I organised my first tech event — and wasn't sure anyone would show up

FTC26 was my first-ever event that I organised and honestly, I was scared in the beginning. We kept hearing that student turnout drops near summer breaks. I kept asking myself: "Will people actually show up?"
But what happened completely changed my perspective.
- 180+ registrations in just 7 days
- 120+ students showed up in person
- A room full of energy, questions, and curiosity
What made it even more surprising: this wasn't a hackathon. There were no cash prizes. No competitions. Just a 4-hour speaking-based conference about AI, careers, and the future of work — and still we received an incredible response.
Then came messages, mentions, tags, emails and Instagram stories — people sharing how the event changed the way they see AI, careers, and the future of work. FTC26 became more than an event. It became a conversation about fear, opportunity, and the future we are all stepping into.
Speakers from Microsoft, Accenture Baltics, Tet, FranklinCovey, HyperLab (4× TEDx) and RTU — and an amazing team that made everything happen behind the scenes.
If anything, it proved one thing to me: ideas only become real when you take the risk to execute them. And this is just the beginning.
