The 2025 Umbraco US Festival at mHub brought together one of the most passionate and collaborative communities in digital. Developers, designers, marketers, and agency leaders gathered to share ideas, celebrate innovation, and connect over a shared mission - building better digital experiences together.
This year’s event wasn’t just about technology; it was about the people driving it forward. Across two inspiring days, attendees explored how creativity, AI, and community continue to shape the future of open-source digital platforms. The conversations, energy, and ideas sparked in Chicago will keep influencing how we think, build, and collaborate long after the festival ended.
Key Themes and Insights
AI Takes the Spotlight
Artificial intelligence was the talk of the conference. From live demos to deep-dive sessions, we saw how AI is reshaping development workflows and enhancing the editor experience in real time. Conversations didn’t stop at the “how,” either. There was thoughtful discussion around the ethics of AI, transparency, and the role of responsible innovation in shaping the future of digital platforms.
Umbraco Engage in Action
Umbraco Engage continued to impress, with several sessions showcasing real-world testing use cases and practical tips to improve performance and engagement. Seeing how teams are applying Engage in production environments provided a great look at its growing impact and versatility.
Our Own Alex Vilmur Takes the Stage
One of the highlights for our team was watching our own Alex Vilmur lead a hands-on workshop with Umbraco UI Builder. His session gave developers a firsthand look at how to create powerful and intuitive backoffice editing experiences, one of the many reasons UI Builder continues to be a game-changer for custom implementations.
Updates from Umbraco HQ
The Umbraco HQ team shared an exciting product roadmap, giving us a glimpse into what’s ahead. The updates signal continued investment in flexibility, scalability, and user experience, things every Umbraco user can get behind.
The Power of Community
As always, the best part of the festival was the community itself. We connected with new faces, reconnected with familiar ones, and exchanged insights that will undoubtedly inspire our next projects. The collaboration and enthusiasm within the Umbraco community continue to prove why this ecosystem is so special.
Final Thoughts
The Umbraco US Festival 2025 was more than an event - it was a celebration of innovation, connection, and shared purpose. From the exciting advances in AI to the warmth and camaraderie of the community, this year’s festival showcased why Umbraco remains one of the most flexible and human-centered CMS platforms in the world.
To everyone who joined us, thank you for making it another unforgettable experience. And to those who couldn’t be there: we hope to see you next time. The ideas, inspiration, and relationships built here will continue shaping digital experiences all year long.
Umbraco
About the author
Kyle Brigham
Kyle Brigham is the Chief Strategy Officer at Marcel Digital. He specializes in client services and project management, but also original Nintendo games and ping pong.