How Agoda Tech Camp Day is Shaping Future Tech Leaders

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Agoda tech camp day

At Agoda, we’re never done learning. Our teams are constantly growing, upskilling, and sharing knowledge internally. But with such a diverse and talented Tech team, we realized it would be a missed opportunity to keep that expertise locked within Agoda. As one of Thailand’s biggest tech employers, we felt a responsibility to support our community—and what better way to do that than by empowering the next generation of tech innovators? That’s when we created Agoda Tech Camp Day.

This project started as a collaboration between our Sustainability and Tech teams. Our goal was to inspire students—especially those from institutions that may not have as much exposure to tech — by introducing them to real-world applications of technology. Through hands-on workshops, expert-led talks, and fun office tours, we aim to give students a taste of the exciting career paths in tech.

“As a leading tech company and online travel platform, we see it as our duty to invest this knowledge and know-how back into society so that the leaders of tomorrow have the right skills and foundation to succeed,” explains Omri Morgenshtern, Agoda’s CEO.

How Tech Camp Day has evolved

We started small, with just over 50 students from one high school. But thanks to the great feedback from students and teachers, partnerships with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation (MHESI), and support from our senior leadership—especially our CTO, Idan Zalzberg—we’ve grown the program steadily.

We believe that what we give now will come full circle in the future as these students become tech leaders themselves, helping Thailand become the Silicon Valley of Southeast Asia. Tech Camp Day is our way of investing in that future, one student at a time.

“Tech Camp Day reflects Agoda’s core values, encouraging team members to ‘Do things the right way’ by sharing their knowledge and practicing ‘Be a scientist’ as they refine their teaching approach through participant feedback. By mentoring the next generation, we ‘Take ownership and make a difference’ in our local community,” explains Mateusz Matlengiewicz, Development Manager, who has helped plan several editions of the event.

Designing the Workshops for Tech Camp Day

“We start by brainstorming ideas and evaluating each one how relatable the topic is to the students, its “wow” factor, ease of understanding, and whether it fits within the time constraints,” shares Patipan Dujtipiya, Lead Software Engineer.

“The most important aspect is what the students will build during the session. It’s crucial that the project be something they can take home and continue working on or easily recreate using the knowledge they’ve gained. The challenge is to strike a balance—it shouldn’t be so easy that it’s boring, nor too difficult for the students to follow.

We make sure not to overload the students with information. This means short talks or lectures, followed by an activity to reinforce what they’ve just learned. From there, creativity and storytelling take the lead. There’s always more content than time allows, so we prioritize what’s most important to cover.

Lastly, we aim to keep the tools simple or even invisible to the participants. If the tools are too complicated, we risk spending too much time on setup rather than the actual learning experience.”

Volume 1: May 2023 – Starting Strong

Our first event took place on a sunny day in May 2023, in partnership with the BMA and Saturday School Foundation. We invited 60 Na Luang High School students to join us at our office, where Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt was also there to cheer the students on. “Educating the next generation to learn and adapt to technologies is one of our major goals to improve the vibrant city of Bangkok. This initiative can help us foster a digital mindset for Thai students from an early stage,” he shared.

Our brilliant Thai engineers led the way, sharing their expertise and developing a unique curriculum to teach students how to create websites using React-Bootstrap. Later, the students got to tour our office and see what it’s like to work in an international tech team—a definite highlight!

Volume 2: November 2023 – Going Bigger

After the success of our first session, we knew we had to go even bigger. And that’s precisely what we did in November 2023! We welcomed over 1,000 students from nine Bangkok schools for our second Tech Camp Day, making it one of the largest tech gatherings for high schoolers in the city to date.

The students dove into workshops that covered everything from web development and UX/UI design to artificial intelligence. But it wasn’t just about technical skills—students also got to hear from some amazing guest speakers. We held two career talks featuring big names like content creator and gamecaster Toffie is IT Support, Viabus CEO Intouch Marsvongpragorn, Silicon Valley software developer Phoomparin Mano, and some of our very own Tech Agodans. They shared stories about their education and career paths, encouraging the next wave of techies to dream big and explore.

Volumes 3 & 4: March and June 2024 – Welcoming University Students

In March 2024, we took Agoda Tech Camp Day to the next level and opened the event to university students for the first time. Partnering with the MHESI and the Prime Minister’s Office, we hosted 150 students from 17 universities across Bangkok.

This session introduced more advanced topics, like developing everyday applications using LINE Chatbot, which was a big hit with the students. Later, they got to network with our Tech team and tour the office, gaining a behind-the-scenes peek at life at Agoda.

Building on the success of this event, we hosted a second round in June. This event welcomed another 150 students from five universities for a day of tech exploration and learning.

Volume 5: September 2024 – Taking Tech Camp Day outside of Bangkok

Continuing our partnership with MHESI, we hosted the fifth volume of Agoda Tech Camp Day in Chiang Mai. This marked our first event outside of Bangkok! Despite extreme weather in the region, we flew in over 40 members of our Tech Team and welcomed 320 students from five universities across Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Lampang.

Students learned how to develop everyday applications using LINE Chatbot and joined interactive sessions to get to know Agoda and our Tech Team. It was our first time conducting sessions in both English and Thai and hosting international students! This event was a huge milestone for expanding our reach geographically and creating a more inclusive, bilingual experience.

Volume 6: November 2024 – Continuing to grow beyond Bangkok

We hosted the sixth edition of Agoda Tech Camp Day at Panyapiwat Institute of Management in Nonthaburi – welcoming more than 375 students, reaching a milestone of over 2,000 students across all editions, and introducing a fresh workshop curriculum on using AI as a learning companion!

But that’s not all – this edition also marked the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), solidifying our commitment to inspiring and empowering Thailand’s future tech leaders.

Moving forward

At its heart, Tech Camp Day is more than just a series of workshops. It’s about sparking curiosity, building confidence, and showing students they can be the next innovators, creators, and tech pioneers. Watch this space for more to come!

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