My visit to Chain React 2024 (and some tips for going to conferences)

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My visit to Chain React 2024

I got the chance to go to Chain React for the first time this year, an annual React Native conference in Portland, Oregon. I’m a developer evangelist for Amazon Apps and Devices and it was exciting to check it out and let the dev community know that we are doubling down on RN support for Amazon devices.

The agenda featured React Native workshops and talks from devs like Meta, Microsoft, and Shopify and it was great to meet and learn from them. For those who didn’t get to go and are curious about it, or if you were there and you want to hear my perspective, here are 7 things I got to do:

1. React Native Workshop

Justin Poliachik leading the React Native Essentials workshop

I participated in the React Native Essentials workshop, where we went step-by-step building a multi-screen mobile app. Check out the github repo if you want to try it out for yourself. I also got some of my other teammates to share the githubs repos for the Intermediate and Master Native Code workshops.

Two hints for anyone thinking about attending a workshop:

Check out the repo beforehand and get your environment fully set up, it’s really easy to waste an hour or two just getting set up when you arrive.
Even if you do the beginner course, it’s never really beginner, they’re more like halfway between beginner and intermediate, so do an online course before attending. I really love CodeAcademy’s Learn React and Learn React Native, and they are not paying me to say that. I like them because they are interactive, whereas a lot of the courses you find online are more instructional (i.e. they give you an article or video and then tell you to do it yourself), and the interactive style makes it much easier to retain information (much like a workshop).

2. Some great talks

My teammate Eric Fahsl giving his talk on how to Build a React Native App for TV in 15 minutes

There were a bunch of other good talks, in addition to the one by Eric. The recordings are coming soon, right Infinite Red? Bug them, not me. I’ll update this post with some links once they go live.

Update: The recordings are now live!

If you’re interested in building a React Native app for TV, here’s a guide to help you get a Hello World app up and running in just a few minutes and a github repo React Native Multi-TV App Sample, both of which Eric used in his talk.

I also thought Chiara Mooney from Microsoft’s talk was great:

3. Product demos, including VR headsets

Meta demonstrating their Quest 3 headsets and my teammate Oscar Padilla checking out Sentry’s Session Replay demo

One of the coolest parts of these conferences is getting to play with toys like Meta’s Quest 3 headset and Apple’s Vision Pro (which Callstack had for demo). It was my first time playing Horizon Worlds on Meta’s headset, which was super fun, although it did make me a little dizzy. We’re not quite at Snow Crash level yet (maybe that's a good thing), but it’s closer than I thought.

Like Oscar (see the pic above), I also thought Sentry’s Session Replay was pretty cool. It lets you see video of what a user was doing when they encountered a bug or error, which is super helpful. Again, I promise they are not paying for this plug. Here's the video of their talk:

4. React Native panel

The React Native Panel and my boss Chris Traganos saying something unbelievably profound and brilliant

Another perk of going to a conference like this is to see a panel with reps from Meta, Microsoft, Expo, Infinite Red, and of course Amazon. We’re waiting for Infinite Red to post this one too, and I’ll update when they do.

Update: The recording is now live!

5. Chat with some other devs at the booths and around the conference

My teammates talking with the the Software Mansion and Callstack teams

One of the best parts of going to a conference in person the chance to meet and chat with other devs. That’s the main reason to get out of your chair and not just watch the talks online. You never know who you might bump into or what opportunities might come out of it.

It was great seeing Ada Gawrysiak and Michał Chudziak from Callstack again, after meeting the Callstack team at React Conf a few months ago, and meeting Paulina Macuga and Magdalena Retman-Rakoczy from Software Mansion.

A lot of people are there looking for work and it can be a great opportunity to talk to hiring managers and make an impression, so you’re not just another name in a stack of applications. Hit me up on LinkedIn if you want to connect or chat.

6. Parties!

My teammates around the Amazon after-party

Somehow during a two-day conference they managed to put on three parties, don’t ask me how. There was the Thursday after-party (put on by us) and then the after-after-party and then another after-party on Friday.

7. Practice my photography skills

My teammates managed to sneak a couple of photos of me grabbing photos

I used Chain React as a chance to work on my personal hobby, photography. Of course there were official photographers around and everyone was grabbing photos with their phones, but for me, I love the chance to use my DSLR. It helps me get versatile with my photos, including the zoom length, depth of field, and aperture size.

Of course, that’s just my hobby. You have your own things you're interested in and passionate about, but you never know what opportunities are available to do something a little unique and cool at a conference.