Kimberely Thomas about MM15NY: "B2B and Small Business are Hot Topics This Year"

The first Meet Magento conference in New York was a great inspiration for multiple local community members and international Magento fans, while the second edition promises to be even more splendid.

No matter who you are, if you believe in yourself and your dream, New York will always be the place for you.
Michael Bloomberg

This year Meet Magento New York gathers together many outstanding companies and speakers, which clearly reflects its magnitude and value. So, we asked Kiberely Thomas, co-organizer of MM15NY, to share some insights and express her own vision of the conference.

And, if you intend to visit New York this autumn, we can offer you a discount on the event tickets. Continue reading and you’ll find it below.

KIMBERELY THOMAS
INTERACTIV4, CO-FOUNDER

Kimberely Thomas is a developer, entrepreneur, Magento evangelist and is presently the Managing Partner at interactiv4 in New York City. She started web consultancy 10 years ago and focused on custom Magento implementations that extend the core platform functionally.

Kimberly is an active Magento Community member and organizes several events, including #PreImagine, the NYC Magento Meetup and Meet Magento NY.

Interview

aW: Just like last year, Meet Magento New York 2015 starts from the Hackathon on September 20. Could you please expand on the last year’s results and shed some light on this year’s expectations?

Kimberely: The hackathon last year was a great meeting place for top developers in the Magento Community. It was really great to see them all, get together, talk and code. A lot of great ideas were shared and they worked on a few projects, notably "Promo Code Messages", which is a published extension that is in use across the ecosystem. This year I expect to see some projects more focused on Magento 2.

This year we were able to focus more on the content and less with the logistics.

aW: How is MMNY 2015 different from MMNY 2014? How many attendees do you expect this year?

Kimberely: Meet Magento New York 2015 is similar to 2014, but as it is the second year it is improved on what we learned last year. This year we were able to focus more on the content and less with the logistics. We, of course, are having another great party in the amazing Broad Street Ballroom! It will be the same format as last year, but featuring DJ Lazy K and Rep Your Style Crump Dance group.

aW: This year the conference is sponsored by key Magento-oriented companies. What are the components of this success?

Kimberely: The Magento Community is really special. I'm honored to be a part of it and to be able to work with companies around the world and across the ecosystem. It makes putting together this event a fun job.

aW: MMNY 2015 brings together many outstanding speakers and real Magento experts. Do you still expect any domestic or international entries?

Kimberely: Yes, we have speakers from the US and International. This makes the event really unique for New York City.

Magento 2 is going to be superior product to Magento 1 and I see that it will pivot Magento into an even stronger position than it is in today.

aW: What are the main topics of the conference?

Kimberely: B2B and small business are hot topics this year. Some of the sessions include:

• Magento 2 Workshop by Josh Warren of Creatuity;


• RWD along the Conversion Path by Brendan Falkowski of Gravity Department;


• Continuous Integration and Deployment Patterns for Magento by Fabrizio Branco of AOE;


• Magento: It's Business Time (B2B) by Mark Brinton of Magento, Inc.;


• It's All About Shipping by Karen Baker of ShipperHQ;


• Going Global Ain't Easy - The Challenges of Internationalization by Michael Turk of Flagbit GmbH & Co. KG.

aW: Magento 2 and new Magento Connect are the top subjects in the ecosystem this year. What do you personally expect from these landmark innovations?

Kimberely: Magento 2 is going to be superior product to Magento 1 and I see that it will pivot Magento into an even stronger position than it is in today. Magento Connect is something strongly needed and it will be great to have a real app store with trusted extensions. This will elevate a lot of issues that are found today.

I personally can’t wait to see Bob Schwartz giving the keynote on “Weaponizing Retail: Building Great Companies and Brands in a Technology World”.

aW: What are the presentations you personally would never miss at Meet Magento NY 2015?

Kimberely: I personally can't wait to see Bob Schwartz giving the keynote on "Weaponizing Retail: Building Great Companies and Brands in a Technology World". It's going to be a high energy talk with key insights that I am really looking forward to.

aW: One year has passed since our last conversation. What made this year for you and your company?

Kimberely: The past year has been really great for our team at interactiv4. We have learned how to work together across Spain, Argentina, Brazil and New York. We have a really great team of developers and I enjoy working with them every day.

aW: Would you like to add anything else, please?

Kimberely: I want to thank my partner Ignacio Riesco, and my new Marketing Assistant, Alaina Lentin for all their help with the event!

aW: Kimberely, thank you very much  for your genuine answers. We hope that Meet Magento New York will become one of brightest pearls in the chain of amazing Meet Magento conferences.

Make Your Savings

As promised, we are happy to share a promotional code provided by the organizers of the conference, which enables you to take 20% off the event tickets price. Use the 20MEETNY coupon code and enjoy Meet Magento New York 2015.

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