Friday, February 23rd
4:00–5:00 PM
Arrival & Check-In • Bay Pointe Inn
Bay Pointe check-in begins at 4:00 pm. Check in at the main hotel desk to get your room assignment and Atomic Con swag. Then hustle over to the conference center and grab a drink before the Q4 meeting begins. The bar opens at 4:30 pm!
5:00–6:00 PM
Welcome & Dinner • Bay Pointe Woods Laurel Ballroom
Get cozy. Enjoy a good meal. Socialize with Atoms from all offices.
6:00–7:40 PM
Q4 Meeting • Bay Pointe Woods Laurel Ballroom
Co-CEOs & MPs from all offices will run our Q4 meeting. Afterwards, there will be brief breakout sessions for each office.
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES 💃🔥
Optional activities that allow you to try something new and connect with other Atoms. Multiple activities run at once, so you get to choose your own adventure!
7:45–8:45 PM
The Get Down: A Fun Intro to Breakdancing
Hosted by Pavan Policherla • Bay Pointe Woods Sycamore Ballroom
Come get your groove on and learn some new dance moves, as well as a bit about the history and culture of breakdancing! Make sure you are wearing comfy and supportive shoes and something you can move in.
Board Games
Hosted by Brittany Hunter • Bay Pointe Woods Laurel Ballroom
Join us for a fun-filled board game night where you can either bring your favorite games or play along with the ones we provide!
Cross-office LGBTQIA+ Meetup
Hosted by Mattie Behrens • LGBTQ Affinity House & Social Zone
Several of us LGBTQIA+ folks in the Ann Arbor office have been getting together on a regular basis for some time now. We’d love to:
Talk to people like us, from other offices. about what we’ve been doing and how it’s created community
Talk about what y’all are doing or might like to do, in your own offices or across Atomic
Or just hang out and be our whole selves for a bit!
If you would like to talk before the meetup or connect with your fellow LGBTQIA+ Atoms, hit Mattie up!
Please note, this event is open to LGBTQIA+ Atoms, which includes those who are Questioning. We love our allies, but please respect the boundaries of this space.
8:00–🤷♀️ PM
Bonfire
Bay Pointe Woods Fire Pits
Outdoor bonfire—dress for the weather! Gather ‘round. Reminisce. Tell ghost stories about projects past. Or just stare into the flames and contemplate the mystery of existence. The evening is what you make it. Fire lights at 8:00 PM and runs until there are no more Atoms standing.
9:00–10:00 PM
A Different Kind of Stand-up
Hosted by Maria Irimie & Jacob Williams • Bay Pointe Woods Sycamore Ballroom
Come crack some jokes with your fellow Atoms at our comedy show!
Saturday, February 24th
8:00–9:00 AM
Breakfast • Bay Pointe Woods Laurel Ballroom
MORNING SESSIONS (SINGLE TRACK)
Bay Pointe Woods Sycamore Ballroom
9:00–10:00 AM
Generative AI - Staying at the Forefront of Productivity & Not Falling Behind the Adoption Curve
Shawn Crowley & Mike Marsiglia
AI tools will not create a sustainable competitive advantage, rather they will be an expectation for top performers. It’s important for Atomic to stay at the forefront of productivity and not fall behind the adoption curve. We must do this while maintaining quality and practitioner expertise.
Mike and Shawn will set the stage for three Atoms to share their experiences using AI tools and ideas for broad, ongoing experimentation from Atoms in the coming year.
10:05–10:50 AM
Perspectives on Atomic Design in 2024
Facilitated by Brittany Hunter, featuring many AO Designers
Join us for this moderated panel of Atomic Object designers as they discuss team processes, state of the art tools, best practices for design consulting, and more.
10:50–11:00 AM • BREAK
11:00–11:45 AM
Maker As Performing Artist
Lydia Cho & Drew Colthrop
Lydia Cho is a member of the Cell 23 GR Accelerator program transitioning from a career as a classical violinist. At Atomic, when we talk about makers it's a shorthand for team members who are designers, developers, DLs, or testers. But Lydia comes to us with a rich maker background from a completely different domain, one we think of as being grounded in art whereas our niche is about practical delivery of solutions.
But to a surprising degree, elements of her past experience have translated directly into her new career in software development: the thrill of investigating a problem, obsessing over creative solutions, driving toward personal mastery, and doing right by the audience (client). This experience provides an opportunity to learn from a more established branch of makery truths and practices around mindset, teamwork, mastery, and vision.
In this session, Drew will interview Lydia to explore the connections between classical musicianship and our work as software consultants at Atomic.
11:50 AM–12:35 PM
Better Together: The Project Team Lead Triforce
Sarah Brockett, Justin Interino & Dan Kelch
Join a group of Atomic team leads (Delivery Lead, Designer, Tech Lead), as we journey through Hyrule, battling miscreants and solving puzzles to restore harmony throughout the kingdom. Wait, what? I thought we had office jobs. Look, consulting is hard, and sometimes it does feel like we’re trying to save the princess.
Extrapolated from Sarah’s blog post on the same subject, this Zelda-inspired session will be part presentation, part panel. We’ll discuss the balance and collaboration that is required amongst team leads to ensure the products we are building are technically feasible, desired by end users, and meet the needs of our client’s business.
We’d also love to answer any questions you may have about collaborating across maker disciplines. Contribute to the panel discussion by submitting your questions here!
12:40 PM–1:00 PM
Group Photo
The faster we get this over with, the sooner we get to eat. The photo will be taken outside of Baypointe Woods, so please bring your coat with you to the morning session.
1:00 PM–2:00 PM
Lunch & Atomic Ops Trivia!
Adam Medema • Bay Pointe Woods Laurel Ballroom
Choose your lunch tablemates carefully, Atomic Ops Trivia is back by popular demand! With higher stakes and higher rewards than ever before, we'll be testing your Atomic Ops knowledge while you munch on some delicious lunch. Make sure to brush up on all you know about benefits, invoicing, payroll and Atomic Financials!
AFTERNOON SESSIONS (MULTI-TRACK)
Bay Pointe Woods Laurel & Sycamore Ballrooms
Multiple sessions will be running at once. The start/end times of sessions in both rooms line up, so you can bop around from room-to-room, based on what interests you most!
2:00 PM–2:25 PM
7 Sins of QA
Miranda Michalski • Bay Pointe Woods Laurel Ballroom
Avoid spending eternity in Purgatory by coming to this talk as Phil and Miranda explain some of the common pitfalls and mistakes they have seen in QA over the years. Find out what the Original Sin of QA is, what public penance should be done for not having Users in UAT, how bad KPIs can lead to Gluttony and how Wrath has no home in QA. This abstract also acts as a test to see if abstracts are read; if you read this then please claim your prize at the venue.
Debugging Your LGBTQIA+ Questions - A Panel Discussion
Sam Thorne • Bay Pointe Woods Sycamore Ballroom
We will be laying some groundwork about the LGBTQIA+ community and defining terms, followed by a panel discussion featuring your questions. If you have a question to ask, please submit it anonymously here.
2:30 PM–2:55 PM
Client Demos: Tips and Strategies for Success
Teagen Kiel • Bay Pointe Woods Laurel Ballroom
A great client demo is critical to success in showcasing value to our clients, but it can be difficult to turn a sprint’s worth of new features into a confident, engaging client demo. Here we’ll discuss some demo tips and strategies: do’s and don’ts, calming your nerves, using humor, crafting a user journey through your features, and more.
How to Take Ownership of Your CDM Relationship
Meg Kretz • Bay Pointe Woods Sycamore Ballroom
This session dives into two crucial aspects of individual growth, specifically focusing on continuous improvement and breakthrough leaps. We will analyze these growth patterns and discuss practical methods for integrating them into your personal development and your professional relationship with your Career Development Manager. By the end of the session, you will be equipped with actionable steps and valuable resources to effectively take charge of your growth trajectory at Atomic.
3:00 PM–3:40 PM
Light Mode, Dark Mode, and More: How to Do Themes Right on the Modern Web
Jonathan Chaffer • Bay Pointe Woods Laurel Ballroom
Themes are more than just a visual preference; they're a cornerstone of user-centric design. In this talk, we'll cover the importance of theming in modern web development, highlighting its role in accessibility, brand identity, and integration with user systems. We'll learn the essentials of implementing a theming system, from leveraging CSS variables to handling user preferences while avoiding the "flash of un-themed content." We'll also explore strategies for effectively advising clients on the integration of themes, ensuring that their digital presence is not only visually appealing but also strategically aligned with user needs and business goals.
5-Minute Lightning Talks
Various Speakers • Bay Pointe Woods Sycamore Ballroom
Brittany Hunter - “5 Leadership Lessons from my Horses”
Come for the horse photos, stay for the leadership lessons.
Danielle Marsiglia - “The Spreadsheet: Fresh Takes & Hot Tips”
Prepare to see spreadsheets in a whole new light as you learn about interesting applications, clever hacks, my #1 formula, and top ‘can’t live without’ functionality. You might just walk away wondering how many times you’ve written code when a spreadsheet would have arguably been a better choice…
Bryan Elkus - “Feedback Formula: Elevating our Build Process”
Join us as we delve into an experiment I’d like to run during Atomic Con to collect feedback on Product Development Life Cycle and have an impact on Atomic's internal feedback loop. I hope to exploring the potential of various AI technologies to efficiently process and direct feedback to the appropriate individuals in our organization.
Miranda Michalski - “A11y Lightning”
What you need to know (and why you need to know it) FAST!
Sam Thorne - “Breaking Up with Dead Ends: The Sunk Cost Fallacy”
Deciding on when to break up with a dead end idea can be a struggle, especially when you’re watching your budgeted hours dwindle before your eyes. We’ll explore getting a grip on past investments and we'll meet the sunk cost fallacy’s sibling: commitment bias.
Ty Swanson - “Business Drunk“
Unpack the blend of sharpness and sociability that defines it, learn the signs that you’ve hit the sweet spot, explore how to find your pocket, and navigate through essential dos and don’ts for mastering this art.
3:45–4:30 PM
Non-Makers: The Gathering
Danielle Marsiglia • Bay Pointe Woods Laurel Ballroom
While our Maker friends spend time discussing things like Velocity Velociraptors, Quadruple Loop Encryptions, and Cloud Depixelators, this session will be a facilitated conversation for IT, marketing, office coordinators, operations, and recruiting. All other Atoms are welcome to join us as observers to also get to know us, and gain some insight into our work.
The session will start off with some ‘get-to-know-you’ time and then lead into sharing practices, workflows, tools, and areas that our work overlaps. While we don’t have the crystal ball, it’s probably safe to say that getting this group of smart, creative Atoms together will result in good things for Atomic.
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES (MULTI-TRACK) 🧘✨
This portion of the evening is meant to give an opportunity to interact with fellow Atoms. Go to as many as you can, or take a beat to get some rest. Go at a pace that makes sense for you. Whatever you do, be sure to be back in time for dinner!
4:45–5:15 PM
Create That Missing Emoji You've Always Wanted
Hosted by Miranda Michalski • Bay Pointe Woods Laurel Ballroom
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Having the perfect emoji available to express your thoughts and feelings is awesome. Struggling to find what you are longing for can be frustrating or downright depressing. Join me as we enhance the emoji options.
Yoga with Casey
Hosted by Casey Falkowski • Bay Pointe Woods Sycamore Ballroom
A quick yoga session with a focus on stretching and winding down. The flow will be inclusive for those of all experience levels.
4:45–7:00 PM
Mission Impossible: Atomic Con
Hosted by Dylan Goings • Poe Cottage, First Floor
You came to Bay Pointe for Atomic Con, but you've stumbled on an Atomic Bomb!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Assemble a team you can trust, and uncover the secret plot within Atomic Object and those behind it before it's too late!
MI: AC is a 20-minute timed escape room. Maximum team size of 6, a team registration form will be sent out closer to Atomic Con. Prizes for the team that finishes in the shortest time.
This message will self-destruct in 5 seconds.
5:30–6:45 PM
Paper Airplane Olympics!
Hosted by the Atomic Designers • Bay Pointe Woods Laurel Ballroom
Get ready for high-flying adventure and join the Atomic Design Team for an epic paper airplane extravaganza. The event will be split into two dynamic phases: Build and Compete. Compete in both team and solo events as you craft your unique paper airplane, avoid obstacles, and utilize ingenuity and flair to outdo the competition.
Whether you're an origami master or a first-time folder, all skill levels are welcome to participate. Prizes await the most innovative, farthest-flying, and crowd-pleasing creations. So, fold your way to glory at what’s sure to be a wild ride of paper, precision, and wackiness.
Drop-in Crafting
Hosted by Sam Thorne • Bay Pointe Woods Sycamore Ballroom
Join us to craft in good company. Bring your knitting, crochet, needlepoint, or any craft you like!
7:00–8:30 PM
Dinner & CEO Fireside Chat: Hot Ones Edition
Shawn Crowley & Mike Marsiglia, Facilitated by Dylan Goings • Bay Pointe Woods Laurel Ballroom
Dinner is served at 7 pm, so be sure to arrive on time to get a drink, some food, and take a seat. At 7:30 pm, we will begin one of our favorite Atomic Con traditions, the CEO Fireside Chat. This year’s chat has a twist! Mike and Shawn will be doing a Hot Ones challenge while answering questions. 🔥
Post-Conference Schedule
8:30 PM
Atomic Karaoke
Hosted by Joe Chrysler • Bay Pointe Woods Sycamore Ballroom
Some of us have been waiting 18 months for this. Atomic Karaoke is back! Join us for beautiful voices (and some not so much). You can sing solo, you can have a group. Choreograph a whole routine. We’re here for it!
Bonfire
Bay Pointe Woods Fire Pits
Outdoor bonfire—dress for the weather! Gather ‘round. Reminisce. Tell ghost stories about projects past. Or just stare into the flames and contemplate the mystery of existence. The evening is what you make it. Fire lights at 8:30 PM and runs until there are no more Atoms standing.