Post: 5 Takeaways of OpenSearchCon NA 2024

_posts/2024-11-01-5-Takeaways-of-OpenSearchCon-NA-2024.markdown

@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+---
+layout: post
+authors: 
+    - luchoa
+    - ybarabash
+comments: true
+title: "Five takeaways from OpenSearchCon North America 2024"
+date: 2024-11-24
+categories:
+ - community
+ - conferences
+
+meta_keywords: OpenSearchCon, OpenSearch Project, Adobe, Linux Foundation, GenAI, Vector Search, OpenSearch Software Foundation
+---
+
+
+
+This year, OpenSearchCon North America took place in San Francisco. The city, being the heart of innovation, felt like
+the ideal place to talk about important topics like search and machine learning. The conference was held from September
+24 to 26, 2024, and offered not only talks but also training and the Unconference (yes, we'll explain that part in a
+moment!).
+![eli-fischer-keynote](/assets/media/blog-images/2024-11-01-5-Takeaways-of-OpenSearchCon-NA-2024/eli-fischer-keynote.jpg){:
+class="img-centered"}
+
+## Keynote
+
+There is no present without a past, which Eli Fisher highlighted in his keynote address about the history of the
+OpenSearch Project. He showed how contributions shape such a complex project, helping to keep it stable.
+
+Then Anupam Chaturvedi talked about generative AI and OpenSearch interacting with technologies like information stored
+in PDF format. This reminds us that new technologies have to consider past ones. But how do we ensure the future of
+OpenSearch?
+
+OpenSearch is open source, and we all know that modern technology wouldn't exist without open-source software. From a long-term perspective, around OpenSearch and other open-source projects, we need flexibility and neutrality. The Linux Foundation, as a non-profit organization, supports the sustainable growth of the OpenSearch Project in this way. Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of the Linux Foundation, shared how this works in practice. 
+
+Overall, we learned about the past, present, and future of OpenSearch in one inspiring keynote presentation.
+
+While conference formats are nice, sometimes what you really need is an "Unconference." Here's what happened at this event.
+
+![uncoference](/assets/media/blog-images/2024-11-01-5-Takeaways-of-OpenSearchCon-NA-2024/unconference.jpg){:class="img-centered"}
+
+## Unconference
+
+The fun of the Unconference lies in its format: anyone can propose a topic, participants vote, and the most popular topics are presented, which leads to thoughtful conversations and sharing of ideas. 
+
+These were some of our favorite Unconference topics: 
+- [Michael Froh: OpenSearch is a database?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFItXRGumq8)
+- [Scott Stults & Eric Pugh: Lessons in Rebooting a Plugin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_dc8l2P1ew)
+
+Maybe next time you can join us and share your thoughts!
+
+## Talks
+
+No conference succeeds without talks and the exchange of knowledge, and OpenSearchCon North America was no exception.
+
+Across 4 rooms, attendees experienced 41 insightful talks delivered by 54 speakers from around the globe. These speakers shared their expertise on topics such as search, analytics, observability, security, community, and, of course, OpenSearch.
+
+Many organizations and partners presented and shared their knowledge. Here are a few that you might be interested in checking out: 
+- [Aruna Govindaraju, Eric Pugh & Stavros Macracis – You've Deployed User Behavior Insights. Now What?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi261oUamXc&t=20s)
+- [Aparna Sundar & Lior Perry – Vega Integration in OpenSearch Dashboards](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ9RbVi2nLo&t=3s)
+- [Nate Boot – Improving your chances of survival in Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead with OpenSearch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kTjMTvw4No)
+
+Additionally, Logz.io, Eliatra, Aiven Oy, and Canonical talked about how they are leveraging OpenSearch within their
+products. Are you curious for more? You can find all of these amazing
+talks [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPVGfWoR0B8&list=PLzgr9zSpws17ZYDb12UTIgEXq5vrUA4b1).
+
+![conference-attendees](/assets/media/blog-images/2024-11-01-5-Takeaways-of-OpenSearchCon-NA-2024/conference-attendees.jpg){:class="img-centered"}
+
+## Trainings
+
+Have you ever wanted to learn about OpenSearch from industry experts? The third day of the conference presented a great
+opportunity to do just that. Attendees could dive into relevance engineering with OpenSearch, learning how to measure
+search quality and improve it by adjusting field weights. Additionally, those interested in deploying OpenSearch on
+Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS) had the chance to work alongside Jon Handler and Arun Lakshmanan in
+hands-on labs covering OpenSearch, Amazon EKS, and data management. These sessions provided immediate, practical
+experience with OpenSearch, making them invaluable for participants.
+
+![conference-party](/assets/media/blog-images/2024-11-01-5-Takeaways-of-OpenSearchCon-NA-2024/conference-party.jpg){:class="img-centered"}
+
+## Party
+
+Additionally, if you were worried about not having enough time to meet people and network between talks, training
+sessions, and the Unconference, the organizers had you covered with "The Search Party." It was a great opportunity to
+connect with OpenSearch maintainers, partners, and other community members. The vibe was just right for real
+conversations and making connections in the OpenSearch community.
+
+Finally, the moment you've been waiting for—check out all the awesome pics from the
+conference [here](https://buff.ly/3U3Sh5K)!