London Calling: A Recap of SIGNAL London 2017

London Calling: A Recap of SIGNAL London 2017

One day. 600+ attendees. 23 sessions + Superclass. SIGNAL London 2017 is a wrap and those of us at Twilio feel very lucky to have had the chance to meet with developers from across the globe, all talking about how they love and use Twilio. It seemed like everyone had something new and exciting to share. This conference is about a community of developers and customer engagement professionals each as passionate as the next about building things that matter.

For those who missed SIGNAL London, or want to relive it again, here are some highlights of this year’s event:

Mainstage Event

We kicked off the day by welcoming 4 new inductees into the Twilio Hall of Doers. Congrats to Mark Quinn of CarFinance247, Tom Mullen of DVELP, Kathleen Corr of NSPCC, and Clément Sauvage from Les Tontons Livreurs for pushing the boundaries of how technology is used to communicate.

Many congratulations to my friend @clementsauvage on getting to the @twilio Wall of Doers 2017! 🎉🎊 #SignalLondon pic.twitter.com/mrgVY1v4Cb

— Marcos #SignalLondon (@marcos_placona) September 19, 2017

Jeff said it best – code is creative and we announced a whole new set of tools to transform your work…and unlock your creativity.

Let’s the @signalconf keynote begin with @jeffiel “Code is Creative” #SignalLondon pic.twitter.com/4H1CCXvdno

— Clément S. @ Signal (@clementsauvage) September 19, 2017

Twilio Studio — Software developers and cross-functional teams can collaborate to build a variety of engagement solutions, such as interactive voice response (IVR) systems, conversational messaging bots, or notification workflows in minutes instead of weeks using a simple drag-and-drop interface.This announcement was greeted to thunderous applause from the crowd—no surprises there!

Introducing Twilio Studio, the fastest way to build with Twilio. Sign up today for early access! https://t.co/56X8ePwGUZ#SignalLondon pic.twitter.com/NMu569jEhE

— twilio (@twilio) September 19, 2017

Global Phone Numbers Catalog — Discover phone numbers tailored to your use case with the industry’s most powerful Phone Number API.

Introducing our Global Phone Number Catalog!

Find the perfect phone number for you. #SignalLondon https://t.co/gYNmpXYs5y pic.twitter.com/22QDaiwZhW

— twilio (@twilio) September 19, 2017

Twilio Understand — Improve customer experience through faster and more accurate customer interactions with an API that analyses text and determines intent during a live call. Now you can handle everything from simple questions, such as “How late is your  Bristol location open?” or “I’m calling to confirm my appointment” to more sophisticated interactions such as re-booking a flight or purchasing travel insurance.

Announcing Twilio Understand! Sign up today for early access. #SignalLondon https://t.co/oPuVLp5427 pic.twitter.com/lkgEwjiqyp

— twilio (@twilio) September 19, 2017

NPM Support in Twilio Functions — Leverage npm packages of reusable code directly within Twilio Functions. This is just another effort taken by Twilio to simplify the lives of developers.

Twilio Functions now supports npm! #SignalLondon https://t.co/KbiHBEM8hH pic.twitter.com/za1olkLgSQ

— twilio (@twilio) September 19, 2017

Highlights from Breakout Sessions

One of the most popular sessions was “GDPR and Beyond” where Sheila Jambekar, Twilio’s Associate General Counsel, presented to a jam-packed room on how GDPR will change how businesses process and handle data. With less than a year to the enforcement date, she shared how Twilio is tackling the issue and insights to help organizations address data protection. Let’s just say it’s the first time I’ve heard someone compare customer data to yellow cake.

“We’re using GDPR as an impetus to ensure the highest data protection standards for all customers, not just those in EU.” –@SheilaJambekar pic.twitter.com/XzAw5WIgEz

— twilio (@twilio) September 19, 2017

She’s also posted about Twilio’s commitment to GDPR and outlined how we’re supporting our customers in their compliance journey.

Check out the event website – we’ve posted the videos from not only the General Session but also all 23 breakout sessions.

On a more emotional note, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the Strategy track for the Age UK presentation showcasing how they’re using Twilio to combat loneliness among older people.

At #SignalLondon, @rikardoH is doing a heartwarming talk about battling loneliness in elderly people and how technology helps them do this pic.twitter.com/kIg4Ebaug3

— Mx. Sasha 🐿🦄🏳️‍🌈 (@mxsash) September 19, 2017

$BASH

2017 marked the first time $BASH crossed the pond and it did not disappoint. With tons of networking, handshakes, smiles, pictures and most importantly, food—it was the party to be at that night! I even heard a story about a woman who wanted a Tesla watch so badly that she learned how to code just so she could win it!

As people head back to their real lives on planes, trains, and automobiles, we wish you safe travels. And as always, we can’t wait to see what you build next!