# backendlessConf\_ 2019 **Published:** December 23, 2019 | **Authors:** Sarup Banskota, Giel Cobben, Matthew Sweeney, Max Rovensky, Paco Coursey | **Category:** Company News --- 2019 has been an incredible year for Vercel. We announced [zero-config](/blog/zero-config), launched a new [integrations platform](/blog/zeit-now-integrations-platform), and even hosted a successful [hackathon](/blog/zeit-hackathon-winners). To end the year on a memorable note, we held our **first-ever remote conference:** [**backendlessConf_**](https://backendlessconf.com). ### The Stats This first edition of backendlessConf_ received a lot of interest from the developer community. - **3,888** registrations from every corner of the world - **1,500+** live attendees throughout various points in the event - **1,374** participants on the dedicated Slack ## The backendlessConf_ Experience We believe it's the new friendships and connections that make any great conference memorable. To facilitate connections in a remote setting, we set up a [**dedicated Slack**](https://backendlessconf.com/slack) for backendlessConf_. We also created a `/gif` command to help participants record themselves into a GIF and add a fun and personal element to their introductions. It was absolutely heartwarming to see developers from every corner of the world join us! On the day of the conference, [**backendlessconf.com**](https://backendlessconf.com) transformed itself to include a conference video stream, as well as a **live feed** of all activity from Slack and Twitter — messages, our assortment of emoji, even GIFs! ![Live feed of chat activity next to the stream.](//images.ctfassets.net/e5382hct74si/2z6XP3WJgdvZDvZ3INdSHg/091f4adb1e02b509451ec40bfb9c5d9c/backendlessconf-screenshot-sm.png) ## The Sessions A total of **16 international speakers**, representing various aspects of the frontend and JAMstack joined us live for backendlessConf_. They brought with them a diverse range of content, and patiently answered questions from all the participants. *[Guillermo](https://twitter.com/rauchg) ([Vercel](https://vercel.com)), [Ahmad](https://twitter.com/MrAhmadAwais) ([Cloudinary](https://cloudinary.rocks/cejbz)), and [Sadek](https://twitter.com/prismicio) ([Prismic](https://prismic.io)) did the first set of sessions, elaborating on experiences with the JAMstack, and demonstrating the state of the art in building and editing modern websites.* *[Maya](https://twitter.com/MayaShavin) ([Cloudinary](https://cloudinary.rocks/cejbz)), [Eva](https://twitter.com/evaieridou) & [Brendan](https://twitter.com/nerdenough) ([Crystallize](https://crystallize.com/)), and [Simen](https://twitter.com/svale) ([Sanity.io](https://www.sanity.io/)) shared insights on deployment best practices, frontend performance, and the value of improvisation in software development.* *[Phil](https://twitter.com/GeneticGenesis) ([Mux](https://mux.com/)), [Dan](https://twitter.com/DigitalizedDan) ([Fauna](https://faunadb.com/)), and [Derrick](https://twitter.com/derrickreimer) (StaticKit) shared their experiences in cross-browser video, data persistence, and building businesses centered around frontend development.* *[Belen Curcio](https://twitter.com/okbel) & [Dan Zajdband](https://twitter.com/impronunciable), [Kim](https://twitter.com/KimMaida) ([Auth0](https://auth0.com/)), and [Zan](https://twitter.com/zmarkan) ([Pusher](https://pusher.com/)) did the final set of talks, covering cutting-edge technologies like WebAssembly and the WebXR Device API, standards-based authentication, and uncovering how JAMstack and serverless are boosting productivity.* *For the ending session, [Jared Palmer](https://twitter.com/jaredpalmer) and [Ken Wheeler](https://twitter.com/ken_wheeler) hosted a special episode of [The Undefined Podcast](https://undefined.fm/), discussing everything from isomorphic web apps to air purifiers — all in a casual setting!* ## Sponsors Without the support of our generous sponsors, putting backendlessConf_ together wouldn't have been possible. Each of our sponsors play a unique, critical role within the JAMstack ecosystem: - [**Cloudinary**](https://cloudinary.rocks/cejbz) — upload, manage, manipulate, and optimally serve any type of media - [**Sanity**](https://www.sanity.io/) — take advantage of structured data to seamlessly deliver content across devices - [**Mux**](https://mux.com) — easily build & instantly stream video with straightforward APIs - [**Prismic**](https://prismic.io) — make your website editable by the whole team, effortlessly - [**Pusher**](https://pusher.com) — robust APIs for building scalable realtime communication features - [**Crystallize**](https://crystallize.com) — fast GraphQL-based APIs for tailor-made e-commerce - [**FaunaDB**](https://fauna.com) — low-friction serverless databases for all your Vercel projects ## Conclusion The videos for all the talks are published on [**Vercel TV**](https://vercel.com/tv#backendless-conf-2019) as well as [**YouTube**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfiSZO2m0ic&list=PLBnKlKpPeaglHkjwrD8wDtUDHUMPIYeim). Organizing the first edition of backendlessConf_ was a rewarding experience for the Vercel team. We whole-heartedly thank our speakers, sponsors, and participants for their support, and eagerly look forward to organizing the next one! Keep an eye out on our [**Twitter**](https://twitter.com/vercel) for upcoming announcements! Shout out to [Marcos Nils](https://twitter.com/marcosnils), [Alyssa Rauch](https://twitter.com/alyssa___rose), [Timothy Lorimer](https://twitter.com/timothyis_), [JJ Kasper](https://twitter.com/_ijjk), [Allen Hai](https://twitter.com/coetry), [Christopher Skillicorn](https://twitter.com/skllcrn), and [Callum Macrae](https://twitter.com/callumacrae) for their contributions to the first edition of backendlessConf_. --- **More posts:** [View all blog posts](https://vercel.com/blog/sitemap.md) | [Changelog](https://vercel.com/changelog/sitemap.md)