It was the first conference I attended in person after COVID since I first attended a TEDx conference at UNC Chapel Hill in March 2020. I was excited to meet people from different parts of the world and be exposed to new ideas. Though I had previously attended the EAG London conference virtually in April, I felt that an in-person one would be more fruitful since I would get to talk to people who were either already pursuing careers in EA cause areas or were in the process of figuring out the ones they were most aligned with.

**Day 1** 

On the first day, EA Singapore hosted the conference at Genius Central. It's a café offering international cuisine next to the Telok Ayer MRT. By the time I entered the main hall, it was already quite chaotic, as nearly all attendees were present. It was a long time since I had been in such a crowd indoors where no one was wearing a mask since the indoor restrictions had also lifted. It felt like a return to normalcy. I had not scheduled all my one-on-ones in advance. Instead, I was looking out for people who were either working in the focus areas I was interested in or had a similar background. I approached them directly to see if they were available, sent them a connect request on Swapcard, and scheduled a one-on-one only if they were not.

As a result, I was not constantly checking the app for my next one-on-one like a couple of other enthusiastic individuals with packed schedules, but also taking in the atmosphere around me. Hence, I was confused about whom I should meet next but also energized to see the frenzy around me.

I grabbed some dinner before my first one-on-one, which was pretty sumptuous. It was nice to see that the dishes served had vegan-friendly, soy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free labels. As someone allergic to soy, this was quite important to me. From my experience, it is rare to find such labels in Singaporean restaurants.

The only talk I attended was the first one by [Ollie](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-base-970922135/) about what EA is and how it's growing. After that, I participated in a meetup for the Singapore attendees and a workshop by [Valerie](https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeriepang/) on planning the EAGx conference schedule. The night ended with the birthday celebration of one of the EAGx attendees.

**Day 2**

On the second day of the conference, I was supposed to arrive as a volunteer at the SMU Administrative Building at 8:30 am. However, I reached almost 9 because I needed help finding the building. I had not anticipated it would be next to the NTUC Income Centre. Then I recalled seeing it as I passed by the area when my dad drove by sometimes.

I attended the keynote talk conducted by Varun, the managing director at the Good Food Institute. As expected, more attendees showed up because most of the talks were scheduled on this day. Since the only time slot I was occupied was helping with registration duties from 2 to 4 pm and the conference went on till the evening at 7, I had a lot more time for my one-on-ones.

After all the one-on-ones, I attended the closing session conducted by [Dion Tan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/diontansh/), one of the conference's organizers. Her talk resonated with me as she shared her experience attending the first EAG conference in London in April and feeling overwhelmed as she met all the fantastic and talented people in the community. However, she was encouraged to organize an EAGx in Singapore after having productive one-on-ones and seeing the number of people willing to lend a helping hand to support her along her EA journey.

As it was my first EAGx conference, I could relate to her feelings. At the same time, I was thankful for all the interactions I had. I left earlier and could not join the rest for the dinner and after-party at Clarke Quay because I had some other engagement during the night.

**Day 3**

The third day of the conference was the "Unconference," meant to be a departure from the formal structure of the event the previous day. It was also conducted at the Genius Central venue. However, it was quieter this time because there were fewer attendees or speakers. There was breakfast and dinner provided, just like the second day.

After my one-on-ones, I attended a workshop on rationality conducted by [Akash](https://www.linkedin.com/in/akash-wasil-74bb50120/) and [Olivia](https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviagjimenez/), where they talked about Less Wrong, the CFAR Handbook, and epistemic/applied rationality.

Before I left the venue, I took group photos and individual images with the people I met during the conference.

I thoroughly enjoyed the conference as a whole, and I am glad that I made some connections. I plan to stay in touch with at least some of them and meet them at one of the other conferences next year.

My experience attending the first EAGx Conference in Singapore

Student at UF

Aadit Kamat

2023