If I have to choose a defining moment of the InfoQ Dev Summit, I would pick a failure.

We were trying to find a gracious way to put an end to “Birds of a Feather”, the after-hours unconference and peer discussions, and failing. The last talks of the day were long gone. There were no more drinks around. The attendees were still standing in circles, and all the discussions were going strong. There were no speakers, attendees, or volunteers at that point. Just practitioners comparing their experiences and learning from each other.

A for once uneventful train ride (thank you Deutsche Bahn) back to Berlin gave me a few hours to rewind the last days in Munich. My second conference as a chair. Best conference ever? Statistically unlikely. Some mistakes? Absolutely. But many lessons and ideas to ponder in the following weeks and months.

I might make some changes in the near future and be pondering some extra time off. However, what I learned and discovered last week, along with conversations with some attendees and speakers, will help me make my future choices simpler. As much as I am (and I will always be) a remote-first practitioner, that is what an in-person conference is all about.

A big thank you to all the volunteers, the attendees, and the speakers from the InfoQ Dev Summit. Thank you InfoQ for trusting me as the chair.