Throwback • Student Guide • Philippines Tech Community
DevCon Summit 2016 (#DevFutureForward): What Students Can Learn (and Build) After the Event
If you were a student in 2016—or you’re one today looking for inspiration—DevCon Summit 2016 is a great reminder of what happens when
Filipino learners, builders, and mentors gather in one place: you leave with ideas, friends, and the confidence to start shipping projects.
What was DevCon Summit 2016?
DevCon Summit 2016 carried the theme #DevFutureForward and was promoted as one of the biggest developer conferences in the Philippines.
Based on DevCon’s event posts and third-party event listings, it happened on November 5–6, 2016 at the SMX Convention Center (MOA Complex, Pasay City).
Quick facts (2016):
- Theme: #DevFutureForward
- Date: Nov 5–6, 2016
- Venue: SMX Convention Center (Manila / MOA, Pasay)
- Audience: students, aspiring devs, professionals, communities
Why it mattered for students
Conferences like DevCon Summit matter because they compress months of “trial-and-error learning” into a weekend of real stories and real people.
You get exposed to current tools, career paths, and how teams actually build products—beyond what textbooks can cover.
And if you’re building a thesis or portfolio, events like this help you answer the most important student question:
“Okay, what project should I build next?”
Topics that were highlighted
Event recaps and posts around DevCon Summit 2016 mention sessions and discussions that included areas like
mobile development, Internet of Things (IoT), and UX & game development, along with best practices and career insights.
- IoT & hardware prototypes (sensors, microcontrollers, connectivity)
- Mobile & web development (building apps people actually use)
- UX, product thinking, and game dev (designing experiences, not just code)
- Best practices (how pros ship reliably, collaborate, and debug)
Circuitrocks at DevCon Summit 2016: Talking About IoT
During DevCon Summit 2016, Edmandie Samonte represented
Circuitrocks as one of the speakers, sharing insights focused on
Internet of Things (IoT) and hands-on hardware development.
The talk highlighted how students can move beyond theory by combining
microcontrollers, sensors, and connectivity to build real-world IoT
projects. It emphasized starting small—prototyping, testing, and learning through
actual builds rather than just simulations.
For many students in attendance, the session showed that IoT is not something distant
or overly complex. With the right components, guidance, and community support,
building smart systems is achievable even at the student level.
Build something from the “DevFutureForward” spirit (starter ideas)
Here are student-friendly projects you can start this week. Each one is small enough to finish, but expandable enough for a thesis or portfolio.
1) “Room Status” OLED Dashboard
Show temperature/humidity, Wi-Fi status, and a simple message (“Study Mode”, “Busy”, “Open Lab”) on a small OLED display.
Perfect for learning I2C and clean UI.
Parts to browse:
Arduino boards,
ESP32 boards,
OLED/LCD displays,
sensors.
2) Mini IoT Water Quality / Garden Logger
Log sensor readings (moisture, temperature, light) and graph them later. Great for practicing calibration and data storytelling.
Parts to browse:
Sensors collection,
Raspberry Pi,
ESP32.
3) Simple RFID Attendance Prototype
Scan a tag/card and save the timestamp to serial, SD card, or Google Sheets (advanced). This is a classic student demo that recruiters understand instantly.
Parts to browse:
Search RFID on Circuitrocks,
Arduino,
ESP32.
Student checklist before your next tech event
- Bring 1 question you want answered (career, thesis, tools, portfolio).
- Talk to 2 people you don’t know (one student, one professional).
- Write 3 project ideas from talks you attend.
- Build 1 tiny prototype within 7 days after the event.
Where to start building (Circuitrocks links)
If you’re starting from scratch, these collections are the easiest “student jump-off points” for building a real demo fast:
Frequently Asked Questions
What was DevCon Summit 2016?
A Filipino developer conference held at SMX MOA (Mall of Asia) in 2016, themed #DevFutureForward. Brought together students, developers, and tech professionals for talks, networking, and learning.
Why did DevCon 2016 matter for students?
It was one of the largest spaces where Filipino students could see the local tech industry up close — keynotes from senior developers, networking with potential mentors, and project showcases from peers.
What kinds of topics were covered?
Software development practices, mobile and web tech of the era, the rise of cloud and developer communities, plus career paths for Filipino tech graduates.
How can today’s students apply lessons from DevCon 2016?
Start building real projects (not just tutorials), join local tech communities, share what you build publicly, and don’t wait until graduation to start contributing. The students who stand out are the ones who shipped, not the ones who only studied.
