My Experience as the Host of English-Speaking Mobile Meetup in Japan

Introduction

Does Japan have mobile meetup?

Obviously, yes.

But does Japan have an English-speaking mobile meetup?

The answer is yes!

Introducing Mobile Dev Japan, founded by Tiphaine and Balázs in 2024, with the goals of bringing together English-speaking mobile developers in Japan and bridging the gap between foreign and Japanese mobile engineers.

Hello, this is Ong Yue Huei (AJ), an iOS software engineer at Money Forward, Inc.‘s Tax Return Group.

On December 18, 2024, my company had the privilege of sponsoring Mobile Dev Japan’s fifth meetup at our headquarters office in Tamachi. Although it was near Christmas, it didn’t stop us from gathering, learning, and discussing mobile technology. We have about 50 people joining the meetup, including organizers and speakers.

So, how did my company end up hosting the meetup? Well, let me take you back to a time when I first arrived in Japan…

Why and How I Started Joining Meetups

My company has always encouraged us to join meetups, but when I first arrived in Japan, I couldn’t speak even basic Japanese. Which made me wonder, how could I possibly join? But things took a turn when one of my colleagues, Hirata-san, took the initiative to host the “WWDC 2023 Debriefing & Discussion” Meetup, organized by Tokyo iOS Meetup, at our headquarters office in Tamachi.

That was my very first English-speaking meetup in Japan, and it was an unforgettable experience! I had an amazing time exchanging insights with engineers from the same field. We swapped ideas, shared knowledge, and built lasting connections! That’s when I tasted the sweetness of meetups and got hooked ever since. I sampled the candy of meetups, and I hope others get a taste of it too. This is one of the reasons why I volunteered to host the Mobile Dev Japan’s fifth meetup this time.

Why and How Money Forward Became the Meetup Host

My company has always believed in the power of knowledge-sharing and the value of continuous learning, and encourages us to actively participate in and speak at tech events. It’s a perfect place to contribute to the tech community, showcase our skills, learn, and even help with recruitment, so sponsoring the meetup was a perfect fit for us. Not to mention, we even hosted our own tech day.

The journey to hosting the fifth meetup actually started at the fourth one, when Tiphaine, the organizer of Mobile Dev Japan, announced they were looking for the next sponsor venue. I immediately reached out to her and let her know that Money Forward would be interested in stepping up as the next sponsor. Yup, it was as simple as that!

After reaching out to her, I coordinated with my company and the organizers to discuss the details. Let me put them in list form to make it easier to follow.

  • Created a Slack channel for communication between my company’s members and the organizers.
  • Scouted for company members to assist, as managing everything alone was challenging. Thanks to everyone who helped!
  • Adjusted the date and time by checking the company work lounge’s calendar and booking a slot in advance. If another event is scheduled before ours, gave them a heads-up about our use of the same venue to ensure a smooth transition between events—such as wrapping up on time or cleaning up before our event starts.
  • Confirmed the number of participants. In the company work lounge, we can accommodate up to 30 people for a seated event and up to 70 people for a standing event. It’s possible to increase seating by arranging tables to the side.
  • Confirmed the budget allocation for the event with my company.
  • Created a list of refreshments (foods and drinks) to be prepared, applied for expenses in advance, and considered including vegan or vegetarian options as needed.
  • Held a kick-off meeting, divided tasks into six groups, and assigned members to each group. Below is a brief summary of the key responsibilities each group is responsible for.
    • Group 1: Prepare refreshments
    • Group 2: Prepare tableware
    • Group 3: Prepare Lightning talks
    • Group 4: Prepare venue
    • Group 5: Venue clean-up
    • Group 6: Reception

That’s all for the how and why; let’s talk about the meetup!

The Meetup

The meetup started at 18:45. We gathered at the venue by 18:00 to begin venue preparation and seat arrangement. Refreshments arrived shortly after, and people started coming in. The meetup kicked off with introductory speeches, followed by lightning talks (LTs) on NeXTSTEP, Lottie Animations, Flutter Add-to-App, and more! It was great to be exposed to topics I don’t usually work with.

I reconnected with some old friends, made new ones, and, of course, gained some valuable insights. The best part was hanging out with other engineers in Japan who are facing the same challenges.

Things really went well. I’m glad I held the kick-off meeting, and that we all took ownership of our tasks, working together to make the event a success.

However, there is one area for improvement: the food and drinks were placed too far apart. They were positioned opposite each other, with tables and chairs in between. This meant attendees had to walk across the room to get a drink, then walk across again to get food. Unfortunately, it was already too late when we noticed the issue.

I’d recommend placing both food and drinks together in several locations, or at least keeping them closer to each other. This would help separate the crowds and make it easier for everyone to access both.

Closing Thoughts

A huge thank you to everyone who attended, spoke, and made this event such a success. It was really rewarding to see everything come together after all the planning and teamwork. It’s always inspiring to connect with like-minded individuals, share ideas, and learn from one another.

I’m already looking forward to the next one, and I’m excited to keep building on the connections and insights gained from this experience.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this article helpful.

Until next time!

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