A friendly, regional Ruby conference in the mountains of western North Carolina

Where’s the schedule?

We’ll finalize our conference schedule when we get closer to the event.

How many attendees do you expect?

Last year we welcomed over 110 Rubyists to our city! This year, we’re aiming for around 200.

Are you looking for sponsors?

Yes! Check out our sponsorship packages.

Do you offer scholarships?

We are offering 5 free scholarship tickets to students, under-represented, and non-traditional devs. For consideration, send an email to mark@blueridgeruby.com with the subject "2024 Blue Ridge Ruby scholarship" and include a paragraph or two about yourself and your journey. These scholarships are aimed at helping those who might not otherwise be able to attend. We will accept applications through April 1st. You will be notified via email if you are awarded a ticket.

Do you offer any ticket discounts?

We are offering a non-profit and educational discount, as well as a corporate discount when registering five or more individuals. Please contact us for details.

Who’s organizing this conference?

Howdy! 👋 We’re Mark Locklear and Joe Peck.

What’s the conference lore?

Hearken close as I tell you from whence this conference came from...

In 2022, Jeremy Smith went to four amazing Ruby and Rails conferences and came home energized and inspired every time. On the flight home from one of those conferences, he tweeted his interest in hosting a regional conference in Asheville. Mark graciously offered to co-organize, and from there, the snowball just kept rolling and growing.

After a successful inaugural 2023 conference that saw over 110 people from around the world come together in the Masonic Temple in downtown Asheville (followed up by a bodacious hike and tubing adventure), Jeremy began to power up for the next conference, but found himself with other obligations. Mark and Joe (and others!) stepped in to put together the 2024 Blue Ridge Ruby conference... once that ball got rolling, there was no stopping it!

What’s the Code of Conduct?

Short version: No harrassment nor sexual language/imagery. Violators may be sanctioned or expelled. Full version.

What are the plans for the optional weekend activities?

While we’re not officially planning any, we do have a handful of recommended group activities for Saturday, June 1^st for any attendees who stay in town after the conference.

Where is the nearest airport?

The Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) is the closest airport, and is probably your best bet at a ~20 minute drive from the venue. There are multiple ground transport options, including the bus, hotel shuttle, taxi, and ride-share app.

The next closest airports are Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) at ~1 hour, 45 minute drive, and Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) at ~2 hour drive.

What happens after I have registered?

As we get closer to the conference, we’ll send out email announcements to attendees with all the important details. A few weeks prior to the conference, we’ll invite attendees to a conference Slack group for information-sharing and discussion before, during, and after the conference.

Will conference talks be recorded?

Yes, conference talks will be recorded and videos will be released online for free.

Will there be a job fair?

No, but we will have a #jobs channel on our conference Slack group for companies and attendees to share opportunities.