#18: What Does It Take to Build a Conference From Scratch? with the CMS Conf Organizers

What does it actually take to build a tech conference from scratch? In the 18th episode of the CMS Conf Podcast, Ania Witko sits down with the three people organizing CMS Conf, Maciek Palmowski, Magdalena Magdziarz, and Mariusz Szatkowski, to go behind the scenes of the event. You'll hear how a "crazy idea" pitched on a WordCamp wrap-up call turned into a three-day conference, why selling sponsorships for an event with no track record is harder than building the agenda, and why speakers from Drupal, Joomla, Payload and more said yes faster than anyone expected. 🚀 See them live! CMS Conf 2026 takes place November 12–14, 2026, in Gdynia: three days, around 50 sessions, and speakers from more than 10 CMS ecosystems. Tickets and full agenda: https://cmsconf.com/ 🎯 Meet the Organizers Maciek Palmowski Maciek Palmowski is the Sponsors & Speakers Coordinator at CMS Conf. He works as a Growth Engineer at Patchstack, with a focus on Open Source, Content Management Systems, and automation. After hours, he spends most of his time finding interesting cycling routes, coding side projects, or drinking coffee. 🌐 Connect with Maciek: Website: https://maciekpalmowski.dev/ LinkedIn:   / maciekpalmowski   Magdalena Magdziarz Magdalena Magdziarz is a podcast host and the Marketing Manager at CMS Conf. She works as a Community & Growth Specialist in the IT sector, combining marketing strategy, content, and community development. After hours, she runs the personal brand Kopalnia Twojego Stylu and speaks on stage and online. 🌐 Connect with Magdalena: LinkedIn:   / magdalena-magdziarz-b52aa222a   Mariusz Szatkowski Mariusz Szatkowski is the Conference Coordinator at CMS Conf. He works as a freelance WordPress engineer at WPPoland.com, specialising in high-performance WordPress stacks, Core Web Vitals, and AI readiness. After hours, he organizes WordCamps across Poland and Europe and mentors in the WordPress Credits program. 🌐 Connect with Mariusz: Website: https://wppoland.com/ LinkedIn:   / mariuszszatkowski   🎙️ Meet Your Host: Ania Witko Ania Witko is the podcast host and podcast architect at CMS Conf. She helps women experts running their own businesses — building WordPress websites, editing video podcasts, and creating online course platforms. 🌐 Connect with Ania: Website: https://annawitko.pl LinkedIn:   / anna-witko   Join our community: Stay up to date with the latest in CMS systems, web architecture, and the future of remote work! 🌐 Website: https://cmsconf.com/ 📸 Instagram:   / cmsconf   💼 LinkedIn:   / cmsconf   Questions or ideas? 💡 Reach out: hello@cmsconf.com ✉️ Subscribe to our channel and build a life and career powered by technology!