Over the years, Flutter has been experiencing substantial growth in various countries and regions. It has evolved not only as an open-source cross-platform technology but also as a strong and collaborative community. This October, the first major conference in Latin America was held in Medellín, Colombia as a two-day event (25th & 26th of October) —Flutter Conf Latam. And indeed, it was incredible!
Flutter Conf was filled with insightful talks from members of the community, workshops, and plenty of time to chat and network with friends and colleagues we had the pleasure of meeting at these fantastic events over time.
From Somnio Software, we had the privilege of not only being sponsors and event organizers, but also of showcasing a remarkable lineup of speakers, including Juan José Leon Camilo, Elian Ortega, Ignacio Lauret, and both of us! Additionally, we had the honor of representing Codemagic at the event with a booth where two of our team members, Sabrina Stanic and Ignacio Lauret, were present.
The organization and planning of the event involved numerous considerations, so we'd like to take a moment to applaud their outstanding efforts. Kudos to everyone who was part of the organization of this incredible event.
Now, let's dive into our complete experience at this two-day event!
Day 1
The first day of the event is always the most energetic. We kicked off the morning by assembling the Somnio Software and Codemagic booths, which were rapidly visited by many developers as we were located near the main entrance.
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Following the booth setup, we extended a warm welcome to all attendees alongside our fellow organizers, and the main keynote was addressed by Jorge Coca ‘Always be growing! Scaling engineering culture with a smile on your face!’. With this inspiring start, we were geared up for a day brimming with networking opportunities, reuniting with old friends, and forging connections with fellow developers from the community.
This day featured two comprehensive talk tracks, in Spanish and English, and several interesting workshops led by community members.
The Somnio-Talks of the Day
‘Powering your Flutter Apps with gRPC’ - by Gianfranco Papa
In my session, we delved into the seamless integration of gRPC, an open-source high-performance framework, with Flutter and Dart, which facilitates efficient communication between clients and servers. We not only discussed the theory behind this integration but also put it into practice through a demonstration. This demo involved combining a Flutter frontend with a gRPC backend, and it made use of key concepts like protocol buffers and server-side streaming to illustrate the practical aspects of the technology.
‘Building a Flutter-Focused Company: Navigating Top 10 Challenges’ - by Mauricio Pastorini
Following Gianfranco's presentation, it was my turn to step onto the stage. Throughout my talk, I elaborated on our company's journey in becoming a Top Flutter development company. I discussed the challenges and opportunities that come with specializing exclusively in this technology, and I also shared some interesting facts and insights.
Day 2
GDE Panel
The second day commenced with two GDE Panels, one in Spanish and one in English, featuring prominent figures like Argel Bejarano, Daniel Herrera, Diego Vazquez, Jaime Blasco, Gianfranco Papa, Eirck Zanardo, Leo Farias, Majid Hajian, Jorge Coca, Román Jázquez, Óscar Martín, Pooja Bhaumik, and Renan Araujo. The panel was a treasure trove of insights, with discussions ranging from Flutter versus native frameworks, scenarios where Flutter might not be the ideal choice, and the future roadmap for the open-source framework.
The Somnio-Talks of the Day
Several of our incredible Flutter Developers gave technical talks on the second day of the conference, here’s a recap of what they delved into:
‘Enhancing Development Experience with Mason Bricks and RenderObjects’ - by Elian Ortega
Elian Ortega, Flutter Developer at Somnio Software, presented ‘Boost your Development Experience with Mason Bricks’. He introduced Mason, a tool for creating code templates, and demonstrated how it can significantly enhance the development experience by streamlining the creation of repetitive code structures.
‘Widgets that Predict the Future: The Power of RenderObjects and Boxy in Flutter’ - by Juan José León Camilo
Juan José León Camilo delivered a talk on ‘Widgets that Predict the Future: The Power of RenderObjects and Boxy in Flutter’. He shed light on the underutilized RenderObjects, discussing their use cases and how they offer flexibility when the widget layer falls short. Juan José also introduced a library named Boxy, which leverages the power of RenderObjects.
‘Streamlining Flutter Development with Continuous Integration & Deployment’ - by Ignacio Lauret
The day continued with Ignacio Lauret who enlightened the audience on ‘Continuous Integration & Deployment using Codemagic’. He explained what Codemagic is, its integration with Flutter, and shared insights on setting up efficient workflows, whether through yaml or UI. His session was particularly useful for developers looking to streamline their distribution process.
Codemagic + Somnio Software: Fostering a Valuable Partnership
For the very first time, Codemagic made a remarkable appearance at a Latam Flutter Community Event, and it was an honor for us to represent them.
Our journey with Codemagic began from the very start of Somnio Software. Since our beginnings, we've always considered this tool our top choice for Continuous Integration and Deployment. Thanks to our extensive experience with Codemagic and the trust we've built with Martin Jeret, their CEO, we were well-prepared to share the benefits of automating app builds and releases using this CI/CD tool.
At the Codemagic booth, Sabrina Stanic, Account Manager at Somnio Software, and Ignacio Lauret, one of our exceptional Flutter Developers, welcomed fellow Flutter developers and enthusiasts interested in this cutting-edge tool. They were greeted with swag and nothing but good vibes!
This opportunity was a true joy to share with the Flutter community, and we are excited to continue nurturing it and making further contributions to the vibrant Flutter ecosystem. Once again, thank you for entrusting us with this task, Martin!
Wrapping up
Flutter Conf Latam was truly an incredible event and one that will undoubtedly be etched in our memories. Being able to share this experience with an exceptional group of fellow travelers was an absolute blast, and representing both Somnio Software and Codemagic made it even more special.
The flourishing Flutter Community here in Latam fills us with immense joy and pride. We really hope that this conference is just the initial step on a path that will lead to many more exciting gatherings in the future.
