XO Ruby is hitting the road (Interview)

What It Covers

Jim Remsik organizes six XO Ruby conferences across the United States this fall, bringing single-day events to Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, Portland, San Diego, and Austin at $100 tickets to eliminate travel barriers for local Ruby developers.

Key Questions Answered

• •Regional Conference Economics: XO Ruby reduces conference barriers by hosting single-day events at $100 tickets versus traditional $300+ per day conferences, eliminating hotel and flight costs. Cisco's foundational sponsorship covers venue expenses, lowering financial risk compared to Madison Ruby's initial $9,000 loss that required ticket price cuts from $495 to $250.
• •In-Person Networking Value: Face-to-face conferences create serendipitous connections impossible to replicate online, where attendees can meet speakers personally, discover unexpected commonalities, and access job opportunities through direct conversations. One Madison Ruby attendee spent an hour discussing America's Next Top Model with Tenderlove, exemplifying authentic human connections beyond technical topics.
• •Venue Selection Strategy: XO Ruby deliberately chooses non-traditional spaces like warehouse lofts, black box theaters, and historic churches instead of hotel ballrooms, creating memorable atmospheres. Events accommodate approximately 60 people, small enough for attendees to meet everyone in the room while maintaining professional production quality with portable projectors, PA systems, and backdrops.
• •Lunch Distribution Model: Rather than catering meals with dietary restrictions and service bottlenecks, XO Ruby provides $25 lunch vouchers for attendees to explore local restaurants in groups. This approach eliminates the challenge of serving 100 meals simultaneously while accommodating vegetarian, vegan, and halal preferences, plus encourages city exploration and spontaneous networking conversations.
• •Consultant Business Development: Running conferences serves dual purposes: strengthening Ruby community connections and generating consulting leads through in-person relationship building. After growing to 20 people during the pandemic then contracting to 10, Flagrant consultancy finds new work primarily through decade-old relationships and referrals, making face-to-face networking essential for client acquisition.