Laracon US - What to Expect

Join Laravel Team Member Leah Thompson alongside Dan Soppelsa and Margo Tavares from the Laravel Worldwide Meetup for a live conversation about Laracon US 2026 and what attendees can expect from this year's event. We'll talk about the variety of speakers and sessions, community events, networking opportunities, conference merch, and what it's like to experience the event in person. We'll also share tips for first-time attendees, discuss things to do around Boston, and answer your questions live! Whether you're attending in person, following along from afar, or simply interested in connecting with the Laravel community, we'd love to have you join us. Timestamps: 2:40 - Introduction 3:38 - Community Resources: https://laravel-news.com/ / https://podcast.laravel-news.com/ - Explore the Laravel News site & podcast for the latest updates and discussions https://laravelpodcast.com/ - Laravel and PHP discussions with Matt Stauffer https://larajobs.com/ - The official Laravel Job Board https://laracasts.com - A great platform to check out to build your Laravel skills https://community.laravel.com/ - Find upcoming Laravel conferences and events here https://laravel.com/stories - Laravel is looking to feature developers from every corner of the Community - submit your stories here! 5:44 - Host Sponsor - Reach out at go@vehikl.com || www.vehikl.com 6:00 - JetBrains Giveaway - please use the QR code at the end of the meetup! Enter anytime before July 15th for a chance to win one of two JetBrains coupons 6:20 - Leah Thompson's Introduction 8:15 - How do they pick a location for Laracon US? 10:45 - What to look forward to in Boston 15:50 - Talk and speaker lineup this year 18:45 - The plus of one track conferences 21:40 - About sponsors at the conference 26:30 - Day 0 - conference events 31:36 - Networking outside the conference 34:00 - Day 1 - tips and things to know 47:45 - Day 2 - tips 54:28 - Conference Merch 1:00:10 - Day 3 - The Vibes event with Native PHP 1:03:35 - Travel tips for Boston Links Get tickets for Laracon US: https://tickets.laracon.us/events/laravel/2032075 Telegram group: https://t.me/+_PsB3_0gG5tiYzQx Discord group: https://discord.com/invite/laravel Laracon App: available on App Store and Google Play Laravel X account: https://x.com/laravelphp Laracon US X account to follow for live updates: https://x.com/LaraconUS Link to X post to pitch your project: https://x.com/LaraconUS/status/2074893170970661234?s=20 Day 3 event: https://nativephp.com/the-vibes 1:17:46 - End Slides ----- Thank you to our guest: -Leah Thompson, follow her on X (https://x.com/LeahTCodes), Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/leahtcodes), Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/leaht.codes) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahtcodes/) to see what she’s up to! Sign up for reminders to stay up to date on the latest events @ https://meetup.laravel.com Follow our co-hosts: - Margaret Tavares on X (https://x.com/margarettavares) & LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/margarettavares/) - Dan Soppelsa on X (https://x.com/dansoppelsa) & LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dansoppelsa/) Follow us on Bluesky: - LWWM on Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/laravelwwmeetup.bsky.social) Looking for work? These companies are hiring: -Geocodio: https://www.geocod.io/careers-laravel-developer -Zillow (Mexico candidates only): https://zillow.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/Zillow_Group_External -DocuPet: https://ca.indeed.com/cmp/Docupet-Inc.-3/jobs?jk=1d7a3595910d9e31&start=0&clearPrefilter=1 Travel Ideas in Boston: - Since Laracon is at SoWa Power Station, attendees are already in a really cool part of Boston. - SoWa area itself is worth exploring — arts district, galleries, food spots, market vibes, and great walking-around energy. - Newbury Street is an easy recommendation for shopping, coffee, restaurants, and classic Boston strolling. - Boda Borg is a fun group activity — escape-room/puzzle/physical challenge style. Great for people coming with coworkers or Laracon friends. - Boston parks are beautiful for walking around, especially if people want downtime between conference/social events. - Boston Common - Oldest city park in the US - opened in 1634 - Public Garden - Charles River Esplanade - Rose Kennedy Greenway - Blue Hills Reservation is about 20-ish minutes outside the city and great for hiking. Good option if people are staying a little longer and want nature. - Museum of Science is a great fun Boston stop. Especially good for families, or people who want something indoors. - Harvard and MIT campuses are great to walk around. Fun for first-time Boston visitors. - Seaport for waterfront restaurants and walking. - ICA Boston if people like modern art - near seaport district institute of contemporary art - Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum for a touristy but fun historical thing. - Fenway Park if anyone wants to see a baseball game!