Listen to the episode as Jessica explains the challenges of launching an event for the industry (as opposed to an event for users), strategies the team is leveraging, the power of listening to the community, and where she finds inspiration.

Confluent’s industry event, Current, is a two-day summit where data technologists learn about streaming innovation. Attendees include technology leaders, developers, and even competitors. Peer-to-peer discussions, local experiences, philanthropic endeavors, and engaging content made Current a success in 2022, its inaugural year.

“The idea is that it’s a place for anyone who works with or in the data streaming industry. They need to come to this event and see it as the data streaming event, where they can learn from anyone in this community,” Blake says. 

“Especially an open-source community, they have the power, they want to learn from their peers—what are the wins, what are the losses, how can they learn from each other—and so we want to put on this event where it’s not a biased event and just about Confluent.”

Jessica shares plans for Current 2023, which is set to take place September 26-27 in San Jose, California. Hear the new challenges the team is navigating and their strategies in motion as they continue to grow and evolve the event.

Listen to the podcast.

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