BeMyApp weekends (@bemyapp) took London’s tech community by storm in 2011 and the movement is set to get even bigger in 2012. It’s easy to see why mobile hackathons like BeMyApp are so popular—hackathons present an exciting platform for developers, designers, marketers and app idea generators to meet up and work on collaborative app projects. Participants come together to work on an idea over a weekend with the aim of having an at least part-working prototype in 48 hours.

BeMyApp Weekends take place not only in London but also in other major tech hubs around the world. Participants known as ‘idea generators’ pitch ideas for creative mobile app projects and these are shared with a group of developers, designers and marketers who then push the limits of their talent and expertise by turning the best concepts into reality between Friday and Sunday night.

Whilst app idea generators and developers and designers are essential to any team, there are plenty of other roles for those wishing to get involved. Marketers and other ‘super powers’ folks such as artists also make the weekend go with a bang. During the “speed dating” element of the event, the super powers folks and developers chat with the idea shakers who’ve been preselected as having the best pitches and choose which team to join.

During the 48-hour project development stage, each team is visited by mentors who help with brainstorming ideas and therefore encouraging each team in pushing the boundaries of creativity. After the app prototypes have been created, each one is presented by its team to a panel of esteemed Jury members.  As well as each team receiving invaluable feedback from the panel, these Judges award prizes to their favourite app.  The prizes, fitting with the event, are all aimed at helping the winning team launch their app idea into a real, revenue-generating product.

So what do the kind of people who participate in BeMyApp weekends get out of the event?

Developers

• They get to meet other developers and work as part of a team
• The chance to learn loads from their mentors and be inspired by them
• Motivation to get more involved in their city’s tech scene
• Building life-long connections with people who share their talents and passions

Designers 

• The chance to build on their mobile interface design experience or try it out for the first time
• Enhancing their portfolio with a new mobile app
• Opportunity to challenge themselves by competing with the best
• Discovering new job opportunities

Idea Generators 

• They learn more about app development
• Meet the people who can help their concepts come to life
• Inspired by their team to fulfil their full potential for creativity and innovation
• Make new contacts that will benefit their tech career in the long-term

Super Powers (Marketers, artists etc…) 

• Opportunity to develop their skills within a tech context
• Making contacts within the tech world
• Finding out if a career in tech is for them
• Learning about mobile app development

As good as mobile hackathons sound in theory, the proof, as they say, is in the pudding so what successful mobile apps have actually come out of previous BeMyApp weekends across the globe?

• Wood of Startup  @woodofstartup  The website to form your team for web and mobile startup projects.
• TapThat @TapThat  Allows you to get your tap on in style by knocking your Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled phone against another.
• Jester Chess @JesterChess  The Android app where chess meets Sudoku.

These are just a few of the many projects that prove BeMyApp to be a great launch pad for the innovative mobile apps and tech initiatives of tomorrow.

Regardless of who you are, if you have any interest in mobile apps, programming or tech, seeing a product come to life in this way is something you’ll never forget. And if you’re on the winning team, you also get to see your app promoted on the app market. But whether you’re a winner on the day or not, it’s guaranteed you’ll take away some new contacts and experiences that will enhance your career no matter what stage it’s at.

The next BeMyApp Weekend in London will be on February 24-26, 2012 – Get involved!