The Miami tech scene is in its dynamic youth. If we look back not too many years ago, it’s safe to say that tech-related events were few and far between, but now there are events almost every week. As a software company, keeping up with these tech gatherings (and other networking events) in Miami is important to our team because we’re excited to see this special community grow. Plus, we also enjoy the opportunity to learn and teach alongside others who have the same passion that we do... not to mention, we know the challenges and growing pains that come with creating a startup!
Since the tech community in the greater Miami area is still relatively small, we really pride ourselves on keeping up with what’s going on with different companies, mostly by attending events as often as possible. We’ve even created an “Events” channel in Slack to help keep a running list of all the upcoming meetups, happy hours, breakfast groups, networking, and more!
Similar to our series on The People Behind the Product, we asked our teammates to fill us in on some of their favorite local events, and here’s what they had to say:
Randall: I like to attend the Refresh Miami talks because they're often more seasoned and appropriate for the type of business we do and need info on. I appreciate the talks more so than the meetups as it's a chance for me to learn.
Steve and David at Refresh-ing Hour with Brian Breslin, Founder of Refresh Miami.
Brian: In previous years, before a little baby and a fast growing company, I attended more events locally. I'm planning on attending more Refresh Miami events in the second half of 2016. Plus any other appealing tech events but from my research, Refresh seems to hold the most applicable events.
I usually come out of events with the following takeaways:
A lot of folks who attend Miami’s tech events are trying to start companies and being surrounded by like minded individuals gave me more confidence that we can really build a special company and succeed.
I always recommend Refresh events to anyone interested in tech in Miami. It's the go-to group just to connect with other like minded folks trying to stay in Miami and be in this industry. With a caveat of this industry being size of companies as well, Refresh is geared to non-large tech software companies.
Amanda: I enjoy trying a mix of professional events:
Like some of the others here, I've done Refresh Miami events - last summer there was a cool look at Conversion Marketing (aka Growth Hacking) presented by Dropbox. That was nice because the Miami tech community usually features events that are a bit more focused on developers or founders, so I enjoyed the marketing theme for a change.
There was a full house for Refresh’s Dropbox feature!
For social opportunities in the Tech community, the weekly Waffle Wednesday sessions hosted by LiveNinja are a popular choice... not to mention the gourmet waffles are delicious.
LiveNinja’s waffle bar
Not specifically related to tech, but from a networking perspective, I really enjoy teaching others about Inbound Marketing and the results we see from the methodology, so I was excited for the opportunity to co-host a Content Marketing workshop last year. There's something really cool about being able to help inspire others in their marketing, answer questions, and trade ideas in a room full of like-minded people.
I also recently joined the Young Professionals organization here in Coral Gables for its mix of professional events and community outreach. I enjoy it because I get to meet a variety of people from different professions, and also have great opportunities to make a difference in the neighborhood, like the time we painted a mural for the local middle school.
Orlando: The last event I went to was one of the Jurnid Sessions.
It was an interesting Q&A style event about the state of Miami as a tech hub. The panel mostly talked about how raising money in Miami is difficult because investors from outside Miami can be hesitant to invest down here. It was an interesting panel and most of the people on it were interested in improving Miami's tech scene.
It was a good event and there was networking after the panel stopped taking questions. I am definitely interested in attending other Jurnid Session events.
Steve makes a connection during the Jurnid Session event
Adam: I went to "Jurnid Sessions// The State of Miami's Tech Hub | Real vs. Hype" (the same event as Orlando) recently and that was interesting. My main takeaway was that there is some hype within the Miami community, but not about Miami from the outside. That and to focus on doing the work first.
Eric: Most of the events I've attended recently are related to YPO (Young President's Organization) and they focus on education and leadership development. However in 2017 I'm excited to attend BrightGauge’s Gauger Rager, but we'll have to wait until later this year to share what that's all about.
My biggest takeaways are that getting out of the office and of your normal routine to learn from others is a great use of time. Any time I attend an event I usually walk away with at least one nugget of information or make one interesting contact.
Last year I went to eMerge Americas and that was a lot of fun if you're in technology in Miami or South America. They bring a lot of different topics together and the collaboration is amazing.
Our team has only skimmed the surface when it comes to tech events in Miami, and we’ve started to attend more events just as the frequency of events is picking up. You can expect to hear more about local events on our Twitter, Instagram and blog.
If you’re looking for some events to attend yourself, check out the Refresh Miami Event Calendar.
