2025 – The Year we Redefined our Dev Conferences

Looking back on 2025, we see just how much this year asked of us. In a rapidly shifting technology landscape, we faced real challenges, tough decisions, long nights, and moments when things didn’t come together on the first attempt.

Still, we kept moving forward.

That’s why we want to say thank you.
Thank you for your trust.
For your patience.
For every moment you chose to continue this journey with us.

Together, we turned a demanding year into one defined by meaningful tech discussions, deep learning, and genuine connection.

Through our tech conferences, we set out to do more and have a real impact for our attendees, partners, speakers and our team. We aimed to create environments where the developer community could grow, connect, and shape the future of technology together. Each conference became a meeting point between curious minds and forward-thinking companies, offering fresh perspectives, practical knowledge, and inspiration.

Over the course of the year, those intentions turned into measurable impact. Across all our dev events, we reached milestones that reflected the scale of our community. New voices took the stage, new partnerships raised the bar for what a tech conference can be, and new initiatives brought industry professionals closer than ever.

The numbers tell part of the story. More than 14,500 IT professionals and tech enthusiasts joined us throughout the year, developers, engineers, leaders, and newcomers alike, each contributing to a vibrant, diverse exchange of ideas.

Since June, 275+ local and international speakers shared their expertise across 24 dedicated stages, covering multiple areas of IT, from emerging technologies to proven practices. For those seeking deeper understanding, 23 hands-on masterclasses delivered focused, practical learning designed to translate directly into real-world impact.

Behind every conversation stood a strong network of support. 150+ leading companies and experience partners joined us, not just as sponsors, but as active contributors, engaging with the community, sharing insights, and helping drive meaningful progress across the tech ecosystem.

Here’s what happened at each dev event of the year, starting with DevTalks in the summer, then focusing on the autumn events – DevTalks Cluj-Napoca, DevCon, and Empower Tech, and finishing the year with our DevAfterWork meet-ups.

Having taken place on June 4^th-5^th, we got together 7.500 software developers, engineers, C-level professionals, programmers for the 12^th edition of DevTalks Romania. They filled every corner of the venue, starting discussions with our 80+ partners at their booths and learning from 150 international and local experts on the stages.

Like Teodora Musatoiu – Solutions Architect EMEA at OpenAI, who overfilled the Main Stage with her session on Deploying LLMs: agents, reasoning, and what’s next for AI.

Or Michelle Duke, the AI founder of MishManners, who also had a full stage, driving impact with Skills for the age of AI developer tools.

All our speakers brought something exciting to the stage. From insights to demos on AI, engineering, cloud, big data and more. The energy was constant, and all questions from the audience were answered with a lot of enthusiasm.

Many more speakers shared insightful information, both on the stages and the two Roundtable Areas.

And the spirit of knowledge sharing extended even further. Through our dedicated TechEdu area, we welcomed 120 children into a fun, hands-on learning environment taking meaningful steps toward inspiring and shaping the next generation of tech professionals.

Then in early autumn, the community gathered again in Cluj-Napoca on September 25th. Software engineers, data specialists, security experts, and architects joined us for a full day of fresh insights and networking – with 50+ top speakers and 25 partners and exhibitors.

Our three stages were packed with technical know-hows by local and international experts from companies like DigitalOcean, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Sonar, and over 2.500 participants filled the venue. Some of our speakers also met with attendees in a more interactive environment, during sessions at the Roundtable Areas, diving into cloud apps, Azure, strategies for start-up founders, and more.

Learning made its way to the TechEdu Area, where we welcomed 50 kids throughout the day and they enjoyed hands-on robotics workshops and programming activities powered by our dedicated partners.

The expo area became a hub for conversation, ideas, and collaboration. From our partners’ booths to the networking area and StartUp Alley, the atmosphere stayed dynamic and engaging.

Learning and networking extended beyond the main event. The next day, we hosted Java Centric, a purpose-built side event created together with BMW TechWorks Romania, reinforcing our focus on curated experiences that bring communities closer.

After wrapping up September’s dev events, we shifted our focus towards the 7^th edition of DevCon which took place on November 5^th-6^th. We met with 3000 participants from Romania and internationally, and together made this edition a powerful one.

With over 50 expert speakers and 25+ partners, we:

• Filled 6 Cons on both days of event – Java Con, Cybersecurity Con, Web & Mobile Con, Data, AI & ML Con, DevOps Con, QA & Testing Con
• Welcomed industry experts like Álvaro Sánchez-Mariscal from Oracle, Christian Tzolov from Broadcom, Daniel Moka, CEO at Moka IT
• Hosted 5 Masterclasses throughout both days on Automation, Agentic AI, Java frameworks, Flutter

Beyond the stages, the expo area offered a different kind of experience, one centered on hands-on discovery and direct collaboration. Participants engaged closely with exhibitors, exchanged ideas, explored new solutions, and took part in creative activities that added a distinct layer to the DevCon experience.

And we ended this Autumn’s tech conferences with our newest initiative – Empower Tech, at its 2^nd edition that happened on November 18^th. With the purpose to connect leaders and empower women in technology, we opened our doors to 500 C-level professionals, seniors in IT, and tech enthusiasts.

This edition was supported by more than 15 partners who actively shaped the experience. Whether on stage or at their booths, they engaged in open dialogue with our community and delivered practical solutions to real career challenges.

This year, we created a blend of experiences through inspiring stories and technical content. With our speakers being the main drivers, carefully curating their speeches to impact the audience and give them a perspective shift:

• Anna Beata Kalisz Hedegaard, CEO at Quantum Security Defence: The Intersection of Quantum Computing and AI in the Next Tech Revolution
• Raluca Negrea, Angel Investor at Bravva Angels: Fireside Chat | Redefining success: entrepreneurship, mentorship & the future of women in tech
• Mikolaj Olszewski, Senior Software Engineer at Amazon Poland: Beyond vibe coding: How agentic programming and Kiro redefine the way we build software
• Glenn Anderson, Professional Public Speaker: Every time you speak, you are auditioning for leadership.

Glenn Anderson also jumped in to host a masterclass dedicated to Mastering Change Leadership for Organizational Success: How to Cultivate a Change-Ready Culture. And all we can say is that it changed the leadership game.

This year, we expanded our community connections with 7 new DevAfterWork events, hosted in collaboration with Matrix42, EveryMatrix, Betfair Development Center, Vodafone Romania, and Raiffeisen Bank.

These evening gatherings provided spaces to explore the latest in AI and automation, banking, QA, engineering, frontend development, business, data processing, and microservices.

The sessions brought together diverse tech professionals across fields, creating an informal environment where learning and networking happened naturally. Over the course of the year, we welcomed over 600 participants, who discussed technology trends, shared experiences, and made new connections, all over a relaxed networking between sessions.

In the end

As we look toward 2026, we’re set to take our Dev Events further and relevant for the community, bringing together tech professionals, developers, and innovators for experiences that are as insightful as they are inspiring.

When our Dev Community comes together, the possibilities for learning, collaboration, and innovation are limitless.

For the upcoming editions, we’re focused on expanding opportunities to grow and connect, aligning our stages and topics with the latest trends and breakthroughs in technology, and partnering with more tech leaders who are ready to drive high-impact initiatives alongside our community.

DevTalks Romania- June 3^rd-4^th

DevTalks Cluj-Napoca- September 24^th

DevCon- November 4^th-5^th

Empower Tech- November 17^th

DevAfterWork- Throughout the year