We were so nervous before and now? Just happened! But it was nice.
One day full of interesting, helpful and necessary sessions. Here and there something to smile and thanks to the „Holländer“ also plenty to laugh… Not only the oranje neighbours and Belgian found the way to cologne, also people from Finland and the Ukraine, Austria, Poland and Serbia took the long way and became part of a really successful event. Even the USA, Canada and the UK were represented. Only the guy from India got lost… :( So the CiviCon NW Europe became a really international happening and were much swinging than we thought.
The keynote from Ansgar Holtmann from viva con agua gave us an easy entrance to the conference and so we were able to dive in to the different sessions easily. The widely program with sessions for every state of knowledge were filled up with something for everybody. So were as well users and implementers as developers well entertained and could talk shop together or discuss. Also for simple questions or helpful explanations were enough time in the sessions. The two lightning talks with scoops and worth knowing in minute cycle made the conference round.
The charm of the Alte Feuerwache had measurably hand in the way the participants and also the presenter arrived and became familiar with the location. So quickly the motley crew became convivial gathering and the developer could move into there snugger under the roof. By the way the PunkRockFactor of the Alte Feuerwache not only took place at the wall painting. Also the internet-connection were really PunkRock and more than idiosyncratic! (At the next CiviCon – which we will organize – it will be better. For sure!) Also in the preparation we had a premonition that the location would be more wild than structured, but that is maybe the reason we booked that place?!?
In the same way PunkRock were the wather: fist sun, than cloudburst with storm and than sunshine again. Luckily for us – so it were cold enouhgt to wear the blue CiviCon Cologne hoodies! Also as a battle with the orange CiviCoop jackets… ;)
Litres of coffee brought us through the day and so the Kölsch in the setting sun became a thankful refreshment! The small cask were not emptied at the end of the evening and so they took it to Kall in the Eifel to the sprint. How many empty cask the had there we probably never know…
Thereby not only take impressions, businesscards and too many new idears home or to the office, we offered at the end of the conference a memento: the mysterious cube, which at once or the other will get a sunny place. Which one the master of the magic cube will be, we will see in October in London! It stays suspenseful.
So, thank you all for the nice day in cologne!
SYSTOPIA
