DebConf15/FinalReport/WelcomeMessage
DebConf15 was an amazing conference.
In the numbers it will stay in history (at least for some years) as the biggest DebConf, surpassing DebConf7 in Edinburgh which had 399 attendees.
But DebConf is not about numbers, it's about the people. DebConf15 brought together hundreds of seasoned developers as well as plenty of new contributors, allowing them to discuss, fix bugs, learn from each other and work together towards improving Debian.
DebConf15 was a long conference: one week of hacking followed by one week of presentations, meetings, workshops, and more. Still, this was not enough. There were always so many people to talk to, so many interesting events to attend, so many things going on all at the same time. It seemed like days went by at double speed.
The venue that we chose for DebConf15 was the ideal place for the kind of conference that we want: the conference rooms, the hacklabs and the sleeping rooms all in the same building, including plenty of smaller meeting rooms where the different teams that take part of DebConf could meet and discuss or hack together. The only limitation was the size: we had planned for 350 people not 550. However, with a little imagination and collaboration, we were able to create some new spaces, and make it possible for everyone to enjoy DebConf properly.
Heidelberg, was very well suited for hosting us: a big enough city that allowed options for eating out, buying a forgotten item in the supermarket, or having a leisurely afternoon walk in the historical center, without the busy craziness of a large metropolis. We were tactically not in the city center, which allowed us to keep a certain distance from the typical urban routine and focus our energies on making the most out of the conference.
Behind every great DebConf there's a great team of people working to make it possible. The volunteers that made DebConf15 possible worked for over a year in preparing for the conference, making sure that no detail was forgotten, and that things were ready on time. The end result was fantastic.
As said, an amazing conference. Thanks to everyone who made it possible, attendees included!
