[#Undercover Report] GCPUG starts in Kyoto! │What is the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) user group that is gaining attention?

Hello! Nice to meet you.
I'm Kida from the Content Business Department.

I am mainly in charge of managing our company's content and supporting our customers, but from this spring I will also be involved in marketing, and I am also participating in exhibitions and study sessions where Beyond exhibits (^^)/

This time, I'll be reporting on an undercover event I recently attended called GCPUG Kyoto

What is GCPUG

GCPUG is a user group whose goal is to popularize Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and to make it better and more popular .

Anyone who shares the purpose of GCPUG is welcome to join, from beginners to advanced users. Let's work together to make Google Cloud Platform (GCP) even more exciting!

GCPUG finally launched in Kyoto!

GCPUG currently revving up its Kansai activities , and has finally expanded its reach to Kyoto, where the GCPUG Kyoto event was held on April 7th! I was there to help out along with Ohara, Beyond's pre-sales engineer, but all I was able to do was take photos and adjust the sound a little... (;∀;)

Participants began arriving at the venue before the start time, showing how much attention GCPUG was receiving

▲The venue was QOO Kiyamachi, located on the first floor of the Nagayoshi Kiyamachi Building, 190 Zaimokucho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City.
There was plenty of seating, and the atmosphere was like a bar, so even though it was a study group, it wasn't a stuffy one, making it easy for first-timers to join!

The speed at which applications for CONNPASS are being accepted shows how much attention it is receiving!

Participants for GCPUG are applying through
CONNPASS In Kyoto, we had planned to have 50 spots, but we received over 90 applications, so we are now on a waiting list for cancellations!

Those who managed to get a spot due to cancellations expressed their joy on Twitter

If you check the tweets with the hashtag "#GCPUG," you can see that the excitement was building even before people started attending. In addition, speakers and those who gave short talks posted materials on Twitter, so even those who couldn't attend can see what the event was about

The speakers are gorgeous!

Above all, the speakers were fantastic. Organizers from other regions also came to the event, making the Kyoto launch a great success

Here are the speakers at GCPUG Kyoto:

■ Overview of GCPUG and GCP Mercari / Souzou sinmetal
■ Machine Learning Google / Sato
■ Big Query (big data analysis) Groovenauts / Nakamura
■ GKE + Kubernetes (container) Beyond / Ohara
■ Introduction to GPU utilization using Google Datalab and TensorFlow
(deep learning) Nissen / MATSUDA
■ LT slot: Rancher2.0 and GKE cyberblack28

The materials prepared by the speakers were very easy to understand, and it was a great opportunity to deepen your understanding of Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

, isn't GCPUG difficult to use unless you have some knowledge of Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

No, that's not the case.
In fact, I was actually very nervous about participating this time (even though I wasn't a speaker).

However, both the organizing committee and the participants were very welcoming, and we were able to spend a very fulfilling time from start to finish

▲Everyone looked serious, but they were all really easy to talk to. There
was even the occasional joke thrown in, and it was a very relaxed study session.

The recruitment details on CONNPASS are as follows:

■ This is for people who fit these criteria!

★ I want to get excited about GCPUG.
★ I want to get started using GCP.
★ I'm involved in cloud-based development, but I've never used GCP.
★ I can get a little experience with GCP.
★ Beginners to intermediates who want to learn more about GCP.
★ I want to find friends and fellow engineers who use GCP services.
★ I want a place where even beginners can give presentations at speaker sessions and Lightning Talks.
★ I simply like Google services. ...etc.

Participants will receive a sticker as a special gift!

▲ All participants will receive GCP and GCPUG stickers (*Please note that stickers may not always be available.)

It's no exaggeration to say that I really wanted these GCP and GCPUG stickers! I finally got them!

Well, this isn't a good goal, but if you're thinking about participating, you can look forward to getting a sticker

Participants can also join the social gathering if they wish, further deepening their friendships

Even if you exchange greetings, it's hard to make progress and it's hard to join in... but it seems there's no need to worry about that. Not only speakers but also participants can join the social gathering, so you can easily ask questions that you weren't able to ask during the study session, further deepening your understanding and friendships

↓This is what the social gathering looked like.
This time, we held the social gathering at Pub House ROARS!

▲Speakers and GCPUG organizers from other regions also participated

▲Everyone is having a fun conversation while drinking

Summary: What I thought after participating

Even though I didn't have any specialized knowledge and was a bit worried, everyone explained things to me carefully, and it was a wonderful user group where I was able to hear some valuable stories

It doesn't feel like it's just an insider's excitement, and most people are conscious of wanting to make GCPUG even more exciting, so
it's easy to fit in and not feel like you're out of place.

The topics ranged from easy ones for beginners to ones that might be a little difficult for intermediate learners, but the materials were so easy to understand that my interest was piqued and I wanted to participate again next time!

If you are unsure whether to participate, the next event will be held in Kobe, so why not give it a try?
You can apply for GCPUG Kobe here.

I would definitely like to participate again ('◇')ゞ