From Kerala to Copenhagen: Codegarden 2026, Candy Stations and an MVP Moment

The trip began long before Copenhagen

Travelling from Kerala to Denmark takes planning. There were tickets, documents, packing, airport hours, and all the questions that come with a long international trip.

Once everything was booked, I could give my attention to Codegarden. That helped far more than I expected. I arrived in Copenhagen excited, slightly tired, and very curious about the people I had known only through GitHub, community calls, packages, and online discussions.

Seeing them in the same venue felt strange for about five minutes. After that, conversations began as if we had met many times before.

Two Summit days full of good conversations

The first two days were the Summit. Several sessions ran at the same time, so everyone could choose the subjects they cared about.

The roundtables were my favourite part. People spoke openly about where Umbraco development is heading and where developers and editors are running into problems today.

We talked about AI in development, extension points, event handling, Umbraco 17 upgrades, and the daily experience of backoffice editors. Package development received plenty of attention too. The conversation covered the Marketplace, package maintenance, and the ways maintainers can take a bigger role in the wider Umbraco community.

That part stayed with me. A CMS grows through product releases and because developers write packages, report issues, answer questions, test new versions, and share what they learn.

Lunch tables became extra sessions

Some of the best conversations happened after a roundtable had finished.

A topic would begin in a session, continue in the corridor, and carry on over lunch. Someone would mention a problem from a project, another person would share how they handled something similar, and soon five people were comparing notes.

That is hard to recreate online. Video calls are useful, yet there is something different about speaking with someone while everyone is eating, laughing, and swapping stories from past projects.

The food helped too. There was plenty of it, along with candy stations that seemed to appear whenever energy levels dropped.

Then Codegarden began

The next two days had a different feel. The venue filled up, the programme widened, and the event felt like a community festival with technical talks running through it.

There were sessions on AI, modern development, business, creativity, and SEO. One session even mixed yoga with SEO, which was exactly as unusual and fun as it sounds.

Gaming areas around the venue gave people another way to meet. You could sit down for a game with someone you had never spoken to and leave ten minutes later discussing Umbraco packages, work, travel, or the conference dinner.

The moment I heard my name

Codegarden 2026 will always be special to me because this was the year I became an Umbraco MVP.

Hearing my name in that room was hard to believe. I knew how much work and generosity I had seen from the MVP community, so being welcomed into that group was deeply humbling.

A lot of people had helped me reach that moment. Colleagues had given me space to contribute. Community members had answered questions, shared knowledge, and encouraged me. My family had supported the time and effort that community work often needs.

The award may have had my name on it, but the story behind it includes many people.

The people made the event

Copenhagen was beautiful, the sessions were useful, and the programme was packed. Yet the people are what I remember first.

I met developers from many countries, each with different backgrounds and different ways of working. Even with those differences, conversation came easily because everyone had Umbraco in common.

The organisers created many chances for that to happen. Evening events kept people together after the talks. The final DJ set gave the last night a happy ending. There were also bike rides, a morning marathon, and a hackathon for anyone who wanted to spend time building.

My favourite moment away from the venue was a boat ride through Copenhagen’s canals. After several busy days, it gave me time to take in the city and think about everything that had happened.

What I brought home

I came back with technical notes on AI, Umbraco 17, packages, and editor experience. I also came back with new friends, renewed energy, and a wider view of the Umbraco community.

The MVP recognition made the week unforgettable. So did the support from Phases.

The company covered the full trip, including flights, accommodation, and registration. That kind of backing gave me access to conversations and experiences that would otherwise have stayed far away.

I returned to Kerala tired, happy, and ready to contribute again.

Would I go again?

Yes, without hesitation.

Codegarden is valuable for anyone who works with Umbraco and wants to meet the people building, using, and improving it. The sessions teach you plenty. The conversations around them often teach you even more.

When a chance like this comes, take it.

A note for Umbraco teams

Codegarden often brings useful questions back to the office: how to plan an Umbraco upgrade, how AI may fit into editor or developer work, how to improve backoffice use, or how to maintain packages over time.

Phases is an Umbraco Gold Contributing Partner with long experience in Umbraco delivery and community work. For teams considering an upgrade or a new Umbraco platform, a conversation with one of our senior engineers can help turn conference ideas into a workable plan.