Blog Archive
How to take notes, and remember them.
Have you ever reflected on your notes and completely forgotten whatever freehand scribble you wrote down in the spur of the moment means now? Taking notes can be a lot harder than it seems. Those who do take notes,...
What Should I Do After a Conference?
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing to fill the missing piece of you that SQLBits but there are things you can do that can sure help fill it! User groups Join a user group. Are you missing learning on the go and...
Why DE&I?
Here at SQLBits we can be a tad cliched at the moment – we don’t like to blow our own trumpet about all the good things that we do – we prefer to let other people do it for us......
What to do after Couch2SQLBits; how to keep running!
If you didn't know, Couch2SQLBits was a programme that helps you run a 5k in less than 10 weeks! And we did the final 5k (3 mile) run at SQLBits in-person! For many of our runners, it was their first taste of running...
DKMS was at SQLBits!
DKMS is a charity dedicated to helping patients with blood cancer or a blood disorder. We manage a register of lifesavers-in-waiting, people willing to donate their blood stem cells to a stranger. Our mission is to...
Let’s learn about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion!
Let's begin with the basics - What is DEI? Firstly, DEI stands for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Which may come as a bit of a surprise that it doesn't stand for Equality, and here's why... Equity Equity is “the fair...
They’re not just sponsors…
If you didn’t know, SQLBits is run by volunteers who do the work to build up this amazing data platform event from the ground, year on end. Without our sponsors we wouldn’t be made possible – you are the glue helping...
Why I joined the DE&I committee
We asked a valued member of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team, Gavita Regunath, to share with us why she decided to join the SQLBits team and also what she believes will be an important goal and target for...
Food, glorious food!
Other than the all-important content of the sessions, the quality of the menus is what we get the second-most amount of feedback on and so we take crafting delicious, locally sourced menus for hungry delegates very...
When ‘Feedback’ gets literal
We take feedback super seriously at SQLBits. Not only is it essential for us to know how you think and feel about what we're doing with the event, from the topics of the sessions to the theme of the party, we also want...
Recovering after the SQLBits Run is important!
Don't overlook the recovery! Today’s blog is all about recovery, and has be written (or put together at least!) By Mikey Robson from Advancing Analytics! Take it away Mikey! Recovery post-run is often overlooked by new...
Fresh, tasty and sustainable food – that’s what we love!
We are all about supporting local businesses, promoting sustainability and making sure all our attendees get the true Welsh experience while at SQLBits 2023 (and having some tasty food, of course). So, we're going to...
It’s not too late to be a Couch-to-SQLBits hero!
Running ace Michael Robson of Advancing Analytics, our partners for all things wellness at SQLBits this year, fills us in on how you can still get involved. So, you may have noticed we launched the SQLBits Couch to 5k...
Jonathan and Craig dive into the SQLBits Community Corner!
This week we held a Twitter Q&A with Jonathan and Craig all about the Community Corner, now you may have read that and thought... What is the Community Corner at SQLBits? Let us tell you! What is the SQLBits...
Sessions and Speakers by Numbers (SQLBits 2023!)
The SQLBits agenda is available for you to view in all its glory, right here!Rob Sewell has gladly provided us with some interesting numbers about the sessions and the speakers and provided some insight and information...
Dungeons and Dragons (and SQLBits!) Can Benefit Your Business!
SQLBits isn’t the only thing your businesses can benefit from, Dungeons and Dragons is an awesome team-building tool. Dungeons and Dragons could be just the team-building tool employers need as they face the serious...
Leaders Helping Employees with Their Mental Health
We have another guest blogger this week, Tracy Boggiano, who was supposed to take the stage at SQLBits to talk regarding mental health, so we thought we'd give Tracy the chance to take to the virtual stage to discuss...
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Our Accelerated Approach
An important message from our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team! At SQLBits we take Diversity, Equity and Inclusion very seriously. We started working on this over 18 months ago and we hope you noticed some of the...
Don’t be trashy, it’s time to reduce, reuse and recycle!
At SQLBits we have had a huge push on being more sustainable, this week we wanted to talk about the benefits of reusing and recycling your SQLBits fancy dress outfits and therefore reducing waste! Let's learn how to...
What I Look for in a Conference – Part 2
Okay, so in Part 1 Jes Schultz talked all about what she looks for in a conference from the perspective of an attendee. She discusses the importance of diversity, cost, and much more useful information. Jes takes the...
What I Look for in a Conference – Part 1
We welcomed a wonderful guest blogger to the Bits Blog this week, Jes Schultz, to write about what she looks for in a conference (and most likely what you’ll look for too!) Take it away, Jes! I love conferences. Yes,...
SQLBits Buddies – a volunteer success story!
At this point, you are most likely aware of our newest introduction at SQLBits – The Bits Buddies! If you are unfamiliar, they are a group of the best, friendliest people around who are there to make you feel like you...
Views From the Volunteers!
Volunteers are the bones of SQLBits and keep us going strong! We just wanted to say an extra special thank you to you all! You all inspire us at Bits every day with your kindness and dedication to giving us that extra...
Location, Location, Location!
If this year’s SQLBits was your first-ever time attending, we wanted to let you know that SQLBits isn’t just a tea and crumpets with the Queen and a London-centric event - We travel all over the UK, to places such as...
Prize Winners at SQLBits!
If you didn’t know we love to reward the community and those who join us at SQLBits, with awards and gifts to make a great end to the week of training! We make sure you are given the chance (and lots of chances) to win...
We love all our sponsors! – SQLBits 2022 edition!
If you didn’t know, SQLBits is run by volunteers who do the work to build up this amazing data platform event from the ground, every year! And this wouldn’t be made possible without our awesome sponsors – you are the...
SQLBits Testimonies – just read all about it!
Testimonies from SQLBits A huge thank you to all of our volunteers, speakers and attendees for attending SQLBits at the start of March, it was a great pleasure to host the arcade this year! We thought we would share...
Why we chose to have a creche at SQLBits
If you didn’t know, this year we had a creche at SQLBits – and it was a great success. You might be thinking, why did we need to have childcare at Bits? Let me tell you. We want to accommodate the parents. The single...
Sustainability at SQLBits
There are loads of things happening at SQLBits that you might be unaware of which ensures you are doing your part to help the planet stay happy and healthy. To start our mission of saving the planet one bamboo plate at...
Join Us In The Community Zone…
SQLBits always has a “Community Corner” but it’s usually just that. It’s a table with people who can talk to you about the Data Platform Community. This year we have expanded the space and put it in a great position so...
Get Those Dancing Shoes On and PARTY!
We want to inspire you and help put you in contact with people who can share their knowledge and provide you with great opportunities, except at SQLBits we don’t stop there… We want you not only to take away some new...
Childcare at SQLBits
Bringing children to an event is not an easy decision, but we want to change that! When it comes to childcare at SQLBits, we’ve got you covered. If you’re a single parent, you can’t find a babysitter, or perhaps you...
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
We welcome Jess Pomfret (@jpomfret) as a guest writer to give some insight into the efforts SQLBits are taking to improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. SQLBits is one of the biggest volunteer-run data platform...
We Are The SQLBits Buddies!
Perhaps you’d like a group of people to go for dinner with, where you can all share your experiences at different community events? Maybe, you’d just like a chat during the day? You can come along and meet us at the...
I Like ‘Big Data’ and I Cannot Lie: Our Favourite SQL Jokes, Puns and Memes
We asked for your best data jokes and wow, did you deliver! Here are just a few of our top picks in anticipation of SQLBits 2022. (Because And what would this blog be if I didn’t include a selection of dad jokes? But...
Explaining the SQLBits Annual Theme & Party: Why We’re So Into It Dressing Up
When people first learn about SQLBits, it’s often right after photos from a conference are posted. And we always get curious questions about why exactly we add themes to what is, ostensibly, a data conference focusing...
SQLBits 2022 Fancy Dress Inspiration
Are you struggling to pick a fancy dress out fit for the SQLBits 2022 costume party? Look no further—we have some great ideas! Two-person Icon Costume: Do you like Mario and Luigi? It’s perfect for you and a...
SQLBits: The Attendee Survival Pack
We know a lot of people can get uneasy when it comes to attending conferences. Your mind gets flooded with questions: How do I get connect with speakers? What should I wear? What if I don’t know anyone? There are so...
Speaking at SQLBits? Here’s What to Expect
Speaking at a conference can be quite daunting, and yet it feels like as your career grows, more and more people start throwing microphones at you. That’s why at SQLBits, we’re committed to taking some of the pressure...
Delegate Toolkit: What You Need to Know About Attending SQLBits
Let’s not beat around the bush, SQLBits is here so everyone can learn about data and have fun simultaneously. You get the data training you want, and get to make friends along the way by having a laugh. No stiff, no...
Coronavirus / COVID19
Safety at SQLBits Your health, safety and comfort has been, and continues to be, our number one priority. To ensure everyone feels safe and secure at SQLBits 2022 the following guidelines will be in place. We are...
Why is it worth attending SQlBits?
SQLBits has been around for a while—15 years, in fact—and in that time we’ve become one of the biggest volunteer-run data platform conferences in the world. But bigger doesn’t mean better for all things; it’s easy to...
Here’s What You Can Expect from SQLBits 2022 During COVID
Deciding to attend any event over the past two years has required increasingly elaborate mental mathematics. Equations like ‘If X people will be in one