DataBeers: how to combine chats and beer to boost data communities

Have data ever helped you understand something a little better? Do you use data analysis in your daily practice? Have you ever built a project based on data? Are you obsessed with data at any level? Do you like beer?

These are some of the questions posed by DataBeers organizers. If you have answered yes to most of them, you may want to know a little more about this non-profit initiative.

DataBeers was born in Madrid in 2014, by Giovanna Miritello, Daniel Villatoro and Marcelo Soria. Its aim was to create different event, more dynamic, simple and entertaining, away from the coldness of traditional conferences where speakers expose their vision of the theme in long expositions to a reactive audience. And for that, they thought that the best idea was to combine small talks - between 4 and 6 speakers which speech do not last more than an hour in total (7 minutes each) - with networking in a relaxed atmosphere accompanied by beers.

The success of the format was immediate. Proof of this, since 2014 they have not stopped growing, reaching thirty cities/regions in 10 countries: Barcelona, ​​Alicante, Castilla y León, Euskadi, Valencia, London, Buenos Aires, Medellín, Venice, Copenhagen, Manila ... These are just some of the regions where branches have been installed. They work through a federated model, where each city has its own team of volunteers, although all have to respect common rules:

• Do not talk about code: talks are aimed at all kinds of audiences, not just technological experts.
• Use direct messages: the speeches have to be direct, and it is recommended to follow the Pecha-Kucha method (20 slides shown for 20 seconds each). The speakers can share a paper, an idea, a problem solved by data, a visualization, etc.
• Promote networking: the objective is to create an atmosphere that favours the exchange of opinions. In this atmosphere, some collaborations may even arise.

In their talks they have had more than 300 attendees, which shows the interest that exists to know more about the data universe. Even some companies such as Airbus or BBVA have been interested in the format. The themes are quite diverse, with general events, and others more specific.

For example, Databeers Málaga, one of the most active communities, founded at the end of 2015 and driven by María Sánchez, has organized, with support from the City of Málaga, ITRS Group and San Miguel, events focused on specific topics such as data for sustainable and smart cities (on the occasion of the conference Greencities 2019), Data, Sound and Music Industry or Open Data.

The next appointment is on July 2 at 7:30 pm at Balneario Baños del Carmen, as part of the activities around the European Data and Computational Journalism Conference that is held at the University of Malaga. Therefore, on this occasion, the central theme will be data journalism and informative visualizations. As always, the activity is free and open to any interested person.

In short, it is a great platform to share data-based stories, promote the exchange of knowledge and encourage the creation of new data communities.