Umbraco US Festival 2024: A Recap

Another one in the books! After 5 long years, the Umbraco US Festival finally returned to Chicago October 3-4, 2024 at mHub in Chicago, and what an event it was. The festival provided developers, marketers, and digital strategists from across the globe a collaborative environment that encouraged learning, networking, and the exchange of ideas on the future of Umbraco content management and web development. 

Key Themes and Insights

1. Evolution of Headless CMS

One of the most discussed topics at this year's festival was the rise and continued evolution of headless CMS architecture. This approach decouples the back-end management of content from the front-end presentation layer, allowing for a more flexible and dynamic experience across various devices and platforms. 

Speakers highlighted the advantages of headless CMS in scaling complex content ecosystems and delivering personalized digital experiences. For many organizations, headless CMS represents the future of digital strategy, as it has the ability to offer more freedom in terms of integrations and scalability.

2. Enhanced Workflow Automation

Automation has become a crucial aspect of web development, and the festival emphasized the importance of integrating automation tools within Umbraco’s ecosystem. By automating repetitive tasks, organizations can streamline content production, reduce human error, and improve efficiency. 

Several sessions showcased how Umbraco’s integrations with third-party tools and scalability are helping businesses build more responsive and efficient workflows. These solutions are increasingly important for digital teams managing large-scale web projects, as they allow developers and content creators to focus on higher-level strategy rather than mundane tasks.

3. Personalization in Content Strategy

The importance of personalized content was a recurring theme throughout the festival. In a world where digital users expect relevant and tailored experiences, the ability to deliver personalized content is critical for engagement and conversion. Presenters shared strategies for using data analytics and behavioral insights to craft personalized experiences in Umbraco, including using its flexible data structures and APIs to deliver content based on user preferences and behaviors. 

Perhaps one of the most exciting announcements was the rebranding of the recently acquired marketing technology, uMarketingSuite, to Umbraco Engage - the latest addition in the rapidly growing Umbraco toolkit. Umbraco Engage will bring a full suite of marketing tools to the Umbraco CMS, giving users the ability to personalize content, test content variations, view analytics directly from the CMS (including heatmaps), and create marketing segments. 

Hands-On Workshops

The festival also featured several hands-on workshops, where developers and content creators of varying levels could directly engage with expert instructors demonstrating the latest features of Umbraco. The festival is meant to tailor to all different skill levels, so workshops such as these provide valuable hands-on experience and real-world applications. 

Instructors first led participants through the essentials of building in Umbraco, from setting up a first project to customizing and extending its functionality. Then, the instructor (our very own Umbraco Master Alex Vilmur) showed more experienced developers how to successfully develop packages in the latest version of Umbraco. 

Community and Networking

The Umbraco community is one of the most incredible tech communities in the world. Everyone is friendly, open, collaborative, and inclusive, ready to help developers and marketers of all skill levels solve problems and get the most out of the CMS. 

Attendees frequently mentioned the open, collaborative atmosphere as one of the highlights of the event. The festival gave participants a platform to exchange ideas, share experiences, and connect with others working on similar projects. Networking opportunities, such as the delightful welcome event at District Brew Yards, allowed attendees to discuss their challenges and successes in using Umbraco, building a stronger sense of community and even some friendships along the way. 

We also got our first glimpse at the new Umbraco US Festival mascot, the loveable Gnarly the Narwhal (a close cousin to the famous Umbraco unicorn.) 

Final Thoughts

The Umbraco US Festival 2024 showcased the strength of the Umbraco community and highlighted the platform’s continued growth and adaptability. From headless CMS discussions to workshops on automation and personalization, the event equipped attendees with new knowledge and tools to transform Umbraco into something amazing. 

Umbraco US Festival is truly a festival. It is a gathering of some of the best minds in Umbraco and the best place for users of all types and experience levels to learn more about Umbraco. But it’s more than a conference. It’s fun, it’s collaborative, and it’s friendly. It’s the Umbraco team flying over from Denmark to meet and speak directly to agencies and Umbraco enthusiasts. It’s socializing while winning crazy raffle prizes. It’s having Umbraco leadership serving drinks behind the bar to festival attendees. It’s funny stories and shared experiences. 

If you’ve never been to an Umbraco event, I encourage you to consider it. Some of the best personal and professional memories I’ve made are at Umbraco events, and I’m looking forward to many more to come.