Marcus Noble

With KubeCon just 1 week away I thought it would be good to share some of my tips and suggestions on how to make the most of the week without burning out. I've been to a few KubeCon's now, both EU and US, and I’ve learned a lot about how to make the most of the week and what not to do in order to protect your health!

Note: While the official name is KubeCon+CloudNativeCon, that's quite a mouthful so I'll just be referring to it as KubeCon (Sorry, CNCF)

Let's start with a quick breakdown of what my week is going to look like, including the pre-events and some social activities around the conference, to give an idea of how overwhelming it can be. (Note: I'm doing a lot, don't be like me 😅)

My Schedule Breakdown

• Saturday:
  • Cloud Native Rejekts - The b-side conference showcasing technical talks and community connections. A chance to hear those talks that didn’t quite make the cut at KubeCon, fostering a more relaxed atmosphere for sharing insights and building connections. This is my favourite conference and one that has a strong focus on community and technical insight. If you're in Amsterdam early enough I highly recommend attending!
• Sunday:
  • Maintainer Summit - Great for diving deep into the core of Kubernetes and CNCF technologies. This is a free event but there are some requirements you need to meet in order to be able to attend.
  • 🎉 KubeTrain Party - The folks that organised the amazing KubeTrain initiative to encourage folks to travel to KubeCon together, more sustainably, are hosting a party to kick off the week.
• Monday:
  • KubeCon Co-Located Events - These are the official co-located events from KubeCon that require an "All-Access Pass" ticket. I’m planning on hitting up Platform Engineering Day, but there are some fantastic other options to explore depending on your technology interests.
• Tuesday:
  • KubeCon Kicks Off! - The schedule is packed with lots of talks.
  • 🎉 Booth Crawl & after-party - held in the sponsor hall to encourage you to speak to the various vendors and projects at KubeCon this is a great place to scope out some swag, have some drinks and chat with friends, new and old.
  • 🎉 Kuberoke - The best after-after-party! This is a fantastic evening of singing and networking with drinks and nibbles. If Karaoke is not your thing, not to worry, there is a chill out room too where you can just hang out and chat with folks.
• Wednesday:
  • My Talk! - "Kube-Oddities - The Quirks That Keep Kubernetes Interesting" - Join me and Mark at 11:45 to explore the delightfully weird and wonderful aspects of Kubernetes.
• Thursday:
  • Final Day of KubeCon - After a long, long week my main focus for the final day is to try and chat with various people I haven't managed to find yet before heading home to sleeeepppppp! 💤

Conferences, Conferences, Conferences

KubeCon has evolved over the years and has become much more than just a conference. It is a place, and a time in the calendar, that the cloud native community can get together and collaborate, network and share ideas. It has evolved so much that it's no longer just one conference, there's a whole collection of official and unofficial complimentary conferences that happen around KubeCon which you should check out!

The Official Ones

• KubeCon+CloudNativeCon - This is the main conference. The number of days varies a little depending on the location (e.g. Asia/India is less days) but it is usually 3 days with keynotes each morning and sessions / workshops throughout the rest of the days.
• Co-Located Events - This is a collection of several topic-specific conferences hosted by CNCF the day before KubeCon begins. Access to these requires attendees to have an "All-Access Pass" ticket type which then means you're free to come and go between any of the co-located events. For KubeCon Amsterdam 2026 there are 16 co-located conferences
• Maintainer Summit - Previously known as Contributor Summit, this is a smaller conference that brings together the builders of Kubernetes and other CNCF projects to discuss the challenges and future of the various projects. This is a great conference to get into some of the nitty-gritty details of cloud native tech but there are some eligibility requirements you must meet to attend.

The Unofficial Ones

• Cloud Native Rejekts - This is the "B-side conference" to KubeCon that gives a second chance to many of those talk submissions that didn't manage to make it onto the main KubeCon schedule. It takes place, this year, on the Saturday before KubeCon starts and is free to attend. There is a strong emphasis on community and technical topics here - the discussions had with attendees are some of the best. This conference holds a special place in my heart and is one of my all time favourite conferences I've attended and spoke at. So much so that when I was asked to join the Steering Committee to ensure the conference continued this year after some drama I jumped at the chance to do anything and everything I could. If you are able to make it to attend, I would highly recommend it!
• KubeAuto Day - This is a new addition this year and takes place on the same day as the official co-located events. I haven't much to say about this yet but will be keen to see how it goes and if it becomes a regular event. 👀

My Top Tips for a Successful (and Sustainable) KubeCon

• Prioritise

  Don’t try to do everything, seriously. Have a goal that you want to achieve during the week - maybe learn about a new technology, speak to vendors about a specific problem you're looking to have solved, or technical discussions with other attendees.

  For me, my goal is mainly getting updates on various projects and seeing what is likely coming in the near future. To achieve this I have two main approaches I'll be following - speaking with relevant vendors in the sponsor hall and attempting to catch various people I know in the hallway track to get updates and share ideas.

• You don't need to attend the talks

  This might sound like a weird thing for a conference but with all the talks being recorded and available online within a couple weeks of the event you're not going to miss out on any content. Instead, focus on connections - either with attendees or speakers. My general approach is to attend the talks that I think I'd want to have a follow up discussion with the speaker about. Beyond that, the talks I mainly go to are to support my friends that are speaking. 💙

• Schedule Breaks

  Seriously, it’s essential. Step away from the venue, grab a drink, get some fresh air, some sunlight, and recharge. The noise and stuffy air can be overwhelming.

• Keep Hydrated

  Carry a water bottle with you and refill it often. Lots of talking plus a warm venue can take it's toll on you quickly if you're not careful!

• Network Strategically

  Speak to new people, have friends introduce you to folks, chat with vendors. There's so much that you can get from networking at KubeCon! I also recommend keeping notes - I often keep a log of who I spoke with and about what in case I want to pick up that conversation again at a later time.

• Don’t Forget the Social Scene!

  KubeCon isn’t just about the conference (or the other conferences around it 🤣) - there are tons of parties and social events happening throughout the week. Check out the full list and find the perfect one for you at conf.party.

• Don't Be Afraid to Say No

  It's totally fine if you don't want to do everything. If parties aren't your thing, that's cool - don't attend. Look after yourself and your energy most of all.

• If you're job hunting...

  The industry is a bit... turbulent lately, so I expect there will be a fair number of attendees on the hunt for their next role while at KubeCon. This is where networking strategically comes in handy - hit up the sponsor booths and learn about what companies are in the space and who are hiring. Speak with other attendees and see if they can recommend anything or have any tips. There is also a jobs board, usually located near the project pavilion, where people can write either that they are looking for or hiring for a job. Good luck! 🤞

My co-speaker Mark has done a fantastic post about How to KubeCon and goes into more detail about a lot of these same points. Highly recommended read!

KubeCon Points of Interest

KubeCon itself is also more than just the talks...

• Sponsor Showcase

  Here you will find all the sponsor booth with various companies trying to sell your their product, offer you their services and entice you in with ✨ SWAG ✨. Feel free to grab as much swag as you want (and that you can fit in your suitcase, don't forget that) but just be aware that in return you'll either need to put up with listening through a pitch from the vendor or having your badge scanned so they can email you later. Take a look at the map for information of what sponsors are where.

• Project Pavilion

  This is an area within the sponsor showcase that hosts small booths reserved for CNCF projects or groups. These are non-corporate, so not trying to sell you anything, and just a great place to hang out and meet people. The booths change each half-day so be sure to check back several times through the week. If you want some of my custom stickers be sure to stop by SIG-Security and chat with those wonderful folks! 💙

  There are also daily tours of the project booths if you want to learn a bit more about them in a more structured way (and maybe make some new friends at the same time).

• Food & Drink

  Normally, I'd warn folks about the quality of the food available at KubeCon and suggest that fussy eaters (like myself) sort out their own lunches. But I think this year the CNCF looks to be going above and beyond with the menus available! 😮 Looks like no "Grab & Go" bags this year but rather some more variety of options, including what looks like some hot food options! I'm looking forward to trying out some of these! 🤤

• Games & Activities

  The sponsor hall will have a variety of recreation activities scattered throughout to help attendees unwind and have fun together. These include things like ping pong, table futbol and curling. There are also several Activation Zones set out that are sponsored activities such as mini golf and video games.

• Professional Headshots

  Each KubeCon, there is the chance to have some free, professional headshots taken to spruce up your LinkedIn profile or other online social media profile. These are on a first-come basis so be sure to get them arranged early.

• Kubernetes Meet & Greet

  Ever wanted to put a face to the folks that volunteer for the various SIGs and working groups that keep the project going? Well come along to the Meet & Greet after grabbing some lunch and have a nice chat with some lovely folks.

• Documentary Screening

  If you're interested in learning more about the history of Backstage there will be a screening of the new Backstage: From Spreadsheet to Standard documentary to wrap up the Wednesday.

• Fun Run

  Like a nice early morning run with friends? Join fellow attendees Wednesday morning for a Fun Run (or walk), starting at the conference venue. No pressure, go at your own pace, enjoy a bit of early-morning Amsterdam with friends.

• ContribFest

  Throughout the week there are several CNCF projects hosting ContribFest session where anyone is invited to show up and help contributing to the project in a structured way. This is a great way to get some experience with a new technology or to contribute back to a project you rely on.

Take a look at the venue map to find out where the various keynotes, sessions and activities can be found.

Beyond the Conference

As I mentioned above, the social scene around KubeCon is vibrant and seems to get bigger every year. There's lots to pick from on conf.party but be aware that for most you will need to register and for some of those you will need to be accepted before you can attend.

If you're looking for some recommendations on what to attend, here's my personal highlights:

• Kuberoke - This community run party is a must! It is scheduled on the evening of the first day of the main conference and acts as the after-after-party following the booth crawl. While karaoke might not be your thing there is still plenty of opportunity to unwind and mingle with your fellow attendees without the need to sing. This is a free event with some food and drink provided, just be sure to get a ticket while you still can!
• KubeTrain Party - If you're in Amsterdam on the Sunday then this should be on your list! KubeTrain is a fantastic community initiative to encourage folks to travel to KubeCon together using more sustainable travel methods and then get together before the week of conferences to kick things off with a fantastic party.
• Nordic Night Out - This one is quite niche but I really like this kind of thing. The Nordic community are hosting a little get together at KubeCon where they can all meet up and network. Having spoken at a few Nordic conferences now I can vouch for how wonderful their community is - so lovely and friendly!
• #KubeCrawl + #CloudNativeFest - This is the official KubeCon after-party that takes place in the sponsor hall. Expect drinks, food and good conversations. Also a great opportunity to pick up some swag or scope out the sponsors without too much pressure to stay and talk if you don't want to.
• Isovalent Hive Mind Mingle - The Isovalent team always put on a great night and this event is always one of the best. Great people, great conversations, great atmosphere!

Amsterdam Resources

• The wonderful folks at SIG-Foodies have put together an amazing guide to food and drink in Amsterdam that should cater to just about everyone's tastes! Just reading this guide makes my tummy rumble! 🤤
• Getting around Amsterdam is generally quite easy and you have lots of options:
  • Walking - A lot of Amsterdam is easily walkable and, weather permitting, a very pleasant experience. Just watch out for the canals 😉.
  • Biking - Amsterdam is big on bicycles! You will see lots of locals getting around the city on a bike and there are plenty of places where you can hire one yourself to get around easily.
  • Public Transport - Amsterdam has a great metro, tram and bus system that makes it super easy and quick to get just about anywhere. My plan is to get a multi-day GVB ticket that can be used the entire week.

Wrap-Up

Hopefully this guide helps you make the most of KubeCon Amsterdam 2026!

Don’t miss out on the incredible announcements and insights that will be unveiled throughout KubeCon! And if you aren't able to make it, don’t worry - I'll be including all the news and gossip in my newsletter at the end of the month! Sign up to CloudNative.Now to make sure you don't miss out!