In October, Adevinta and Marktplaats hosted a dynamic meetup in collaboration with Scala Matters, powered by UMATR. The event brought together over 140 attendees, including seasoned Scala experts and budding professionals, for an evening of insightful conversations, knowledge-sharing, and networking. The energy in the room was evident as attendees engaged in thoughtful discussions about Scala, one of the most impactful programming languages in data engineering.
A Look Back: From Small Beginnings to a Thriving Community
Reflecting on how far the Scala community has come, Martin Sturm, Software Engineer at Adevinta, shared:
“It was great to see so many participants. I remember the first time we hosted a Scala-related meetup at our office back in 2010. We were excited when 20 people showed up. This was a completely different experience.”
The growth of the Scala community is prominent, with events like these becoming essential hubs for professionals to stay connected, exchange ideas, and drive innovation forward.
Scala continues to be an Important Player in Data Engineering
Even as other programming languages gain popularity, Scala remains a dominant force in data engineering, particularly for organisations like Adevinta. One of the evening’s highlights was a presentation by Dario Amorosi, a Big Data Engineer at Adevinta. He shared how the team tackled rising costs in their data pipeline by transitioning from Dataflow to a custom-built solution. This new application, developed using Scala and ZIO, stages data in Cloud Storage before loading it into BigQuery, handling over 2 billion events daily while simultaneously reducing costs.
While the technical aspects may sound complex, Dario broke it down into simple terms:
“Events like this are crucial because they allow developers to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the technologies they use and connect with like-minded professionals. It’s a space to discuss new approaches and learn how other companies are solving similar challenges.”
For those eager to know more about Dario’s talk, check out this video.
The Power of Collaboration and Knowledge-sharing
A core feature of the event was hearing from other industry leaders using Scala in their tech stacks. Stephanie Cattoir and Leon Weemen from Bynder were among the standout speakers, providing unique insights into how their teams leverage Scala to create scalable solutions.
The event wrapped up with a relaxed networking session over drinks, fostering deeper connections within the community. Meetups like this are more than just an opportunity to learn; They unite people, create a sense of belonging, and inspire professionals to push boundaries. These events also offer a rare chance to see how companies use specific technologies to tackle their unique challenges, making it easier for attendees to adopt new techniques and solutions in their work.
Be sure to join us next time, and stay connected as we bring together the brightest minds in the tech community!