Over the final weekend of the Polish summer, the Agile Poznań community gathered for its third annual anticonference, and what a gathering it was. I’ve had the privilege of attending every edition, and each one has surprised me in new and positive ways. This event brings together ambitious thinkers, insightful speakers, and engaged listeners. The topics dive deep, the conversations spark fresh ideas, and every time it feels like a brand-new experience, and also good traditions, like singing “Sokoły” around a campfire, with a guitar in hand.

“Anti-conference” is the perfect title. There’s no pre-set agenda, participants choose what they want to explore or present. There are no formal meeting rooms, only nature, fresh air, and sunshine. No keynotes in suits, just warm, honest conversations. No backroom discussions, only community, over meals and evenings by the grill.

Having worked at Onix for 21 years, longer than some of my colleagues have even been alive, it’s easy to settle into a kind of bubble. However, a few days of immersive conversations served as a valuable reminder of how diverse our industry truly is, as well as the wide range of challenges it faces and the many innovative ways professionals find to overcome them.

One phrase resonates with me from this year’s gathering: “If you want a village, you need to be a villager.” Agile Poznań is more than a network, it’s a living source of ideas, energy, and support. But it thrives only when each of us contributes a brick to its foundation.