Codegarden 2025: The 20th Anniversary

Diagram is headed to Copenhagen, Denmark, next month. And no, it’s not to see the Little Mermaid statue or visit the world-famous Botanical Garden. Although those things sound nice, we’re making the trip to attend the 20th anniversary of Codegarden.

What is Codegarden?

Every year, members of the global Umbraco community gather in Odense, Denmark - home of Umbraco HQ - for Codegarden, the official conference dedicated to the open-source .NET content management system affectionately known as the "friendly CMS." The event brings together developers, designers, digital strategists, and product thinkers to exchange ideas, explore new features, and shape the future of the platform.

Who’s Representing Diagram?

This year, Diagram is proud to have two of our own thought leaders attending Codegarden 2025 to learn, connect, and share insights from the field:

Chris Osterhout, SVP of Strategy 

Chris brings a passion for digital transformation and a deep understanding of how composable architectures and CMS platforms like Umbraco can drive value for organizations.

Dennis Kardys, Head of Design & Development

A longtime advocate for thoughtful UX and modern front-end practices, Dennis brings a unique perspective on how design systems and technology can work in harmony.

Before Chris and Dennis head out, we spoke with each of them to hear what they're looking forward to the most and what Codegarden means to them. 

Diagram: From a strategy perspective, why is it valuable for Diagram representatives to attend Codegarden? 

Chris: As a leader in enterprise Umbraco implementations, it's a great chance to share our expertise with the community and learn from their own experiences. 

Diagram: What excites you about the intersection of design and development at Codegarden? 

Dennis: Well, you have a passionate community of people coming together from all over the world to share ideas about content, design, and technology. Umbraco just happens to be the platform that unites all the attendees. I believe the diversity of perspectives, coupled with the fact that everyone at Umbraco events tends to be very friendly and welcoming, creates an environment that is inspiring and eye-opening about what's possible. So, when we consider how design and development will improve how people interact with digital technology in the years to come, those ideas emerge from events like Codegarden. 

Diagram: What kind of industry conversations or partnerships are you hoping to initiate or deepen? 

Chris: Connecting with the Umbraco HQ Team and frontline implementers lets us gather insights on long-term product roadmaps and accelerate time-to-value on our implementations. 

Diagram: Are there any sessions you think will influence your approach to user experience? 

Dennis: Certainly. I'm eager to see more examples of how people are using Umbraco Engage to personalize content, and I'm also curious how organizations are building content strategies that support it. Going beyond the case studies, I'm looking forward to a couple of talks in the program that tackle topics like accessibility (Accessibility as a Concept) and sustainability (Is ChatGPT killing the penguins? And other AI considerations). These topics don't typically take the front seat when people think of UX, but prioritizing them can drastically improve things for users. 

Diagram: Are there any macro or micro trends you'll be keeping an eye on during the event? 

Chris: I'll be watching headless CMS developments and how content and data orchestration tools streamline workflows - because as composable architectures grow, coordinated data flows shift from a luxury to a must-have. 

Diagram: How do conferences like Codegarden help push the boundaries of what's possible with front-end tech? 

Dennis: There's the diverse perspectives I mentioned earlier, but then combine that with the fact that most everyone is working within a common baseline of constraints - constraints in the sense that we are designing and building within a space bounded by the CMS technology and the capabilities of the platform. It's from these constraints that creative solutions emerge. So, while Codegarden may not be a conference focused on the future of front-end development, it does expose people to new and different ways of solving problems with the existing front- and back-end technology. 

Diagram: What are you looking forward to the most for this trip? 

Chris: From a product awareness perspective, Umbraco really shines in Europe compared to the US, and I'm looking forward to that energy and enthusiasm from the attendees.

Diagram: Is there anything you're hoping to bring back to your team, from design systems to dev tools? 

Dennis: Yes, let's see. Inspiring examples of what other people and agencies are working on. A comedically embarrassing self-deprecating story or two. Maybe some Legos and/or progressive social welfare. 

Diagram: Anything else you'd like to add about Codegarden? 

Chris: With Umbraco celebrating a major anniversary this year, Codegarden is a not-to-be-missed event for anyone committed to the platform. 

Chris and Dennis will both be first-time Codegarden attendees. 

Codegarden is held from the 18th to the 20th of June this year in Odense, Denmark.