OWDDM・KWDDM is now OKTech

In 2025, we decided to merge the Osaka Web Designer and Developer Meetup and the Kyoto Web Designer and Developer Meetup into one. Our new name: OKTech 🚀

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Why the change?

When we started with the Meetup in 2014, the times were quite different than today. We first started in Osaka, and the name was chosen for SEO purposes. It did its job well! In Osaka, designers and developers that were looking for Meetup would clearly find us.

The name worked, but not for everything. Many people couldn’t pronounce the short form: OWDDM, and they didn’t remember the long form. Even Martin occasionally mistook the order of designer & developer.

More importantly, the times have changed. The web doesn’t have the same meaning and draw as 10 years ago. Nowadays, interesting topics such as AI or DX draw more eyes, and for most members, the web has become but one part of their tech journey.

Why OKTech?

We chose “OKTech” for three reasons. It references our history and location: 「O」for Osaka and「K」for Kyoto. In Meetup, our group needs to specify a single location, and it will be Osaka, our root, but we wanted to be free about where in Kansai we hold events. It isn’t hard to travel in the area, and we hope this opens us up to having events in other parts of Kansai.

Also, in the past few years, we have stopped focusing exclusively on the Web. The english speaking community is not big enough in Kansai to sustain tech communities in one particular field. Not just presentations but also attendees have started to asking about various tech topics. With the new name, we would like to welcome everyone interested in Tech and find friends for a journey together.

Most importantly, OKTech includes a mission: OK 👍 , we can deal with technology. That is why our subtitle is “Tackle tech together”. Every year, technology moves forward at a neck-breaking pace. It can be intimidating to deal with it on your own. But we believe that together we can approach that mountain. We can learn from each other and help each other face the immense challenges of our technological future.

What will change?

Our core philosophy has not changed: We will stay Volunteer-based! Both the name and logo were decided by volunteers. We will continue to prepare events and opportunities for people to present their thoughts and get together.

As we want to invite people of various tech fields, there will likely be a broader spectrum of presentation topics. But ultimately, what will change depends on your involvement! Robert has recently started with Study Sessions, a new event format that is different from what we did in the past. In the future, we hope for more people to bring themselves into the meetup and, through their participation, shed light on bigger parts of the tech field.

Bring your ideas! Bring your questions! Bring your enthusiasm! 🤩

See you soon at one of our upcoming events!