CAS 2017 Seville: Behind the Scenes of Chaos and Magic

Organizing an event is much more than it appears on the surface. Behind every invisible detail lies a conscious decision, hours of debate, and sometimes, a small dose of controlled panic. The Agile Spain Conference 2017 (CAS2017) in Seville was, for me, one of those roller coasters that ends with a satisfied smile and an exhausted body.

My Role in the Shadows

I had the privilege of being part of the organizing team, where role boundaries sometimes blur, but my main focus was on three pillars: building the website, the public voting system, and curating the agenda.

I wanted the digital experience leading up to the event to match what we were going to live there. The voting system wasn’t just “a form”; it was the community’s thermometer, the tool that told us what topics were beating in the heart of agility that year. Selecting the talks was an emotional and logical puzzle: how do you fit the pieces so that everyone feels represented?

The Impossible Balance

If you ask me what was the most complicated part, I won’t tell you it was the website code or the accreditation logistics. The hardest part was sensitivity.

Creating an event that embraces the realities of all attendees is a complex art. You have to find a thematic balance that satisfies both the developer looking for technical depth and the manager looking for strategy, without forgetting those who are just starting out.

And then there’s “the other stuff.” The invisible experience. An event is not just a succession of talks in a PDF. It’s the hallway track, it’s the quality of the coffee that facilitates a conversation, it’s how you manage a last-minute room change without it looking like the apocalypse. Those evening events where bonds stronger than in any two-hour workshop are forged. Designing those interaction spaces is as critical as choosing the keynotes.

Care as a Strategy

I learned something vital that I continue to apply in every project: you can “comply” or you can do it with care.

The difference is abysmal. You can organize a “correct” event following a checklist: room, chairs, projector, speaker. The end. Or you can obsess over every detail. Is this chair comfortable for 8 hours? Does the light facilitate networking? Does the closing music evoke emotion?

People might not consciously perceive every one of those decisions, but they perceive the whole. They feel the care. And that transforms a “conference” into a “community”.

The Closing

The most memorable moment was, without a doubt, the closing. Seeing that room full, putting the finishing touch on months and months of tension, late-night video calls, and sacrificed weekends.

In that instant, when you see the applause and feel the energy of the people acknowledging the work done, everything makes sense. The feedback was incredibly positive, and that is the best ROI that exists.

Closing photo of the event. Tired but happy.

It was an honor to contribute to creating that space. And although organizing events is exhausting, the magic that happens when you bring passionate people together in the same room makes it always worth it.