This blog is the first of a series of four blogs describing how I lived KubeCon Europe 2023 from different perspectives.

The first one, which was voted on Twitter, is about the Community point of view. So without further due, let's relive KubeCon Europe 2023 through the Community eye.

Generally speaking, I would say it's everyone, known or unknown, we all have a part in this Community. However, this year, due to the lack of a "real" KubeCon party, we might have created sub-communities where the ones "who know who" could have potentially a better experience, specially with the after parties.

It's definitively not a criticism, just stating a fact. And I'm also not mentioning the dinners with friends, but real parties hosted by different companies in several places around Amsterdam were definitively the place to be.

Yes, in the past these parties would also happen, however everyone was invited to the KubeCon party, which was hosted outside the venue and where everyone assembled. Sometimes we would get to meet someone that as a certain impact on our personal/professional lives and which we might not have approached during the venue for different reasons.

The booth crawl on the first day was great, however some (most?) attendees main purpose was to get the exclusive swag or discuss with the vendors. Therefore the community engagement might have been a bit off.

While the point above might seem as a big thing, I truly think it's not affecting our experience of being part of this wonderful community.

First, the vendor's booths are a golden mine for interactions and knowledge. Yes they might scan your badge, you'll get the emails, however when well used you might find similar thinking persons and even interact with them in a more longer term.

Another point is to talk and listen about the persons running the projects or trying to get into Cloud Native. You'll be surprised how much the human side of a technology can teach you so many lessons about yourself and seeing "you're not alone". That's what the community is all about, human beings.

This section is now more personal and for you to understand let me just explain what I love about the in-person events separated in different layers.

Since few years, I have an objective to meet someone new (normally just one person), that I might not know anything about and yet, this person will "shake my world".

The first time it happened, was in a small event in Switzerland which few "Microsoft stars" where attending and I wanted absolutely be able to say hi. One of them was Paige and when I finally met her, she introduced me to the late Abel 😢. I didn't knew Abel, but saying hi to him led me to see his talk and here was a total Rockstar! Even speaking a little about WSL (back in the day it was not so common), and I really thought to myself at that moment: am I missing on other incredible persons such as Abel?

So since then, I made the vow with myself to talk with someone totally new during the in-person events.

Fast forward, this year was the first that I met not only one but few that "hit me" with their kindness and incredible personalities. Every time I spoke a bit more in length with them, I found myself just lucky to be in that discussion.

Another aspect of the community is to finally meet persons that we "know" from Internet (read: Twitter in my case), and be able to say hi. Again, this year I had so much luck that I could finally meet several of them and even have lunch and be able to discuss about non-technology related topics. Knowing them, like real friends.

This is normally the foundation of a more closed collaboration as we have now a common story and can relate in a more personal way.

Finally, while meeting new persons is always a good thing, I never forget where I come from and who helped me during my journey. That's why I'm always a bit "stalker" towards the persons I already know and want to say hi to them.

This is a very impactful and emotional time for me, as I can still say thank you for what they mean to me. Even if it's just the time for a photo, a hug, I do remember them and they remember me. That's the connection we get in this community that transcends all technologies, at least for me.

While this might seem as short blog post, this year's KubeCon EU had a real impact on me. Yes it was by far not perfect, and I didn't saw everyone I wanted, however the good moments, talks, lunches I had with so many persons really kept motivating me to be part of this incredible community.

And I don't say this lightly as not so many years ago, I would roam the event and go to sessions by myself and feeling quite alone. But that's a story for another day.

I hope you could somehow relate to this point of view and hopefully, see you at the next KubeCon EU.