Fluttercons are always something to look forward to in the Flutter world. This June, Fluttercon USA brought the community together in a unique setting at the Brooklyn Storehouse in New York City.
At Fluttercon USA, it wasn’t just the weather that was hot – the talks, the experts and the conversations were 🔥 too!
Our crew, Toni Piirainen, Miika Toljamo and Joonas Kerttula, were there for the full experience. This time, Joonas took the stage with his talk, “Building Google Maps Navigation for Flutter“. In this post, we’ll share his reflections from the event and what it meant for us to be part of the action.
Our second round at Fluttercon USA
This was the second-ever Fluttercon USA – and our second time sponsoring it. Over the years, we’ve shown up for Fluttercon Europe and various other Flutter events, and it’s been awesome to watch Fluttercon gather more momentum in the US, too.
With Droidcon taking place in the same venue, the crossover between Android and Flutter developers created great synergy. As Joonas puts it:
– The Flutter community is super tight-knit. This being my second time at Fluttercon USA, I ran into so many familiar faces. It was easy to continue the conversations we started last year.
– There were very interesting exhibitors this year, and I liked being able to see what others have built. I also had great chats with people from the Android side at Droidcon, Joonas adds.
Speaker and Rebel representative
Joonas had a busier schedule than a standard Fluttercon participant. He wasn’t just a visitor, but also a speaker and represented Rebel App Studio by Codemate at our booth. Despite the busy schedule, he was able to get the full experience: While getting ready for his prime tech talk, he chatted with other attendees and found time to catch a couple of sessions. Before the official event even started, he had an opportunity to network with other speakers at the Speakers party at the Duolingo office.
– At the speaker’s party, I got a chance to network and exchange ideas with other speakers. It was a truly collaborative environment; you could see people fine-tuning their presentations in real-time to reflect the ongoing conversations, Joonas says.
Behind the talk
Joonas’ talk focused on how we have built Google Maps Navigation for Flutter. The topic was inspired by our long-term work with Google and our hands-on experience developing the Navigation SDK and other plugins.
– I gave a similar talk earlier this year at a GDG meetup in Helsinki, and I also practised a week before Fluttercon at our own Flutter meetup hosted in our office in Helsinki. That helped me figure out what works and what to tweak, Joonas explains.
Even though his role at Codemate includes some presenting and he has experience speaking at meetups and teaching a few lessons at university, giving a talk at a major event still required some extra preparation.
– I thought a lot about how to keep the presentation technically engaging. Practising helped me to see what clicked with the audience and where I needed to adjust.
On the day of the talk, there were some nerves.
– I was a bit nervous before going up, but I think it went well overall, even if I accidentally skipped a few bits. I was happy with how it came out.
The goal of the talk was clear.
– I put a lot of focus on plugin quality – testing and documentation really matter, especially in community plugins. I also wanted the audience to learn that Flutter’s capabilities for native interoperability have significantly improved recently, allowing better ways to interact with native libraries, Joonas highlights.
Why developer events matter
For Joonas, the best part of Fluttercon wasn’t hitting the stage; it was the people.
– You can find all kinds of info and articles online, but having face-to-face conversations with people who deeply understand Flutter architecture is just different. These chats are the best part of the events, Joonas says.
That connection – sharing ideas, giving feedback and learning from others – is what keeps the Flutter community thriving.
Thinking of giving a talk? Here’s Joonas’ advice:
For anyone thinking about giving a talk at developer events, Joonas says: “Do it, if you think you have something to give to the community”. He also has some tips for first-time talkers.
– Watch how others present! See how they structure their talk, pace the delivery, and present their key points. And then practise. A lot. Until it flows naturally.
See you at Fluttercon Europe!
We are not done with Fluttercons this year. Next stop: Berlin and Fluttercon Europe! Our team cannot wait to catch up with the community again and keep sharing what we’ve learned.
If you are heading there, let us know. We’d love to chat!
In the mean time, have a look at Joonas’ talk recording from Fluttercon USA:
Want to meet us at Fluttercon Europe?
Miika Toljamo
Business
