CraftHub began its operations in 2020 as a company organizing IT-focused events, hackathons, competitions, and workshops, following its emergence from the now-renowned startups Prezi and IBM Budapest Lab (formerly USTREAM). Their first event was the Stretch Conference, followed in 2014 by the Craft Conference and numerous other events that drew great interest. However, the topic of this article is none other than the 2025 Craft Conference, which now has over a decade of history and at which our editorial team participated for the first time.
The event took place at the Hungarian Railway Museum, where visitors had the unique opportunity to ride around the park on miniature train carriages along an 870-meter-long railway track or take part in guided tours to learn about historical railway vehicles. The Orient Hall, capable of hosting thousands of people, was filled to capacity judging by the number of attendees. However, thanks to the abundance of sofas, beanbags, and chairs, there was always a comfortable spot to relax between the bustling sessions.
Companies and Networking
Numerous companies and startups involved in cutting-edge IT solutions attended the conference. Among them were Accenture, EPAM, TESCO Technology, Bosch, and BrokerChooser, along with financial players like Morgan Stanley, SAP, and Tresorit. Attendees could not only interact with recruiters and employees, but also participate in AI-based games, try out software demos, or enjoy activities like shooting with Nerf guns or taking part in a VR simulation that involved rescuing passengers from an emergency water landing.
The event’s background communication and event management tool, – both online and offline – was the PINE software. Through this platform, attendees could browse the presentation schedule, access a shared communication channel, connect easily with fellow participants, view information shared by others, and even schedule meetings — which could be held in cozy, private train cars reserved for one-on-one sessions.
Prizes
In addition to the interactive games at the booths, participants could collect useful gifts and merchandise like 3D-printed bottle openers, measuring tapes, branded caps and bags, tic-tac-toe sets, and house-labeled soft drinks. Attendees who joined a company’s talent pool at a booth could also enter prize draws. The much-anticipated award ceremony was held on the final day, during which lucky winners took home premium prizes – including electric scooters, a massive LEGO Millennium Falcon, a Tesla test drive, and a camera-equipped drone.
Catering
Throughout the conference, there was unlimited access to soft drinks and lemonade. During the lunch break, a varied multi-course menu was served, thoughtfully accommodating food allergies — a welcome treat for those recharging after a packed session schedule.
Speakers
Craft Conference 2025 featured a wide array of successful and highly regarded speakers from Hungary and the international scene. However, six individuals stood out:
Kent Beck, one of the most influential figures in software development, is known as the creator of Extreme Programming (XP) and was one of the original signatories of the Agile Manifesto.
Adrian Cockcroft, a pioneer in microservices and cloud-native architectures, gained global recognition for shaping the cloud strategies of Netflix and Amazon.
Dave Snowden, the creator of the Cynefin decision-making framework, developed the SenseMaker software – an innovation that has even influenced counter-terrorism strategies.
Neal Ford, a principal engineer at ThoughtWorks and leading advocate for software architecture modernization, has long promoted evolutionary architecture and clean code principles.
Gojko Adzic, author of Specification by Example and several other successful books, is known for his expertise in behavior-driven development (BDD).
Simon Wardley, the creator of the Wardley Mapping methodology, has transformed how companies approach competitive advantage through his strategic thinking and system visualization model.
Among the stunning presentations, Dylan Beattie’s humorous talk on open-source software and the evolution of licenses was a true highlight for gamer hearts and tech enthusiasts alike.
Conclusion
Although the event was unapologetically IT-focused, it wasn’t only useful or recommended for developers or industry professionals. The companies at the booths were often recruiting for surprisingly diverse positions, such as the emerging role of legal engineers. Organizers also paid special attention to students, offering discounted student tickets to make the event more accessible.
