About

Swift Island is an all-inclusive experimental conference happening a month after Apple's WWDC 2018.

The Pitch

You know that feeling you get after WWDC ends, when all you want to do is catch up on all the videos Apple just released? That urgent need to experiment and play with all the new betas, frameworks and APIs. The overwhelming desire to spend hours on all of the above, quickly followed by the sinking realization that you can't - because you have actual work to do.

Yep, we've all been there and that feeling sucks.

Our mission is to break the cycle!

Swift Island is an experimental conference in the broadest sense. In the month following WWDC, we invite you to join us for a hands-on experience with all of Apple’s newly announced API's and Frameworks, in sessions guided by top-notch mentors.

The Format

The format is very simple: 2 days, choose from 4 sessions per day provided by 8 mentors. Everyone peer programs and has fun.

The Kicker

A conference ticket is all inclusive: You will get two days of workshops, three days of lodging in a shared cabin (private rooms) and all the food you need for breakfast, lunch and dinner during your stay. And if you want, a bike. And did we mention it’s on an island?

It's called Texel (pronounced tes-sel) and it’s one of the five Frisian Islands, located in the Wadden Sea, which is a Unesco World Heritage. In short - it's an island in the Netherlands and it's awesome.

What to expect?

Beyond the experience of being introduced to WWDC material by top-notch mentors on a frikkin' island, you’ll also enjoy:

  • Seals. Actual real life seals (the fluffy kind, not the military kind)
  • Choose from eight topics covered in workshops in the course of two days.
  • Fun activities the Friday right after. (like visiting the local brewery, the seal shelter and walking on the mudflats of the Wadden)

July 4 - 5

2018

Texel

Netherlands

50 Tickets

Starting at €699

8 Mentors

50-50 Men/Women

Mentors

Daniel Steinberg

Daniel Steinberg

Siri Shortcuts

Daniel Steinberg has been writing code for Apple platforms since System 7. He’s been teaching and writing code in Swift since it was released. Each year he finds joy in what Apple releases at WWDC and can’t wait to explore some new avenue with you at Swift Island.

Meghan Kane

Meghan Kane

Machine Learning

Meghan is an iOS developer at Novoda in their Berlin office. She is the co-creator and instructor of a Udacity course on Core ML. When not coding, she can usually be found reading at a coffee shop or cycling. In her former life, she lived in the US and studied Mathematics & CS at MIT.

Roy Marmelstein

Roy Marmelstein

Best of the rest - the other new iOS12 frameworks

Roy works on iOS at Spotify. He is the creator of PhoneNumberKit, Interpolate and Zip.

Kate Castellano

Kate Castellano

ARKit 2

Kate is an Senior iOS Developer at Clue. One of her passions is to work towards the inclusion of more women in technology and is the co-organizer of 'Women Who Go' Berlin chapter, event-manager for Berlin's 'Geekettes Mentorship Program' and a mentor in 'Learn It Girl!'

Manu Rink

Manu Rink

ARKit 2

Manu Rink is a mobile enthusiast long before the dawn of the smartphone. Currently she shares her passion as a tech evangelist @Microsoft and inspires a wide audience of techies for her beloved topics including mobile development, serverless computing and gaming.

Donny Wals

Donny Wals

Instruments + building your own instrument

Donny is a curious and passionate iOS developer who loves to learn and share knowledge. He wrote two books on mastering iOS development and the third is underway . You'll often find him browsing through Apple's frameworks and documentation looking for hidden gems.

Marijn Schilling

Marijn Schilling

Playgrounds

Marijn is an iOS developer at the Amsterdam office of Bakken&Bæck, a digital agency from Norway. She loves taking on new challenges and writing clean code that smells like flowers.

David Hart

David Hart

Swift’s secret dynamic life

David is the Lead iOS Developer at Atipik, a small mobile development shop in Geneva. He's shown his passion for Swift Open Source as a contributor to the Swift Package Manager and by pitching in on Swift Evolution.

Location

While the island of Texel is pretty remote, getting there is quite easy and takes about 3 hours. From Schiphol Airport you can take a train to Den Helder, where the ferry to Texel departs. On Texel you can reach the venue by minivan service called Texelhopper.

Don't like travel planning? Then our “It's all sorted for you” options are for you. We call them Hassle-free™.

Hassle-free™ travel

When you buy a transport ticket we will arrange it all - You will receive train tickets, ferry tickets, and we'll even arrange the minivan that picks you up and drives you with your luggage to our location. Your own shared personal driver.

Did we mention we have you covered for a round trip? Even your way back is Hassle-free™.

Accomodation

After extensive research and location scouting on the island itself we found the perfect spot to stay during our conference. Prins Hendrik Hotel and Bungalows. (Also check out the photos below)

Getting around

Like proper Dutchmen, the best way to get around on the island is by bike. We really recommend you add this to your ticket, because other means of transportation are sparse. Part of the Hassle-free™ deal is we make sure the bike is ready for you upon arrival. Do it, it’s fun!

Partners are welcome!

You love your significant other, and so do we. They are more than welcome to join us! While you are having fun at the conference, getting all the new WWDC information in your brain, they can explore the island. There’s a special Significant Other Ticket for them, and we advise you to get them a bike as well.

Do you also want to bring your kids? We can probably arrange that as well! Please contact us so we can figure something out for you.

Swift Island Location

Prins Hendrik Texel
Stuifweg 13
1794 HA Oosterend
Email: [email protected]

Travel Information

Hassle-free™ travel

The easiest way to get from either Schiphol or Amsterdam to Texel is the Hassle-free™ ticket. We will arrange it all for you - You will receive train tickets, ferry tickets, and we'll even arrange the minivan that picks you up and drives you with your luggage to our location. Your own shared personal driver.

Did we mention we have you covered for a round trip? Even your way back is Hassle-free™.

Arranging your own travel

If you have chosen the adventurous option to not get our Hassle-free™ ticket, here's the way plan your trip to the venue. From Amsterdam or Schiphol you can take a train to Den Helder, where you can take a bus to the harbour where the boat to Texel departs. On Texel you can use a minivan service to get to our venue, Prins Hendrik.

You can plan most of the trip (train, bus and boat) using the links below.

  • Amsterdam Central Station → Texel
    First train with matching connections leaves at 5:17
    Last train with matching connections leaves at 19.39
    Travel time: ~ 2 hours and 10 minutes
    Route planner
  • Schiphol → Texel
    First train with matching connections leaves at 6.31
    Last train with matching connections leaves at 19.31
    Travel time: ~ 2 hours and 20 minutes
    Route planner

Trains (part 1)

There's a trainstation right underneath Schiphol airport, so if you follow the signage after you go through the baggage hall you should be able to find it easily.

The first train you need to take goes in the direction of Amsterdam and usually departs from tracks 1 or 2. Which one is only announced a short time before, but those are on opposite sides of the platform.

It's only a 10 minute trip to Amsterdam Sloterdijk where you have to change to the train to Den Helder. Usually you will arrive at platform 12 on the 2nd floor, and have to go down two flights of stairs to depart at platform 4. Follow the signage.

When you are in the train to Den Helder, it is a great time to start arranging your Texelhopper trip from 'Pontweg Veerhaven' to 'Prins Hendrik', which you will have to book one hour in advance. If you have a Hassle-free™ ticket, let us know which boat you're planning to take and we will arrange transportation for you.

Bus (part 2)

Once you get to Den Helder train station, you can find the bus platforms on the right hand side of the station. The bus to the harbour is line 33, which departs from platform E and will be marked on the sign at the bus stop and on the front of the bus itself. For travellers to Texel, this bus is free.

Directions to bus line 33 at Den Helder station.

Ferry (part 3)

From the bus stop at the harbour it's only a short walk to the Ferry towards Texel, the boattrip lasts about 20 minutes.

Texelhopper minivan (part 4)

On the island you can use the Texelhopper minibus service to get to the venue. You have to order a Texelhopper at least one hour in advance, so be sure to read the information on their website. Plan your trip from trip from 'Pontweg Veerhaven', which is where the ferry arrives to 'Prins Hendrik', which is our conference venue. If you have a Hassle-free™ ticket, let us know which boat you're planning to take and we will arrange transportation for you.

Texelhopper bus stop

Getting tickets

When travelling in the Netherlands you can always get a ticket at any station at a ticket machine. These machines either take cash in euro or debit cards with the maestro logo (without extra cost). Paying with credit cards is possible (just not everywhere) but please note that the transaction costs can be high.

Cash money

When traveling in the Netherlands we advise to have some cash in you wallet because not every shop accepts debit/credit cards.

Train from Amsterdam / Schiphol

Trains are operated by NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen). You can get you train ticket the NS website, or at the ticket vending machines at the station.

Bus & Texelhopper

From Den Helder train station to the harbour it's a short bus ride with Connexxion line 33. This bus is free for travellers to Texel. On the island you can use the Texelhopper minibus to get to the venue. A ticket for Texelhopper can be bought online, or at the ticket booth in Den Helder train station. You have to order a Texelhopper at least one hour in advance, so be sure to read the information on their website.

Ferry Tickets

You can get your ferry ticket from the TESO website. All tickets are return tickets and can be used at any date.

FAQ

For this year we are finalising the details with the last mentors, so currently we’re all set. Please send us an email at [email protected] though, so we can contact you if one of our mentors has to cancel. And we will definitely put you on the list for next year!
Yes! All photographs used on this site were shot on Texel.
Yes. The venue has bungalows and regular hotel rooms. Bungalows have 3 bedrooms, are more spacious, and have a shared kitchen and living room, while the Hotel Rooms have a private bathrooms. With your ticket you always get a private bedroom and you buy a ticket you can specify a preferred room type. While we try to accommodate everyone towards their preference, we can't guarantee you the room-type of your choice.
Sure! Once you both have booked a ticket, please send us an email and we will make sure you will be placed in a bungalow together.
No, because there are no other options for accomdation in the vicinity of the venue. Part of the atmosphere of the conference is having everyone in the same location for the duration of the conference.
No. While the topics will be inspired by what is announced at WWDC, there are no talks at Swift Island, only workshops. During those workshops you get hands-on experience with these topics. So even if you are lucky enough to go to WWDC, Swift Island will be a great way to dive in deeper. Having been to WWDC is not at all a requirement, though. We expect the attendees to have some basic knowledge of what is announced, but we will quickly get you up to speed if yout did not find the time to look into it yet.
No. It is exactly one month later. WWDC takes place from 4 to 8 June, while Swift Island is the 4th and 5th of July. You will have a month to rest, catch up, and look forward to a great time on The Netherland's most beautiful island.
Conference tickets to Swift Island are all-inclusive. This means that apart from the conference, you will get accomodation and breakfast for three days (from Tuesday to Friday), lunch and dinner during the conference days (Wednesday and Thursday), and of course a magnificent view. And seals, those are also included 😉.
The conference days are the 4th and 5th of July, the three nights of accommodation are the nights around that. We expect everyone to arrive on the 3rd of July, have two awesome conference days and leave on the 6th of July. Except if you bought extended accomodation of course.

Code of Conduct

All attendees, speakers, sponsors and volunteers at our conference are required to agree with the following code of conduct. Organisers will enforce this code throughout the event. We expect cooperation from all participants to help ensure a safe environment for everybody.

Need Help? Contact Us!

Niels van Hoorn
Twitter: @nvh
Email: [email protected]

Sidney de Koning
Twitter: @sidneydekoning
Email: [email protected]

The Quick Version

All attendees, speakers, sponsors and volunteers at our conference are required to agree with the following code of conduct. Organisers will enforce this code throughout the event. We expect cooperation from all participants to help ensure a safe environment for everybody.

Our conference is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any conference venue, including talks, workshops, parties, Twitter and other online media. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the conference organisers.

The Less Quick Version

Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion, technology choices, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

Sponsors are also subject to the anti-harassment policy. In particular, sponsors should not use sexualised images, activities, or other material. Booth staff (including volunteers) should not use sexualised clothing/uniforms/costumes, or otherwise create a sexualised environment.

If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the conference organisers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the conference with no refund.

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of conference staff immediately. Conference staff can be identified as they'll be wearing branded clothing and/or badges.

Conference staff will be happy to help participants contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference. We value your attendance.

We expect participants to follow these rules at conference and workshop venues and conference-related social events.

Photos

Community Partners

iOS Goodies

iOS Goodies is a weekly open-source newsletter for iOS developers.
They cover everthing from opensource libraries to must read technical articles, posts about business, design and UX/UI.

Swift Usergroup Netherlands

The Dutch Swift Usergroup Netherlands - They ❤️ all things Swift, Cocoa and other nerdy stuff. They organise meetups with an emphasis on the Dutch Swift community. They exchange ideas, share knowledge and solve problems together.