didiViking

Posted on Jul 19 • Originally published at Medium on Nov 21, 2025

How I Made the Most of KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Atlanta 2025 and How You Can Maximize Your Network…

#inclusion #cloudnative #community #opensource

How I Made the Most of KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Atlanta 2025 and How You Can Maximize Your Network Too

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Atlanta was a special one for me — both professionally and personally. As a Developer Advocate for VictoriaMetrics, I came in with clear goals to my first ever KubeCon: to share the work we’ve been doing around Observability, to connect with Cloud Native contributors and community members, to support the emerging ecosystem around open-source telemetry, and to push myself outside my comfort zone by meeting new people from underrepresented groups in tech, joining deeper conversations and showing up more intentionally.

This year, I focused heavily on networking with purpose. I met maintainers I deeply admire, exchanged ideas with other advocates and engineers, recorded notes and ideas for upcoming content, and spent time in both the contributor areas and the sponsor booths to understand where the ecosystem is heading. I also used every break to recharge, regroup, and reflect on how these interactions tie into my broader goals — strengthening my advocacy work, preparing for future talks, and building long-term collaborations.

I celebrated my own work and last months involvement and understood how important community’s support and feedback really is. Thank you, CNCF community!

OpenTelemetry CNCF project has given me true support and I’m happy to celebrate this year’s Community Award

Here’s what I learned — and how you can maximize your network at any future KubeCon.

1. Engage With People and Projects Outside Your Comfort Zone

One of my biggest intentions this year was to push myself beyond my usual orbit: inclusivity, platform engineering, emerging trends in AI.

When you explore outside your comfort zone, chance encounters turn into real opportunities — collaborations, content ideas, or friendships that expand your thinking.

2. Attend Inclusivity Panels and Community Conversations

The Inclusion and Accessibility events at KubeCon is one of the most important spaces we have as a community. I made a point to attend inclusivity sessions — not just as a listener, but as someone committed to helping build a healthier, more accessible ecosystem.

Merge-Forward is a CNCF initiative supporting underrepresented groups in tech

These panels are rich with insight and connection. You meet people who are shaping culture, not just infrastructure.

3. Explore the Kiosk Pavilion for New CNCF Projects

The Kiosk Pavilion is where you discover the future before it becomes the present. I spent time meeting maintainers of early-stage CNCF projects, learning how they started, what they’re solving, and what help they need.

If you want to spot the next big thing early, this is where you go.

4. Visit Sponsor Booths and Ask Real Questions

Instead of going for swag, I focused on asking:

What’s genuinely new in your roadmap?
What challenges are your customers experiencing right now?
Where do you see the biggest trends heading in the next 12 months?
What are startups focusing on?

This opened the door to deeper, more honest conversations that helped me understand the direction of the ecosystem — especially around telemetry pipelines, AI-in-ops, and emerging data standards.

5. Take Time to Recharge and Reflect on Your Career Goals

KubeCon is intense. With speaking prep, meetings, hallway tracks, and booth conversations, podcast live streaming, you can burn out fast.

I made sure to step away regularly — grabbing fresh air, sitting in a quiet corner, or journaling quick notes about:

new ideas for tutorials
potential partners for upcoming advocacy content
improvements for my next talk
people I want to collaborate with

Networking works best when you reconnect with yourself too.

6. Interact With Local People and Enjoy Atlanta

Some of the most interesting conversations I had were outside the venue — at cafés, restaurants, and small community meet-ups around the city. Local people often bring fresh perspectives, stories, and warmth that ground the whole experience.

Atlanta Aquarium

Plus, stepping into the city helps you decompress and talk like humans, not just conference attendees.

7. Network Outside the Event: Slack, Dinners, Walks, Community Meetups

Once the expo hall closes, the real, relaxed networking begins.

I joined community dinners, informal gatherings, evening meetups, and kept conversations flowing in CNCF Slack.

These low-pressure environments often turn into the strongest connections — the kind that lead to joint content, cross-project collaboration, or future CFP ideas.

World of Coca-Cola

8. Meet Your Favorite Maintainers and Contributors (and Take Photos!)

One of my personal goals this KubeCon was to meet contributors, maintainers, and advocates I admire — especially in the observability space.

Taking pictures with them wasn’t about fan moments; it was about honoring the people who inspire my work, capturing memories, and adding authenticity to my post-event recap content.

Book signing of author Aurelie Vache: a truly inspiring woman in tech

If you admire someone’s work, don’t be shy. Say hi. Thank them. Ask one thoughtful question.

9. Learn What’s New and Observe the Trends

As someone deeply involved in telemetry and observability, I paid special attention to:

how companies are adapting to the AI wave
emerging patterns in metrics pipelines
new approaches to cost-efficient observability
cross-project collaboration opportunities

KubeCon is a live snapshot of the future. Use it to plan your next steps intentionally.

10. Follow Up Immediately After the Event

This is the part people skip the most — and it’s the most powerful.

Right after the event, I sent follow-ups to new connections, linked up on Slack and LinkedIn, and shared content ideas or resources tied to our conversations.

You can do the same:

Write a blog post
Record a short recap video
Publish a podcast
Share your notes on GitHub
Tag people you met, credit their work

Your network grows exponentially when you follow up with intention.

Final Thoughts: KubeCon Is What You Make It

KubeCon Atlanta reminded me of something important:

Networking isn’t about collecting contacts. It’s about building meaningful, lasting relationships. Be curious. Be courageous. Be open. And above all, be intentional — both with others and with yourself.

Resources: