ConfConf: when Conference Organizers Unite

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of attending ConfConf (aka Conf²) in Sofia, Bulgaria, a unique unconference made by and for open source conference organizers. Invited by our friend Gerry from FOSDEM, we were proud to represent the Schrödinger Hat organization and join a passionate community dedicated to building better FOSS events around the world.

A banner displaying the title "Conf Conf 2025 - Conference for Conference Organisers" and on the bottom "Sponsored by: FOSDEM and Grafana Labs"

Global Community, Shared Passion

From the moment we stepped in, the energy was contagious. We were surrounded by fellow organizers from projects and events we deeply admire: FOSSASIA, FOSS North, FOSS India, FOSS For All, JDLL, BalCCon, and of course, FOSDEM, the backbone of many of our own inspirations.

It’s rare to find a space where everyone speaks your language - not just in terms of open source, but the very specific joys and headaches of putting on a conference. From venue issues to speaker wrangling, from community building to burnout prevention, we were among peers who truly get it.

A man standing in front of a screen with a microphone at his hand. The screen mentions the intentions of the ConfConf

Open Discussions, Honest Sharing

As an unconference, the format encouraged spontaneous yet deep conversations. Some highlights from our discussions included:

How to sustainably fund open source events without compromising values
Which FOSS tools organizers actually rely on (and where they fall short)
Ways to collaborate across events, share resources, and amplify each other’s efforts
Mental health, inclusivity, hybrid formats, speaker support, community governance… the list goes on!

These weren’t just “panels” they were practical, transparent exchanges filled with real experiences, tough questions, and mutual support.

We also shared our point of view and experiences talking about how we manage our community, our events, our tools and open source projects based on our needs such us the osday website, the gamification app, the certo project to deliver digital certificates and so on.

A large Orthodox cathedral with distinctive Byzantine architecture photographed at night in Bulgaria, featuring a central golden dome and bell tower with green copper roofing. The cream-colored stone building is illuminated by exterior lighting against a dark sky. Multiple cars are parked in front of the cathedral on a cobblestone plaza or square.

What’s Next?

ConfConf left us energized, full of new ideas, and more connected than ever. We’re planning to:

Integrate some of the new tools and workflows we discovered
Reach out to a few of the conferences we met to explore cross-collaborations
Start drafting some public documentation on best practices for organizing FOSS events
Share what we’ve learned with our own community

And yes, we’d love to help grow the ConfConf concept. There’s so much potential to turn this into a recurring global gathering of organizers. If you're part of an open source event (or want to start one!)keep an eye out, you might be part of the next edition.

Huge thanks again to Gerry and the FOSDEM team for the invite and all the folks who made this weekend unforgettable. This was more than a conference, it was a reminder that behind every great event is a community of people who care deeply, share generously, and build the future of open source, one gathering at a time.

See you at the next ConfConf!

The Schrödinger Hat Team