From October 24 to 26, 2025, the Magento community gathered in Cologne for this year’s Mage UnConference, celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Developers, agencies, merchants, and tech enthusiasts came together to share ideas, learn from each other, and experience the open, collaborative spirit that makes this event so special.
As a long-standing main sponsor and an active part of the community, the maxcluster team was once again on site. We’ve supported the Mage UnConference from the very beginning because it perfectly combines technical exchange, hands-on discussions, and a strong sense of community within the Magento ecosystem.
A nostalgic start at the Alte Feuerwache
The event kicked off on Friday evening with the traditional pre-party at the Alte Feuerwache. For many, this location was a piece of history, as it had hosted the start of the Mage UnConference several times before. Numerous familiar faces gathered to start the weekend in a relaxed atmosphere with good food and conversation.
For many, this evening is an integral part of the UnConference, because it is here that online contacts become personal encounters. This year, too, the atmosphere was familiar and open from the very beginning. However, the preparations were not without challenges – especially when it came to finding sponsors, which was particularly noticeable for the organizing team this year. This makes it all the more remarkable how committed and passionate they were in making the evening possible. In addition to Hyvä, two other sponsors supported the pre-party, ensuring a successful start.
Saturday: Sessions, topics, and exchange
Saturday morning began with the typical UnConference routine that makes the format so unique. There is no fixed program and no pre-selected speakers – instead, the participants themselves shape the agenda. Anyone who wants to present an idea, a topic, or a current project writes it down on a card, presents it to the plenary, and collects votes with the familiar “stickers.” This open principle ensures a practical and diverse program every year.
Around 70 participants put together a wide range of topics that addressed current developments in the Magento and e-commerce world. This year's focus was primarily on artificial intelligence, automation, and security.
In the session “Custom Integration between Systems with Low Code Tools (n8n),” Fabian S. used practical use cases to show how the n8n platform can be used to efficiently implement individual integrations between different systems.
The topic of security also played a central role. In the session “Do You Have a Patch Day Process? Is Monthly Security Patches a Challenge for MageOS?”, Anni and Jens talked about dealing with regular security updates and the introduction of fixed patch days. They recommended the Aikido tool, which helps to identify conflicts between updates and installed extensions at an early stage – a practical contribution to greater stability and security.
Another highlight was the session “Make Magento Shine Again,” moderated by Jakub Winkler. An open discussion with Hyvä, integer_net, and other agencies focused on the current perception of Magento in the e-commerce market, how it compares to platforms such as Shopware and Shopify, and possible ways to strengthen the visibility and attractiveness of the system. The lively debate showed how important it is to continue developing Magento as a future-proof open source solution and to attract new developers to the ecosystem.
In addition, there were numerous other sessions, for example on PHPStorm Performance, Claude Code & Figma Integration, and the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), which highlighted the technical breadth of the program.
Despite the packed schedule, there was still plenty of room for conversations, spontaneous discussions, and new ideas, in keeping with the motto “An UnConference makes the coffee break a principle.” It is this open structure that has characterized the Mage UnConference for ten years and made it an integral part of the Magento community.
Anniversary, gifts, and birthday cake
Of course, a special moment was in order to mark the tenth anniversary of the Mage UnConference. Between sessions, Saturday turned into a small birthday party with cake, quizzes, and gifts.
The organizing team surprised participants with a lovingly designed quiz about the history of the UnConference and its community. Afterwards, small, humorous gifts were exchanged in the style of a Secret Santa. “It's like Secret Santa, only without the junk,” joked one of the organizers, aptly summing up the mood.
Spontaneity, pizza, and genuine community moments
Saturday evening brought a situation that is simply part and parcel of the Mage UnConference. An after-show party had originally been planned for the evening at a venue in Cologne – everything was prepared, the mood was good, but the reservation was accidentally canceled.
Instead of thinking too long about it, the motto was: stay flexible, find solutions together, and don't lose the fun. The participants reacted pragmatically and with humor: pizza was ordered, drinks were bought at the kiosk, and an improvised but all the more cozy gathering was created.
What began as a spontaneous solution turned into one of the most convivial moments of the weekend. There was laughter, discussion, and sitting together late into the night. This uncomplicated way of being together shows what the Mage UnConference is all about – a community that remains open, solution-oriented, and approachable, even when things don't go according to plan.
Sunday: Exchange, review, and a special moment
Sunday was just as exciting as the previous day. Several parallel sessions began in the morning, once again covering a wide range of topics – from development and performance to automation and legal issues in e-commerce.
Topics of the day included “Loki” (Jisse Reitsma), “Hyvä 1.4” (Sean), and ‘FrankenPHP’ (Sergii). The afternoon featured additional sessions such as “What does the European AI Act mean for us?” (Jens), “From Prompt to Product” (Adam), “CDN for Commerce” (Alex), “Hyvä Certification” (Dominik), and “How to Use Design Tokens” (Sean).
As usual, there was plenty of time between talks for conversations, discussions, and the open exchange that has characterized the Mage UnConference for years. During the lunch break, the organizing team provided an emotional moment: Together with the community, they looked back on ten years of Mage UnConference. Photos, anecdotes, and stories from an entire decade reminded everyone how close and vibrant the Magento community has grown over the years.
Ten years of FireGento, ten years of community spirit
The Mage UnConference 2025 was a very special chapter and also the last. After ten years of exchange, ideas, and encounters, the FireGento team, which has organized the event on a voluntary basis over the years and put their heart and soul into it, has decided to end the format.
We would like to thank the FireGento team around Carmen Bremen, Claudia Teubner, Fabian Blechschmidt, and Rico Neitzel for their tireless commitment and organizational talent.
For a decade, the Mage UnConference has been an integral part of the Magento community—a place where knowledge was shared, contacts were cultivated, and new ideas were initiated. For us at maxcluster, it was also a valuable opportunity every year to talk to agencies, partners, and customers and experience open exchange within the community.
If you want to reminisce, you can find our reviews from previous years here:
Conclusion
Every year, the Mage UnConference highlights the strength of the exchange within the Magento community. It stood for dialogue, openness, and shared learning—values that have shaped it for over a decade.
The anniversary and farewell once again demonstrated the importance of personal encounters, even in an increasingly digital industry. For us at maxcluster, the event remains a symbol of active collaboration—a place where ideas are born, inspiration is shared, and community remains tangible.
