Highlights from CMS Summit 2025

As CMS Summit 2025 in Frankfurt wrapped up, I was reminded why I’m fond of these smaller, more focused events. They create space for real conversations and meaningful exchanges.

The crowd was a mix of vendors, agencies, and clients from across ecosystems: open source, proprietary, all-in-one platforms, and composable stacks. People working on different parts of the content and experience puzzle. Some are deep into architecture, others focus more on product, integrations, or operations. And even though we’re all wrestling with similar challenges like scaling, performance, governance, content delivery, we’re coming at them from completely different angles and it makes the conversations so insightful.

One thing I always appreciate is the networking: a mix of familiar faces, new connections, and even a few unexpected reconnections (👋 Kerstin, Max!). And an underrated perk of events like this? They give you a reason to line up other meetings around the trip.

Angelika Gust from DB Regio shared insights into content delivery across DB’s ecosystem. From internal systems to train-mounted displays - where delivery depends on schedule and location - her talk showed just how complex things get at that scale. When trains stay in service for 30–40 years, with all the legacy hardware that comes with it, content operations become a real balancing act.

Angelika's presentation summary

The panel discussion on selecting a CMS in 2025 was another standout. It brought together Bastian Sirvend, Mark Demeny, Debbie Tucek, and Simon Jones. No silver bullets, but lots of sharp thinking and honest takes on what matters when choosing a CMS today.

CMS Idol is a fun, fast-paced format that’s great for sharpening demo and storytelling skills. I’ve seen it three times now, and while this year’s winner was ReactBricks with Matteo Frana - congrats!

My vote went to Hygraph, where Michael Lukaszczyk ended with a bold closer: “Now you have no excuse to stay on your legacy CMS that’s been bugging you”. A bit provocative - but memorable, and exactly the kind of line that sticks with you.

The format puts healthy pressure on both the presenters and the jury, which keeps it fun and sharp. That said, I think it could use a bit more structure. Sometimes it’s unclear whether the focus should be on a small feature, a full sales pitch, or something else entirely. A short intro from the host to frame the context before the timer starts could go a long way in helping both the participants and the audience get more out of it.

And for the record - Vojtech Boril and Kontent.ai at CMS Kickoff 25 in St. Pete still hold the top spot in my personal CMS Idol rankings.

Big thanks to the Boye & Company, Janus Boye for organising, Matthew Garrepy for facilitating panel talks and discussions and everyone I had the chance to connect with. Already looking forward to the next one!