In June 2026, users from around the UK met for CiviBRM, a user focussed event in Birmingham.
The programme was deliberately expansive, reflecting the many different ways people use CiviCRM. We heard from organisations running advice services, campaigning and fundraising, managing events, supporting volunteers and building community savings clubs.
There were practical sessions on everything from QR codes and FormBuilder Payments to GDPR and email deliverability, alongside case studies showing how organisations are using CiviCRM to tackle real-world problems.
Our lightning talks gave speakers just five minutes to share an idea, feature or project, while the afternoon campfire chat gave us the chance to explore the question of whether AI can be a force for good - and play some bingo too!
In amongst all that there was plenty of time for coffee, lunch and conversations. In fact, the networking breaks were among the parts of the day that attendees told us they valued most.
Now the dust has settled it feels appropriate to reflect on the event and share some learning points based on the feedback from attendees. While it's always nice to hear that people enjoyed themselves, our aim in collecting feedback wasn't simply to measure satisfaction. We wanted to understand what worked well, what could have worked better, so we can share some lessons with the community and any future organisers of user-focused CiviCRM events.
The good news is that the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. But perhaps more importantly, it highlighted some clear themes about what people value most from events like this…
What worked well
- Community and networking
- User-led stories and case studies
- Practical takeaways
- Friendly atmosphere
- Venue and organisation
What we'd do differently next time
- Slightly fewer sessions, or else more variety in length and format
- More time for discussion and Q&A
- Better balance of beginner and advanced content
- More structured peer-to-peer collaboration
We had everyone from beginners to experts
One thing that became clear throughout the day was the huge range of experience in the room. For some attendees, this was their first CiviCRM community event. Others were returning to get further stuck in to what the community has to offer.
Users travelled from all around the UK for the event and connections crossing regional borders flourished at the opportunity to meet and share experiences.
We had a busy programme of talks ranging from demonstrating extensions, sharing learning from development workflows and creating advanced functionality for unique use-cases.
Most people enjoyed that mix, but some newer users told us they'd appreciate a little more introductory content alongside the advanced topics. Finding the right balance is always tricky, but it's definitely something to keep in mind for future events. An idea we'd be interested in exploring is to host a pre-conference introduction to CiviCRM for absolute beginners, to make the main event that bit more accessible.
If you’re looking to relive the day from the comfort of your desk, you can recap the talks and activity on LinkedIn using #CiviBRM.
When is enough, enough?
A theme that came through several times in the event feedback was a desire for even more opportunities to share experiences directly with one another.
For a community event, that's probably one of the nicest pieces of feedback we could receive. People didn't just want to listen, they were inspired to be active participants and take action there and then.
Suggestions included things like user clinics; roundtable discussions; sector-specific huddles; collaboration through problem-solving workshops and space to lay the foundations for collaborating after the event.
The little details that go a long way…
The venue, food, organisation, communication, accessibility and general atmosphere all received consistently positive feedback. We're particularly pleased that so many people described the event as friendly, welcoming and inclusive.
Those things don't happen by accident, and they make a huge difference to how people experience a conference like this.
The behind the scenes detail
In the spirit of transparency, we wanted to share a simple breakdown of the event finances. The combination of inkind support from Red Hot Irons and Third Sector Design as organisers and generous speakers volunteering their time; boosted by sponsorship from Circle Interactive and a healthy number of tickets sold for the event the income total was £6,766.40 which led to a surplus of £2,215.40.
| Income | Delegate registrations | £5,566.40 |
| Sponsorship | £1,200 | |
| Expenditure | Venue, catering and event facilities | £4,551 |
| Surplus | £2,215.40 |
As a community-run event, any surplus isn't taken as profit. Instead, it will be reinvested back to the CiviCRM core team to support continued improvements in CiviCRM, future events, community activities and initiatives that benefit users and contributors alike.
One big takeaway message
The strongest message throughout the feedback is that people value hearing from other users just as much as hearing about the software itself. The event succeeded because it brought together CiviCRM users that were willing to share challenges, solutions and ideas in an open and supportive environment. That's probably the key lesson worth capturing for whoever organises a user-focused event in the future.
The talks matter. The demos matter. The tech matters. But the biggest value came from bringing together people who are solving similar problems, asking similar questions, and finding better ways to use CiviCRM.
That's something we'd definitely build on in the future, perhaps with more structured networking for organisations working towards shared goals or in common fields of interest.
Thanks again to everyone who helped make the day such a success.
