+++
title="Tech Conferences"
mediatype="struct"
conference="seattle-2022"
date="2022-11-16T12:00:00-08:00"
description="Two annual conferences: from Boston to Seattle"
thumbnail=""

[[videos]]
title="Memory Strategies"
embed="https://player.vimeo.com/video/774890907"
service="vimeo"
download_link="https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/774890907/rendition/720p/file.mp4?loc=external&oauth2_token_id=1777364455&signature=3c443137144bf46966f5607ab00f818dfa5f98e1ac7643e62160f55e0bb27792"

[[speakers]]
name="Abner Coimbre"
bio=""
image=""
+++

[Prev](/operation2030/structure/meetups) | [Contents](/operation2030) | [Next](/operation2030/structure/team)

Handmade Cities hosts two major tech conferences each year: [Handmade Boston](/boston) (HMB) in the summer and [Handmade Seattle](/seattle) (HMS) in the fall. 

Early-bird ticket sales typically start sometime in the spring. Subscribe to the [newsletter](/news) to stay updated.

#### Summer - Handmade Boston  

- **The Sister Conference to Seattle**  
  HMB is a smaller, more intimate event focused on what Abner calls “long-ass technical lectures.” It's the fully-offline counterpart to Seattle: there is no online track. Only in-person tickets are sold.
- **Return to Form**  
  Starting in 2025 we’re going back to the exact format of the first HMB conference (sans homework) which was the most well-received. We are recreating the old-school lecturing environment.

HMB lectures are typically 90–120 minutes long. They're informal sessions with room for tangents and audience interaction. Think of Martin Mozeiko’s [legendary](/media/boston-2023/errors-and-compilers) HMB recording on compiler errors/warnings—raw, unpolished, but deeply impactful. It’s still referenced by the community today and strongly influenced Abner’s programming habits; he’s now obsessed with arena poisoning!

**Next Handmade Boston:** August 1–2, 2025 (Fri–Sat)  

#### Fall - Handmade Seattle  

- **Our Flagship Conference**  
  HMS is the largest event featuring a trade show, job fair, and a fully-hybrid experience with both physical and online tracks.  
- **Professionally Live-Streamed**  
  Thanks to our [technical producer](/about) HMS is 100% professionally live-streamed.  

HMS is packed with shorter, polished talks and demos. While it’s less of a deep dive than HMB it does reach a broader audience. (Presenters can still tackle technical subjects, but they’ll have less time to do so.) A community favorite is Andreas’ Context is Everything:

{{< vimeo 644068002 >}}

HMS often explores bigger questions that plague the Handmade community. For example, we asked the head of [Ink & Switch](https://inkandswitch.com) why the industry struggles to create simple software. His response led to a masterclass in software complexity:

{{< youtube czzAVuVz7u4 >}}

**Next Handmade Seattle:** December 5–7, 2025 (Fri–Sun)