To put Calgary on the map as a true tech hub, Serene Yew said the city needed a big, collaborative event to bring a host of different tech meetup groups together.

Something really big.

So, she spearheaded the 2024 Mega Tech Meetup, an evening where tech professionals from a wide range of disciplines will come together to network and learn from one another.

“We need to see tech as just part of what we do and who we are and not just an industry on its own, its own silo,” Yew, a city software developer and CEO of software consulting agency Pixeltree, told LiveWire Calgary.

It’s built in the image of massive Silicon Valley meetups, where tech giants vie for the chance to sponsor and host the best and brightest in their vast tech ecosystem. Here, Yew’s managed to bring together 12 different Calgary meetup groups, many of whom have dozens of members and meet once or more a month.

At first, she was aiming for 150 participants. Pent-up demand has blown that up to more than 470 registrants. It will be held at the Calgary Public Library on Jan. 15, starting at 6 p.m. There’s a keynote address, a panel, and then breakout groups for an even deeper dive into the city’s vibrant tech scene.

“I had a feeling the demand was there. We have all these groups, and they tend to be pretty fragmented across the city,” Yew said.

“Everybody’s kind of got their own little thing. But it’s when we put everybody together; we require all of those skill sets in software development.”

The library was specifically chosen for its accessibility to people from all over the city, Yew said. She added that many newcomers go to the library to look for resources and find community.

“I wanted to make sure that it was a place where new immigrants who are working in tech could go there and say, ‘Hey, I’m new to the city. I work in software, where can I go?” Yew said.

Seeing the large community in tech

One of the keynote panelists is Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner, who used to do work for Rainforest Alberta, a group dedicated to improving the innovation ecosystem in Calgary.

Penner said that community comes in all shapes and sizes – it’s not jus about neighbourhoods.

“Community is a group of people, a collective working to improve the place they live. In this case, it’s sort of tech-based,” Penner said.

“It’s really about finding a group of people who can encourage you, to support you, and help connect you to resources, and where you can equally give back with your time and talents.”

The tech community is not just one thing, Penner said. It’s a broad range of talents – from entrepreneurs looking to start a business to those folks on the technical side who can help bring the visions to reality.

That’s what Yew is hoping to foster by bringing these different meetup groups together. She wants citizens to see how large and diverse Calgary’s tech community is.

“We often talk about the venture capitalists in startups, and the entrepreneurs, but the technical people don’t get as much attention or the same number of events that the other ones do, probably because we tend to be a bit more introverted. I’m hoping that this serves as a bit of a spark to inspire other people to host other ones like this,” Yew said.

“It’s something that people can look forward to and something that we can grow. It brings together more groups and more diversity, to showcase the talent that we have, the vibrant talent that is out here in Calgary.”