Laracon AU CFP, developer storytelling, and audience engagement

Michael shares a behind-the-scenes look at organising Laracon AU 2026, including the new committee-based CFP review process, the tooling built to manage the talk submissions, and how AI-assisted workflows helped shape the final conference schedule. The conversation dives into balancing technical depth with audience engagement, designing conference cadence to avoid cognitive overload, and why advanced technical talks are so difficult to execute well.

Jake and Michael also discuss the realities of crafting technical presentations, from simplifying code examples and avoiding "proof of expertise" syndrome, to using AI tools as collaborative thought partners when preparing talks. Along the way, they explore how conference organisers think about audience fit, production experience, practical takeaways, and keeping attendees engaged during deeply technical sessions.

Show links

• Laracon AU
• Model Context Protocol (MCP)
• Riff & Refine: Trust the Process

Creators and Guests

Host

Jake Bennett

Christ follower, software dev @wilbergroup using @laravelphp. Co-host of @northsouthaudio and @laravelnews with @michaeldyrynda

Host

Michael Dyrynda

Dad. @laravelphp Artisan. @LaraconAU organiser. Co-host of @northsouthaudio, @laravelnews, @ripplesfm. Opinions are mine.

What is North Meets South Web Podcast?

Jake Bennett and Michael Dyrynda conquer a 14.5 hour time difference to talk about life as web developers