By Janus Boye
I've been travelling to Croatia and the Web Summer Camp for over a decade and each year together with chief organiser, Ivo Lukac, we manage to curate a unique learning experience.
Yesterday was no different on the digital change track, where I had the pleasure of facilitating the day and also moderate what at some times became a heated discussion.
Before going into the highlights from the speakers, I want to call out the 30+ participants who represented a diverse and international mix from across different roles in different industries. That really made yesterday different and valuable to all.
Here are just some of the highlights:
* Thinking big about strategy, product and the human factor in a very interactive session by Mary Sandberg from Novo Nordisk. Combining a personal story with hands-on exercises got the group moving.
With Mary Sandberg from Novo, who joined us for an opening workshop thinking big about strategy
* Delivering timely and seamless customer experiences with Andreja Ivec from Liferay. Sharing both insights from her vast experience and then asking the group: What's holding you back? That turned into some very interesting conversations.
* Composability benefits. One of these buzzwords where LEGO is a suitable metaphor. Sven Al Hamad from Webiny untangled it and showed us the promised land, while a few participants openly talked about pros and cons. That was some good open sharing, also from Michael Lukaszczyk and Marko Gabud.
* Code is never enough. Lara Großpietsch from CoreMedia talked about the value of good documentation and developer relations. That's what makes the magic happen, and she went deep into the struggle with both documentation and engaging developers.
* Managing massive Web estate. AI is not making it easier as it is indexing everything. A huge cleanup is needed, and for that you need to find ways to manage your digital presence. Gavin Colborne from Little Forest opened our eyes to how big the problem might actually be (you probably have more websites than you think) and shared how leading organisations are addressing it.
* AI regulation and existentialism. AI, once again, and then there is the EU AI Act. Tihana Ana Reljić laid out the land for us, and we talked through the impact it already has and how it might influence new AI solutions. Whether you like it or not, regulation is coming and that's also a big part of the digital change happening.
Group discussions were as usual a good way to make the learning stick
* Finally, Tobi Stadelmaier from CoreMedia talked about content authors on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Again, AI might help, but it might also make things worse. He shared the innovative approaches CoreMedia is taking to actually help content producers of all kinds. In closing the day, he also made us look a bit further around the corner to see how this is all impacting the Web as we know it.
Thanks to everyone who joined us and decided to stay inside in the summer weather for another inspirational day of learning and networking.