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Having attended only one other FileMaker Conference, an in-house event just three weeks after joining Digital Fusion, I was excited at the opportunity to meet the broader FileMaker community in Sydney at the Reconnect Conference.

Despite my excitement, there was an underlying nervousness about what to expect from the sessions. Would they delve into highly technical topics beyond my understanding? Could I follow sessions led by developers using different data structures? And, would the warmth and support I experience at Digital Fusion extend to the wider FileMaker developer community?

I must admit, as a newcomer to development, I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of Reconnect.

The conference struck a perfect balance between social interactions and informative sessions. The evening before the conference kicked off, we visited the Apple offices for a Q&A session with the Claris team. This provided insights into the relationships between Claris and other FileMaker developers.

The social aspect of the conference was an eye-opener for me. The first night was nothing short of fantastic! After a few drinks at a stunning rooftop bar, I summoned the courage to mingle with the FileMaker community. And what a community it is! Everyone was incredibly friendly and genuinely interested in each other's backgrounds. The atmosphere was electric, with attendees eager to reconnect and engage in meaningful conversations.

The following day, we delved into the conference sessions.

I found the topics covered a wide spectrum, and even the technical sessions were accessible, thanks to well-demonstrated workflows, such as Andrew McCallum's transactions presentation.

Charmaine and Salvatore's discussion on business analysis was particularly enlightening. Having just completed my first System Design, I found their insights invaluable, especially regarding identifying business needs and engaging with the right stakeholders to gather project requirements effectively. Their modular approach provided a structured framework that I can apply to future analysis and design phases.

And of course I cannot overlook Cath and Jamie's sessions (not that I'm biased) on the development of “MTS Connect” for the Mobile Tyre Shop.

As a developer, hearing a client perspective on how FileMaker transformed their business by streamlining processes was incredibly inspiring. Seeing how the MTS solution was developed and used has highlighted the effectiveness of Cath's modular approach in building the MTS solution. Their collaborative relationship serves as a testament to Cath's exceptional skills and dedication to pushing boundaries to achieve remarkable results with the MTS solution.

I couldn't have wished for a better experience at Reconnect, and can’t wait to get along to another… 🙋