AutoCon 3 Prague: A Thriving Community Continues to Evolve
AutoCon 3 brought together over 600 network automation professionals in the beautiful city of Prague for an exceptional week of workshops and conference sessions. The feedback from our post-event surveys (including responses from 25 workshop participants and 107 conference attendees) tells the story of a thriving community that continues to grow, learn, and push the boundaries of what's possible in network automation.
A Community That Keeps Coming Back
The numbers speak to AutoCon's continued growth and impact. Conference satisfaction hit 4.4/5 overall, with an impressive 91% of attendees rating their experience 4/5 or higher. Even more telling, 91% said they "absolutely" had fun; a metric that captures the unique energy and camaraderie that defines AutoCon.
Workshop satisfaction was equally strong at 4.3/5 overall, with participants consistently highlighting the practical value of hands-on learning. The community mix shows healthy growth: 63% of survey respondents were first-timers, bringing fresh perspectives, while 37% were returning participants who clearly found value in coming back.
What Makes AutoCon Special: The Community Advantage
When we asked attendees about the most valuable aspects of AutoCon 3, one theme dominated every response: networking. The combination of structured learning and organic peer connections continues to be AutoCon's defining strength.
As one attendee put it: "Meeting peers that are aware of automation gives a huge boost to come back to work." Another shared: "Just being there among hundreds of other battle-hardened engineers was something to cherish."
Prague proved to be an exceptional choice, with location satisfaction scoring 4.7/5 and venue satisfaction at 4.5/5. The city provided the perfect backdrop for both focused learning and memorable after-hours connections.
Learning That Translates to Real Work
The workshop program showed particularly strong real-world applicability. Participants consistently mentioned taking content directly back to their daily work:
"NUTS - This is something I can take back to my day job immediately"
"I'm already implementing NUTS in some workflows, so that. And also how cool containerlab is"
"Managed to put together a Network and Automation roadmap for our organisation"
The hands-on format clearly resonated, with multiple attendees noting they finished assignments early and helped peers; a testament to both the content quality and community spirit.
A Maturing Community with Evolving Needs
The feedback reveals a community that's becoming more sophisticated in its automation journey. Attendees are moving beyond introductory concepts and seeking deeper technical discussions. This evolution is exactly what you'd expect from a successful conference series; the audience grows with the content.
Personal takeaways reflected this maturity:
"Focus on the trustworthiness of my automation, using tools like NUTS and good design principles"
"Lots of ideas for our automation practices"
"That all companies struggle with automation and there are many ways and tools which can be used"
Several attendees noted appetite for more technical depth and live demonstrations. This feedback helps us understand where the community is heading and what they're ready for next.
Favorite Moments and Standout Sessions
Workshop favorites included NetBox Discovery ("best delivery, good setup, interesting topic"), Design-Driven Labs & Change Validation ("very interesting"), and the NUTS workshop ("funny and learned a lot"). The variety in preferences shows the strength of offering diverse technical approaches.
Conference highlights ranged from Claudia de Luna's opening keynote to Damien Garros' talk on trustworthy automation. One attendee noted: "My favorite moment was Claudia's opening session, which I think echoed throughout the conference."
The social aspects continued to be memorable, with attendees highlighting happy hours, hallway conversations, and the overall atmosphere of open knowledge sharing.
Constructive Feedback: Always Room to Grow
We heard several areas where attendees see opportunities for enhancement. Some noted interest in more advanced technical content, additional security automation topics, and longer workshop formats. A few mentioned communication clarity around amenities (hotel guests received breakfast including coffee, but this wasn't clear to all attendees).
Interestingly, some feedback may reflect regional preferences; European audiences showed strong interest in vendor-neutral workshops, which could inform future content strategy decisions.
One attendee noted: "If this conference is going to attract people that do cool stuff it should include more cutting edge technologies." This is checked by our commitment to showcasing technologies that are actually working in production networks, not just science projects.
Looking Forward: The AutoCon Community Continues to Evolve
AutoCon 3 demonstrated that the network automation community is thriving and ready for continued growth. The combination of high satisfaction scores, strong recommendation likelihood, and thoughtful feedback shows a community that trusts the event format and is ready to be challenged further.
The diversity of our community remains a strength: operators (58%), consultants (23%), and vendors (19%) created a balanced environment for knowledge exchange. Network engineers and architects made up the core audience, while emerging roles like Network Reliability Engineers and Network Automation Engineers show how the field continues to evolve.
Thank You, Prague
AutoCon 3 reinforced what makes this community special: the willingness to share real experiences, both successes and failures, in service of advancing the field. Whether it was first-time attendees discovering new possibilities or veterans sharing hard-won insights, the Prague gathering captured the collaborative spirit that drives network automation forward.
The feedback tells us we're on the right track while highlighting opportunities to serve an increasingly sophisticated community. Most importantly, it shows a group of professionals who are passionate about what they do and eager to keep learning together.
To everyone who took the time to provide detailed survey feedback: thank you. Your insights help shape future events and ensure AutoCon continues to serve the evolving needs of the network automation community. See you at the next one!
