ConfConf 2025 Proceedings

Overview

ConfConf 2025 happened in Sofia, Bulgaria on July 6-7, 2025. We brought together organizers from 23 organizations to share their experiences and learn from each other about running FOSS conferences.

The unconference format really worked. People organized their own sessions, we did a lot of brainstorming, and there was plenty of time for conversations between talks. We talked about how to build community at events, managing teams, picking speakers, dealing with infrastructure, and getting people to participate spontaneously.

Sessions

• Brainstorming - Open ideation on conference organizing topics
• Software & Infrastructure - Tools and platforms used by FOSS conferences
• Creating a Family-Friendly Vibe - Building community and inclusion
• Funding - Conference budgets and sponsorship strategies
• Code of Conduct - Policies for safe and inclusive events
• Video & Streaming - Recording and broadcasting conference content
• Volunteering - Organizing and managing volunteers
• CFP Review Process - Selecting speakers and sessions
• Measuring Impact - Tracking conference effectiveness
• Conference 101 - Fundamentals for new organizers
• Documentation for New People - Onboarding and knowledge transfer
• Spontaneous Sessions & Lightning Talks - Unconference-style participation
• Funding (Continued) - Further discussion on sustainability

What worked

Format: The unconference approach let things happen naturally. Short sessions worked better than long ones.

Diversity: We had people from different parts of the world, which was great. We should reach out more to regions we didn’t hear from this time.

Community: Breaks between talks matter a lot. People bonding at dinners or before the event helped too.

Location: Sofia worked out well. For the next one, a different location would help bring in new organizations and communities.

Participating organizations

• BalCCon
• C3NOC
• Cloud Native Days
• Cloud Native Prague
• Cloud Nativos
• COSCUP
• DebConf
• DENOG
• Eventinfra
• FOSS for All
• FOSS United
• FOSSASIA
• FOSDEM
• Foss-north
• GrafanaCon
• IT Tour
• JdLL - Journées du Logiciel Libre (Lyon)
• KCD (Kubernetes Community Days)
• OpenFest
• Open Source Day Florence
• PromCon
• Schrödinger Hat
• SIGPLAN-AV

Organization and funding

ConfConf 2025 was organized by Gerry Demaret, Pieter De Praetere, Richard Hartmann and Vasil Kolev, and was funded by FOSDEM and Grafana Labs.