SymfonyCon 2022 Disneyland Paris

Conference registration – check.
Passports – check.
Plane tickets purchased – check.
Airbnb reserved (a building that was featured in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2) – check.

After Intrada’s Adam Post and Eric Greco completed the tasks above, the next stop was SymfonyCon 2022 Disneyland Paris. But before we talk about the conference itself, let’s discuss what Symfony is and why it was important for Intrada to attend.

What is Symfony?

Symfony is a leading PHP framework used by Intrada that can create websites and web applications.

“To break down what a PHP framework is, let’s first define PHP,” states Adam Post. “It is a scripting language developers use for web development.”

Eric Greco adds, “Symfony is the platform that we use to create client websites using the PHP language, but allows us to write less code. PHP frameworks help simplify the website creation process. Writing a PHP script from scratch takes a lot of time. Symfony allows us to create websites faster and more cost-effectively for our clients.” 

Why Intrada Attended

Intrada currently uses Symfony, but because technology is continuously evolving, it's crucial for staff to be aware of updates and changes to all the software and products we use.

“We wanted to strengthen our knowledge of Symfony,” Post says. “Eric and I attended so many educational talks by industry leaders. We learned about the platform’s newest features and updates, including the addition of mail hooks that add similar functionality to Mailchimp (an email marketing tool many of our clients currently use).”

More About the Conference and the Traveling Experience

The two-day conference was held on Thursday, November 17th, and Friday, November 18th, at the Disney Hotel New York – Art of Marvel in Paris. Since it was held in one of the happiest places on Earth, conference attendees were invited to Walt Disney Studios Park on Thursday evening from 8 pm-11:30 pm. During this time, the park was only open to conference registrants.

The eighth edition of the conference (and the first in-person gathering after the COVID-19 pandemic hit) had 1,300 registrants. It included keynotes from experienced IT leaders, practical workshops, informative presentations, and the opportunity to chat with industry experts. The main theme of SymfonyCon was Build Anything Together.

Both Post and Greco agree the conference was well worth the eight-hour flight from Newark, New Jersey, and getting locked inside their Airbnb.

“We are already looking forward to next year’s conference, but note to self, don’t let Eric have the key to our Airbnb,” chortled Post. “Long story, but I will be the one locking and unlocking the door when we leave and return.”