SmashingConf Goes Fully Online for the Rest of 2020
Given the ongoing uncertainty around travel and large gatherings, Smashing Magazine has decided to move all of its remaining 2020 conferences to an online format. The shift means the events will be accessible to a wider audience, as attendees are no longer limited by location or travel restrictions.
All online conference events will run on the Hopin platform, which Smashing has already used for its Smashing Meets series. The platform supports social chat and side events alongside the main presentations, offering an experience closer to an in-person conference.
SmashingConf Live: August 20th–21st
The first event is the rescheduled SmashingConf Live, happening over two half-days on August 20th–21st. Each day features four talks covering CSS, JavaScript, UX, and data visualization. Attendees can join the chat, take part in a Design and Coding Tournament, or watch others compete. The schedule also includes fireside chats on privacy, web performance, and machine learning, as well as live website reviews from speakers.
Tickets for the postponed in-person event remain valid. New registrations are available, and attendees can save 100 USD by bundling a workshop ticket with their conference ticket.
Following SmashingConf Live, the remaining in-person events for 2020 will move online, keeping their original schedules and adding side events and a mystery speaker.
SmashingConf Freiburg Online: September 7th–8th
The Freiburg conference will take place on its original dates, September 7th–8th, as a single-track event with 13 speakers. The programming is tied to German time, making it convenient for European attendees. The full schedule and ticket registration are available on the event site.
SmashingConf Austin and New York Combined: October 13th–14th
Because the Austin and New York events were scheduled so closely together with similar programming, the two have been combined into a single online conference. It will run in Central Time on October 13th–14th, as if the event were still taking place in Austin. The schedule and registration details are online.
SmashingConf San Francisco Online: November 10th–11th
The final event of the year is the virtual San Francisco conference on November 10th–11th, running in Pacific Time. The schedule and tickets are already available for the closing event of 2020.
Options for Existing Ticketholders
Anyone who already holds an in-person ticket for one of the affected conferences will have their ticket moved to the corresponding 2021 edition. As a thank-you for their patience, they will also receive free access to the online version of the event they originally registered for. Attendees who cannot make use of this arrangement should have received details on alternative options via email. Anyone who did not get the email can contact the team at [email protected].
Tickets are on sale now for all of the online events. The move to a virtual format opens these conferences to attendees who cannot travel, even under normal circumstances.
