Once we announced Toronto as this year’s Rails World 2024 location, Shopify had one wish: that everyone attending Rails World would experience the best of what their city has to offer, before, during, and to close out the event. With the event taking place in their backyard, it was only fitting that they become the official Toronto Rails World City Host.

What does it mean to be the official City Host? It means that Shopify is going above and beyond to make this an unforgettable Rails World for you.

Here’s how:

Pre-Registration, September 25th - If you are already in town on the 25th, grab your badge early, have a welcome drink courtesy of Shopify, and meet up with other Rails World attendees. From here you can go out and explore Toronto’s Yorkville neighborhood just steps away.

WNB.rb Meetup, September 25th - Shopify is also proud to sponsor the WNB.rb meetup, an event dedicated to supporting women and non-binary individuals in the Ruby community. For this meetup, Shopify is inviting WNB.rb members to the 14th floor of the Shopify port for a drink, a bite, and to connect with other women and non-binary Rails World attendees before we officially kick off. (Just wait until you see the views up there!)

The Shopify Lounge & Rails merch store - In the Shopify Lounge at Rails World you’ll find the Shopify booth, pair programming, and plenty of additional space to hang out, grab a snack, and recharge. In the booth, you can meet with the Shopify Engineering team, or dive deep into technical problem solving at one of their four pair programming stations.

Rails World attendees will also find the Rails merch store in the Shopify Lounge (since after all, the store is built on Shopify with the help of their Launch Engineering team). You’ll be the first to check out the merch before the store goes live to the public later this year.

Lightning Track - Shopify is hosting the first-ever Rails World Lightning Track featuring 5-10 minute talks from Rails World attendees on a variety of topics. If you have an idea for a talk, keep an eye out for our Call for Proposals (CFP), opening soon.

Toronto Food Trucks - Shopify is bringing a taste of Toronto to Rails World by sponsoring three all-day food trucks in the pavilion. Attendees will have the chance to try some of Toronto’s favorite local eats, and will receive a food truck ticket in their swag bag good for one item from any of the trucks (beaver tails, poutine, mac and cheese balls, or pizza).

Closing Party at Shopify Port - To wrap up Rails World 2024 with a bang, Shopify is hosting the official closing party at the Shopify Port. This takeover promises to be the perfect ending to Rails World, with three floors of music, games, food, and drinks overlooking the Toronto city skyline.

Reporting Team - For those who can’t make it to Rails World this year, Shopify is sending a camera and a team of devs to Rails World to interview speakers and attendees onsite so you can feel part of the action. We’ll share their videos on the Rails X, LinkedIn, and YouTube channels during Rails World, so be sure to follow along.

As if that weren’t enough, Shopify founder Tobias Lütke also traded his keynote spot so that he could invite Matz and DHH to the stage for a Fireside chat - sure to be one of the highlights of this year’s Rails World.

With Shopify as the Rails World City Host, we were able to level up this year’s Rails World in a way that we couldn’t before. We now have food trucks, a Lightning Track, and three events around the city for you to enjoy, none of which would be possible without their support.

We can’t wait.

See you soon!