Codefest 2016 is the 4th edition of a tech event taking place in Ohrid that successfully joins together the rising and highly-qualified IT community through a compelling challenge. First introduced as a 32-hour coding competition for technology-driven students, the event soon gained ground and opened new opportunities that were more than welcome by young tech enthusiasts. This year, the organizers decided to expand the scope of the event by connecting all sides of the IT community and even beyond. Codefest 2016 brings together not only students, high schoolers and IT professionals, but also the IT business sector, the educational sector, startups and investment funds.
The idea for organizing such an event was first considered towards the end of 2012 and then realized soon after, in 2013. The main purpose of Codefest is to stimulate the creation of new and quality tech startups, founded and run by innovative youth with exceptional skills in tech. Codefest 2016, the 4th edition of the event, stands out from the previous editions by introducing a 3-track flowing program, including: Codeference, Codefest Marathon, and CF X – Business Expo.
Image credit: Codefest Facebook page
The event opens on April 15, 2016 with the official start of the Codeference, a one-day tech conference. A number of Speakers and Panelists from the region and globally will take part in panel discussions and speeches, with topics covering technology, innovation, digital marketing, startups and business development, investment, etc. The program also involves an overview of the current situation regarding tech development in the region, inspiring and suggesting proposals for faster development and possibilities for further improvement. The first few Speakers are already announced and published on the official website, where you can easily recognize interesting profiles coming from Slovenia, Poland, Bulgaria, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The conference is open for all interested visitors from the region.
Codefest Marathon is the coding marathon taking place on April 16-17, 2016, where only students from tech and related faculties are eligible to participate. They will be able to apply with their own innovative idea in teams counting up to 5 members, accepting the challenge to develop a demo or a prototype of that idea from scratch, within 32 hours. This year, the Marathon is an official member of Major League Hacking, the worldwide hackathon league. For participating teams it means that they will enjoy larger international visibility, and winning teams will receive a global recognition.
The CF X – Business Expo is an exhibition expo for the IT business sector, startups, and educational institutions. Companies, startups and other institutions will be able to showcase their work within their own exhibition space. All exhibitors will be able to network with the present experts, speakers and talented young people. The expo will be a great opportunity to discuss ideas, recruit people, or expand business collaboration. Applications for all interested Exhibitors are available.
According to the event organizers, “It is a great challenge to prepare an event like this, but at the same time we feel it as a responsibility towards the shown interest from the community in the past three years of Codefest. This year we will try to go above that, by giving the event a strong international spirit with much more serious benefits for all attendees. With the experience from the past 3 years, we believe that in front of us is an exceptional event.”
Codefest 2016 is announced for April 15-17 this year, at the hotel Inex Gorica in Ohrid.