Ploneconf 2023, 2-6 October in Eibar

Our favourite soundbite was when he explained SA loadshedding to the international audience in his lightning talk. In this month’s newsletter we’ll focus on his feedback from the conference. 

But lets rather let Karel tell us about it:

I absolutely love going to Ploneconf. Not only is it a wonderful way to see a different country every year (as the worldwide Plone community takes turns hosting), but it reminds me why we as Juizi have decided to actively be part of this community, and why we believe in, and rely on, the power of Plone to keep your websites secure, powerful and cutting edge.

From Johannesburg it was two planes, a quick 2 day layover weekend in Bilbao and a train ride to get to Eibar on Sunday afternoon 1 October 2023. (Ask me about how the passengers on the train helped me - in very loud Spanish - get out at the right stop.)

The format of the conference was pretty much like every year.

The conference was prefaced (like every year) with 2 training days. As much as I think I know about Plone, there’s invariably more to learn. Real examples of work done and industry leaders presenting training sessions are wonderful ways to expand my skill set.

The first talk of the conference is always about the current state of Plone. We’re shown what is planned and where we are. Plone is keeping up with (and in my mind, surpassing) what most CMS's are doing. There is a big focus on longevity. All this, as well as a healthy Plone community, means reliability for us and for you, our clients.

What followed was three days of wonderful, eye opening and engrossing talks about project implementations, lessons learned through client interactions, as well as wonderful keynotes by some incredibly smart presenters.

There was also great socializing and networking within the community, as well as sightseeing and the opportunity to absorb some local culture. Basque Country is amazing, the people are friendly (thank you Google Translate), and its history and culture wonderful and interesting.

My main talk (on the very last day, after lunch - what a timeslot!) focused on Plone Editors - the ones making the content changes to their own websites and how they should be included more in the Plone community. You know who you are, some of you were even mentioned in the talk.

How about joining next year's conference? It's going to be in Brasília in November 2024 and I can't wait. I've already started looking at the direct flights from South Africa to Brazil that recently became available again.