the Facebook Developer Conference, is a tech conference held in California every year (kind of). Comparable to Apple’s WWDC or Google’s I/O Conference, F8 showcases what tools and technologies their engineers have been working on, and what is coming up in the near future. The conference attracts developers, marketers, entrepreneurs, journalists, college students, and just overall tech lovers from around the world.

This year’s focus was mainly on AI, VR, and AR. And as a lover of the AR/VR world (I’m kinda scared of AI, not going to lie), I knew I had to attend.

How do you get a ticket to attend?

Well, it depends. A majority of the attendees at the conference had to apply via the F8 website. Once accepted, they have to pay a fee of $699 to confirm their attendance. This price does not cover hotels or air/transportation – just your ticket to attend. While that is a crap load of money, it is actually the cheapest ticket price compared to other big tech conferences.

As for me, I was very fortunate enough to receive a complimentary ticket to attend in my email. And no I’m not a Facebook employee, nor am I affiliated with Facebook in anyway. I considered my luck, and signed up. There were other attendees – such as speakers or scholarship recipients – whom I had met who had everything covered for them (hotel, transportation, and the ticket to the event). They were more luckier than I was.

New Year, New Venue – McEnery Convention Center

On both Day 1 and Day 2, I had arrived at around the same time – 9am. Yes, the doors opened at 8am, however I figured this would give me ample time to grab breakfast, and then grab a seat for the keynote, which started at 10am on both days. However, I do have to say – I wish I came a bit earlier on Day 1. Registration took so so long (okay, well about 15 minutes, but that’s pretty long to me) and the atmosphere was pretty chaotic with journalists and attendees rushing everywhere. Needless to say, I felt overwhelmed on Day 1. But day 2 was definitely much more calmer.

On both days, they had served free breakfast (yay!). We were given manyyy options and of course there were options for those who are vegetarians, vegans, only eat gluten-free items, etc. I picked out an egg wrap along with yogurt and a croissant that was surprisingly really good.

The Keynote

On our badge, each attendee was assigned a “door” number. This was a bit confusing because I was looking for a literal Door, until I found out they meant section. Why didn’t they just call it a section instead of a door – I don’t know. But what I can tell you is that I got one of the worse sections in the auditorium – aka the seats where you watch people watching the conference.

Anyways, the keynote started off with Mark Zuckerberg coming on stage. He of course started off by killing the elephant in the room and addressing the Cambridge Analytica scandal and how Facebook is going to remedy the situation.

Then he went on to talk about other new features Facebook is working on, such as Facebook Dating. Which, in my opinion, is a weird time to introduce such a feature. But also, it’s smart and I don’t know why they haven’t done it sooner. My section was pretty quiet throughout the whole conference – I’m going to blame the seats we got. However, once Mr. Zuckerberg announced that each attendee will be receiving a free Oculus Go, everybody in the audience cheered. A guy in the audience even screamed “thank you!”

A few other presenters came on stage to discuss what each Facebook platform – Instagram, Messenger, Whatsapp, etc – is innovating in the upcoming future.

The Keynote is done… now what?

There are PLENTY of activities to partake in after the keynote. First of all, they usually open up the cafeteria for lunch right after the keynote had ended. Below is a list of all of the things you can do at the conference:

• Attend talks and see what Facebook has/will be up to.

This was the main part of the conference, of course. I attended as many as I can in order to learn as much as I can, and after each talk, there was one phrase that kept circling in my mind – tech is evolving at a much faster pace than I thought it was.

The talks were very interesting though. This year, there were over 70 talks – or on average, about 5 talks happening at the same time.

• Try out the Oculus Rift and Oculus Go (either in a group or with friends)

This was actually my favorite part of the conference. I know some people who spent a majority of their time trying out all of the Oculus Rift and Oculus Go stations (there were a couple with different “experiences” you can go through).

• Eat free snacks or drinks in the Festival Hall (yes, there was free food everywhere)

• • Attend the F8 Hackathon

• • Check out Facebook’s products in the Dev Garage

• Try to win prizes, such as Amazon Gift Cards, by using the AR feature in the Facebook App

There was a map on our badge that you can see in 3D just by hovering the Facebook App’s camera over it. You could also win cool prizes by taking a pic of secret areas that have AR-capabilities on it that you can find on the map.

The After Party/Happy Hour was better than I had expected

(If you are reading this article in the future and debating whether or not you should attend the happy hour or the after party – this is a sign telling you to go! This is the PERFECTTTT opportunity to network since many people will be open to chat with you. And you’ll have 2+ hours to do so!)

I had attended both the after party on the first day, and the happy hour on the second day. And honestly, it wasn’t bad at all! I was actually very surprised, to say the least, mainly because I expected something much more… formal I guess? Or  something like a wine hall or an extravaganza or something fancy. Instead, when I walked into the after party held in the Civic Center, I was greeted to an uncensored version of the song Walk It Talk It by Migos blasting, people grabbing free drinks at an open bar, dancing on an open dance floor, and a long line for free food. There was also an area outside where you can eat and meet others. And, to be honest, I felt more relieved and relaxed in this casual atmosphere.

That same night, Facebook had invited a DJ named DJ Rhetorik along with Logic, a rapper, who had performed his top songs. And he was actually pretty good! It was entertaining to see him interact with other audience members, and even do a rap battle on stage with one of his biggest fans.

Day 2’s End of the F8 Conference Happy Hour

Day 2’s happy hour, which was located back at the McEnery Convention Center, seemed to be much more intimate. There was also free food (I wonder how many times I’ve said this during the article), a few open bar areas, networking tables, and a dance floor. You can also sit outside if you wanted to. The energy on day 2 seemed much more higher than day 1. People REALLY came out to party. It was as if Facebook said they’ll hire the most hyper person in the room right now. But it was tons of fun, and of course I met some more people.

What about the other main attendees?

On the first day of the conference, one of the first things that came to mind was – there are a LOT of guys here. In summary, the crowd of attendees pretty much mirrored the tech industry as a whole. Hopefully in the near future, we will be able to see much more diversity in tech conferences, however this is an area that definitely needs improvement.

Regardless, what was really cool is that I had the chance to meet people from all around the world. I’ve met people from South Africa, Asia, Mexico, and Brazil. Even while walking around the conference floor, you can hear people speaking  all kinds of different languages. I loved the diversity, in terms of origins, mainly because I was able to see the different ways Facebook or tech as a whole is influencing other countries. For instance, I had learned that people in Burma view Facebook on a WAY higher level than we do here in the US. The person I met pretty much said “when people in Burma think of the internet, they think ‘Facebook’. You pretty much do everything – even book air tickets – through Facebook.”

Overall, was it worth attending F8?

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give the F8 Conference a solid 7. I’m definitely happy that I went, especially since it was my first “big” tech conference.