Studying from the worldwide cloud native neighborhood
Earlier than KCD Sri Lanka 2025, our organizing workforce acquired an unbelievable alternative to attend and converse at KubeCon occasions for the very first time.
Our organizers Chamod Perera, Kemila De Silva, and Suresh attended KubeCon India 2024, experiencing firsthand the size, power, and neighborhood spirit of a world CNCF occasion.
In 2025, Chamod and Kemila, returned to the identical occasion, this time as audio system at KubeCon India 2025, delivering a chat on classes discovered from classes from operating a Cloud Native neighborhood. Kaveesha additionally joined KubeCon India 2025, including additional views to our rising pool of expertise.
These experiences did greater than encourage us. They reshaped how we thought of convention design, speaker range, networking areas, and attendee expertise.
Bringing KubeCon degree power to KCD Sri Lanka
Armed with world publicity and years of community-building expertise, we returned to Sri Lanka decided to boost the bar. KCD Sri Lanka 2025 was not simply one other native convention. It was a rigorously crafted expertise that blended world finest practices with local people tradition.
We didn’t simply carry insights again from KubeCon + CloudNativeCon. We introduced folks, audio system, and connections from these world occasions into KCD Sri Lanka. This resulted in a richer program, broader views, and stronger networking alternatives for everybody who attended.
Introducing the breakout room idea
Our boldest experiments at KCD Sri Lanka 2025 was the introduction of breakout rooms. Whereas the principle corridor hosted major talks, a second corridor ran deeper and extra technical periods in parallel.
Initially, we have been not sure how the Sri Lankan viewers would reply however a number of attendees advised us that it felt similar to the KubeCon expertise.
That suggestions alone made the chance worthwhile.
A robust CFP and an distinctive lineup
We acquired over 100 CFPs, which was an enormous achievement of our neighborhood.
With such an amazing response, we confronted the extremely troublesome process of shortlisting these submissions down to simply 20 distinctive talks. Each choice required cautious dialogue, and the method itself confirmed how far the neighborhood has come by way of depth and high quality.
The ultimate lineup was really magnificent. We had leaders from native tech giants sharing real-world manufacturing experiences, and we have been honored to host excellent worldwide audio system as properly. A few of these audio system had just lately introduced at main world occasions akin to KubeCon + CloudNativeCon, bringing world views on to the KCD Sri Lanka stage.
A full of life and crowded sales space space
The sales space space was one other spotlight of the occasion. With 9 cubicles arrange, the house was continuously busy. Individuals have been networking, exploring applied sciences, and interesting with sponsors all through the day. Some audio system even commented that the ambiance felt like a mini KubeCon + CloudNativeCon, which was a proud second for all the organizing workforce.
Battle of DevOps: A primary for the neighborhood
For the primary time at a Sri Lankan convention, we organized a hackathon known as Battle of DevOps.
What made it much more particular was that our volunteers constructed the hackathon platform from scratch. We are actually planning to donate this platform to CNCF in order that different communities can reuse and profit from it.
KCD area and the Sri Lankan jam
We ended the occasion with KCD Enviornment. This created a relaxed setting for networking whereas having fun with stay music and dinner. In a uncommon and joyful second, members of the organizing committee joined the band and performed devices themselves.
It was much less like a proper convention closing and extra like a KCD Sri Lanka Jam, a celebration of neighborhood, collaboration, and shared ardour.
Challenges and classes discovered
KCD Sri Lanka 2025 got here with its personal set of challenges. On the occasion day, the manufacturing setup was not delivered throughout the agreed timeline, and we additionally encountered points with on-site occasion badge printing. These elements collectively brought about a delay within the official begin of the occasion.
Whereas these conditions weren’t supreme, they offered priceless classes for future editions. For upcoming occasions, we plan to finish badge printing properly prematurely and introduce clearer contractual clauses with manufacturing distributors to make sure well timed supply of all setups.
Trying again
KCD Sri Lanka 2025 was the results of years of persistence, world studying, and native dedication. The teachings gained from KubeCon, and the willingness to experiment with new concepts all got here collectively to form the strongest KCD Sri Lanka now we have organized up to now.
We prolong our honest gratitude to Kanchana for his continued steering, and to Audra, and the entire CNCF workforce for his or her fixed help, belief, and encouragement all through this journey.
What’s subsequent for KCD Sri Lanka
Whereas KCD Sri Lanka 2025 has concluded, the journey is way from over. The momentum, suggestions, and learnings from this chapter have already sparked conversations throughout the organizing workforce about what the following version might seem like.
We have now begun exploring concepts for the following KCD Sri Lanka, together with increasing breakout periods to permit for much more targeted and deeply technical discussions, and persevering with to experiment with interactive codecs impressed by world Cloud Native occasions. These concepts are nonetheless evolving, and we’re taking time to mirror rigorously earlier than making use of for the following chapter.
For now, we’ll proceed strengthening the Kubernetes Sri Lanka neighborhood by means of meetups, information sharing, and collaboration, whereas quietly making ready for the following alternative to carry everybody collectively once more.
