Chocolate, Waffles And Fries: Meet SmashingConf Antwerp 2023 🇧🇪

This content originally appeared on Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers and was authored by Steven Frieson

We’ve been passionate about design & UX for years. We’ve written about design systems and usability, inclusive design and product design, UX research and enterprise UX. And now it’s time to bring it all together. In-person. In a new location. With a new spirit of curiosity and community. And it’s happening this October.

Roll up your sleeves and meet SmashingConf Antwerp 🇧🇪, our shiny new conference for designers & UI engineers who love design, UX and the web. On design systems, usability, product design, accessibility and complex UIs. 1 track, 2 days, 4 full-day-workshops, mysteries and friendly networking. A bright new gem in the heart of Belgium — the land of incredible chocolate, waffles and truly Belgian fries! 🍫 🧇 🍟 🍺

Ah, perhaps your manager needs a little bit convincing? We’ve got your back! Download the Convince Your Boss PDF to tip the scales in your favor. And we’ve prepared a “letter to the boss” template for you as well. Good luck! 🤞🤞🏼🤞🏾

What Should You Expect?

SmashingConfs have always been about how we work, how we fail and how we succeed. We kindly encourage speakers to share lessons learned and show how they work. Don’t be surprised by speakers sitting down and showing their design process, or setting up a Figma board and designing live with the audience. Check what SmashingConfs are like (+ video).

Don’t expect big picture talks or abstract concepts — Smashing Conferences are always honest, practical and passionate. Speakers are also very approachable and there is enough time for you to ask all your questions and get all the answers, in 1:1-conversations or in round tables.

But it’s also very friendly and inclusive. In fact, we know many attendees by names, and we love friendships emerging as people get together and learn together, during the talks and in the workshops. Plus, we design our side events to help everyone take part in meaningful, respectful conversations.

Everybody is welcome. Not everyone has to speak, but everyone has to feel heard.

We don’t choose venues randomly either. We love the contrast of beautiful historical venues and digital craftsmanship. So for Antwerp, we’ve chosen Bourla Schouwburg, an unforgettable neoclassical theatre in the heart of Antwerp, meticulously designed and built in 1820s and decorated with statues of Apollo and the nine muses (to get your creativity flowing!). The Bourla Theatre will be your home for both conference days.

Finally, we love a good mystery, and we love to have fun! This shows in plenty of side events, morning runs, mysterious riddles, design challenges and walking tours around the chocolate factory and waffle shops.

For Designers and UI Engineers

We’ve designed the conference for UX designers, product designers and interface designers, but it will have plenty of insights for UI engineers and jacks of all trades as well. If you want to boost your design and UX skills, you’ll be in the right place: with insightful talks and practical workshops.

All workshops are hands-on and practical, so you can apply your new skills immediately.

We’ll dive into:

• design systems,
• design patterns,
• usability and UX research,
• product design and workflow,
• enterprise UX and complex UIs,
• inclusive design and accessibility,
• new design techniques (in Figma, Miro etc.),
• sustainable and age-friendly design,
• UX writing.

We will announce the first talks and workshops shortly. The speakers we’ve invited are not just knowledgeable and amongst the best in their fields. They are also excellent speakers and teachers, smart and kind friends, and wonderfully nice and approachable.

Team Tickets? 👫👭

Bring the entire team to SmashingConf, and save some of your training budget along the way as well. With our friendly bundle tickets and team discounts, we’ve got your back! If you want to come with a large team, or are interested in something special, please send us a short email and we’ll get back to you right away!

We Can’t Wait To See You!

As we are getting ready for the event, we couldn’t be more excited to meet you in Antwerp. Let’s boost our design and UX skills, together, and create memorable experiences that will last for a while. ❤️

This content originally appeared on Articles on Smashing Magazine — For Web Designers And Developers and was authored by Steven Frieson