AfroTech Dropbox Recap 2022
From day one, tech conferences have always been integral to the Dropbox experience, giving our teams the chance to connect with other tech professionals from across our industry—and almost no event is as beloved as AFROTECH. This year, AFROTECH took place in the booming tech hub of Austin, Texas, home to one of our many Dropbox Studios, which gave us the perfect opportunity to show attendees what “life inside Dropbox” is really about. Our DEI team sponsored the conference and worked hand in hand with Talent Acquisition to create three unforgettable Dropbox experiences.
Our booth
Creating a strong presence in the huge AFROTECH Expo Hall isn’t easy—so we pulled out all the stops from ensuring that attendees had impactful conversations with our Dropbox recruiters and employees from various teams to curated one-of-a-kind gifts for attendees. We carefully sourced quality slate coasters featuring historical Black landmarks in Austin, as well as custom designed Dropbox playing cards that included African wax print designs and Black tech trailblazers as the face cards.
Build The Future
On the first night of AFROTECH, we invited attendees to a private dinner themed around our mission to “Build the Future” that included a DJ, a 360 photo booth, swag giveaways, and food. All vendors used for this event were Black-owned. Attendees got the chance to explore the Dropbox Austin studio as well as have intimate conversations with Dropbox employees and other event attendees.
Glow Up suite
Each morning, Dropboxers got up bright and early to host our Glow Up suite for AFROTECH attendees. The suite included a curated brunch, followed by a mini consultation and makeover with an amazing hair and makeup artist and culminating in a headshot photoshoot for attendees to use in their professional careers. We had a ton of visitors at the suite, and people kept referring their friends to come check it out!
The Drop
On Tuesday November 15th, we hosted our first integrated experience at AFROTECH titled “The Drop.” This interactive in-person experience walked attendees through the story of Dropbox through the lens of the people who use and build our products and features, highlighting the importance of culture, collaborative work, and career within our company. As they “shopped” through the experience, guests were able to “get the drop” on some of our newest products that Dropboxers have designed, and get an idea of how they too might be able to help us build the future.
During this experience, we also hosted our “How We Built This” panel, featuring a discussion of Black Dropboxer experiences, diversity and inclusion within Dropbox culture, and the impact on work products. The panelists included RiAnca Allen-Jones (Digital Producer Manager), Zyanne Clay-Hubbard (iOS Engineer), Atiba Booker (Data Scientist) and Zubair Lawrence, moderated by Briahna Gatlin of Swank PR. Watch the recording below:
Throughout the remainder of the day, attendees were able to chat with recruiters about their possible dream role at Dropbox while enjoying music, drinks, food, and prizes.
We’re so grateful to have enjoyed another AFROTECH together, connecting with Black tech professionals and giving them a sneak peek into how they could thrive at Dropbox. Think maybe there’s a spot here for you too? You can visit our jobs site to browse open positions.
Check out photos from the event on our AfroTech Instagram highlight!