This year I had the opportunity to attend a web conference like no other. After seeing hundreds of tweets about the conference in previous years, I was ecstatic that I was able to attend Hybrid this year, thanks to my lovely place of work, Eyekiller! :)
After picking up one of my good friends Sinead, we set off on our road trip, from Belfast to Dublin on Wednesday evening.
Hybrid was held at Dublin City University, with the talks happening inside The Helix. The sun was shining, people were smiling, and the talks were about to kick off.
Armed with my lanyard and a fantastic Hybrid goody bag filled with stickers, stationery and even a few Tattlys (designy temporary tattoos), I sat down in the auditorium and soaked up the incredible talks.
It was great to see another familiar face at the conference, as Aaron swooped up a ticket just days before the event kicked off. I also got the chance to meet one of my Twitter friends in real life, as we arranged to stay in a shared apartment close to the university. Rob turned out to be even lovelier in person.
On Thursday evening after the talks ended, we were headed to Leisureplex Coolock, for a night of 90’s themed bowling, beers and throwing some shapes. Along with Aaron, Sinead and myself, our team included Hybrid’s very own MC, Carl, and official Hybrid photographer, Dan. I couldn’t have asked for better team members, as the night was filled with so much laughter. It was awesome to be cheered on by Carl even when I threw one too many gutter balls!
The next day bowling prizes were about to be dished out. What I didn’t expect there to be was a prize for the best dancing of the night, which led to Sinead & I walking red-faced to the stage to collect our super cute prizes! Haha, thanks guys!
Cards Against Humanity has provided my friends & I with hysterical laughter and fun for years, as it’s our go-to game for parties (Rummikub requires too much brain power after a few drinks…). I was very excited to see CAH’s Community Manager, Jenn Bane added to Hybrid’s speaker list. Her talk did not disappoint, as like the game it provided a lot of laughs, as well as some interesting insights into how the team operate.
Jenn very kindly handed me the Cards Against Humanity Design Pack after we got chatting following her talk. As you would expect, they’re both vulgar and hilarious.
We soon realised that Zach and Laura arranged an extra special treat during one of the breaks when we heard the tune of an approaching ice cream van!
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I had a feeling Scott Riley would be awesome in person. I was right.
His talk on “Re-learning to love the web” was both engaging, and highly entertaining. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much during a talk, and that’s a big thing to say when you’ve heard Mr Bingo speak.
Smile, you’re at #hybridconf! :)
I just want to give a massive thank you to both Zach and Laura who organised this amazing conference, you did one heck of a job. I’ve come away from the event feeling refreshed, inspired and so thankful that I got the chance to meet so many new people, many of which I’ve admired for years. It was an incredible few days and I miss seeing the people whose tweets I follow every day, in person. I’m hoping our paths will cross again very soon!
© 2026 Melissa Keizer