DevCamp returns at full speed!

DevCamp - what is it all about?

While wrapping up the previous edition of DevCamp, we were already thinking about the next event. The bar was set pretty high, but we took the challenge. For this year’s edition, we chose another creative spot as a location, organized various themed workshops and activities, and we invited a special keynote speaker. What remained the same were the principles - we wanted DevCamp 2023 to be a real boost for inspiration, knowledge, creativity, and fun for the whole Boldare team.

AI Time!

DevCamp is all about the exchange of knowledge and experience. That’s why we organized several workshops dedicated to the hot topics and useful tools which might help our specialists on a daily basis. As you may guess, AI was a leading theme. Here’s a short summary of what we learned:

• AI in a pill - a highlight for developers was a workshop with Max Salamonowicz, expert in AI and machine learning, robotics engineer, and co-author of an innovative hybrid board game. During this almost 8-hour meeting we immersed ourselves in the world of AI and large language models (LLM). We discovered the secrets of advanced technologies such as OpenAI GPT API, and also learned about alternative solutions such as Llama, Alpaca or Vicuna. Our journey through the world of LLM began with learning prompt engineering. It was a first step to create our own, intelligent chatbot with the help of FastAPI, which would serve us on a daily basis without restrictions. We also dove into embeddings and we built our own knowledge base for our chatbots.
• AI & Design - during the workshop we focused on using AI in the work of product designers. We went through the flow of product development on a selected case study, using useful AI tools at each stage: creating a persona and value proposition for the product, then creating a basic UI kit (color/typographic styles, effects, icons, etc.) and adapting a ready-made design system to the current needs of the project
• Copilot - this session was dedicated to Copilot. Attendees learned how to use it to improve coding speed and efficiency, with hands-on examples such as automating repetitive tasks and code generation. There was also a part of the workshop dedicated to discussing the ethical and legal conditions of using artificial intelligence in programming and the limitations of Copilot.
• Prompt Engineering in ChatGPT - our specialists could learn more about “prompt engineering in ChatGPT”. The idea of this workshop was to present the power of AI in daily work, regardless of the scope of that work or role in the organization. During this workshop, we looked closely at ChatGPT and LLMs (and their limitations) and we learned more about the basics of prompting and got practical examples of the ChatGPT use cases in everyday work.
• New tool for the organization - our festival was a great occasion to introduce a new tool to the organization - Coda! Our devs and non-dev specialists could experience how Coda might have a large and very positive impact on our daily work - not only by replacing simpler tools such as spreadsheets but also enabling completely new ways of organizing work.

HackathonAI - 24 hours

One of the most exciting things was a 24-hour hackathon during which our teams could work on creative solutions. The task was to create an AI-powered proof of concept that solves a client’s business problem or brings some additional value. Each of the four teams which competed for electric scooters were composed of devs and non-dev specialists. What was the coolest part about it? Our specialists could use the knowledge they had gained during the DevCamp workshops.

After strong teamwork, attendees presented their solutions in front of the whole company and a jury consisting of business people and CTOs. The winner was Domain Expert, a product that answers questions about a product’s domain based on user stories or documentation. With more complex products, it also helps to understand how the functionality works and why.

What’s important - work on all the products developed is now being continued! We are preparing demos for clients and developing internal tools based on the ideas from the hackathon.

Celebration time

We couldn’t miss the opportunity to celebrate together during DevCamp. Apart from the monthly celebration of employment anniversaries, we also had a special opportunity to raise our glasses to someone close to our hearts, an employee who has worked in Boldare for 10 years! Our co-CEOs gave some special gifts, fulfilling a long tradition of celebrating 10th anniversaries. It was a moment full of laughter, joy, tears, and emotion. We were extremely happy that we could celebrate it together.

Integration and water sports

What would DevCamp be without a large dose of teamwork and fun activities? As Boldare people are spread across Europe, DevCamp is a great opportunity for us to meet in person and integrate! That’s why our agenda also included teamwork time and some sports.

We organized many outdoor activities including table football and padel tournaments, kayaking trips, sailing on catamarans and boats, playing volleyball or sunbathing and chilling - people chose according to their preferences. As a little partying never killed anyone, we also made a bonfire and had a great beach party with live music and a real food truck. As always, we could count on the participation of our co-CEOs who took part actively in all kinds of activities.

Apart from learning and playing, the event gave infinite space for the exchange of thoughts, discovering new areas, as well as joint discussions between teams and with our co-CEOs. We seized the opportunity of being in the same place with the opportunity to approach those with whom we don’t work together on a daily basis. It was a real boost for creative ideas and gave us inspiration for the future.

The second edition of DevCamp proved that the idea of organizing a knowledge-sharing internal event, put together in a bold way - close to nature, on a campsite - was a great decision. It wouldn’t have happened without many actively involved Bolders. Big thanks and congratulations to everyone who helped make it happen.