From Cake Pops to Valkey Pong: Finding My Place in the Open Source Community

I’ll be the first to admit it. I’m not a technical guy. I am, however, observant and curious—two traits that play a major role in my efforts to learn and collaborate with our community members.

I don’t write code. I don’t manage databases. Sure, I have my Percona operator wordtracks and basic limited knowledge, but after that, I wave down the nearest technical colleague and execute a beautifully crafted handoff.

What I do know is people. Events. Marketing. Communications. Building relationships and bringing people together.

And after 18 months with Percona, I’ve learned something pretty incredible: The open source world is as much about people and relationships as it is about technology.

I was reminded of that recently while spending a week in Prague attending Open Source Summit Europe and ValkeyConf. Two different events, two different experiences, but one very common thread running through both: the people.

It’s About More Than the Technology

When I first joined Percona, I knew I was stepping into a very technical industry. I also knew I had a lot to learn. What I didn’t fully appreciate at the time was just how passionate, welcoming, and deeply invested the open source community really is.

These aren’t just people who use open source technology because it’s part of their job. For so many of them, open source is something they genuinely believe in. They contribute their time, share their knowledge, champion projects, collaborate endlessly, support one another, and work tirelessly to make the technologies and communities they care about better.

There’s a sense of ownership and pride that comes with that. A genuine belief that collaboration, transparency, and sharing knowledge can make a difference.

And that passion is contagious.

Even for a guy who couldn’t explain half the technical conversations happening around him.

From Cake Pops to Valkey Pong

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about events, it’s that sometimes the simplest things create the best opportunities for connection.

At Open Source Summit Europe, we had cake pops at the Percona booth. At ValkeyConf, we had Valkey Pong—our take on beer pong, only less beer and more database (or datastore? Depending on the bucket you ponged the ball into).

Now, on the surface, those might sound like fun little booth activities designed to attract attendees.

But what happened around them was so much more meaningful.

People stopped. They laughed. They played. They shared stories. They talked about their projects, their challenges, their successes, and what they were excited about.

Yes, the technical sessions are important. The innovation is exciting. Knowledge sharing is invaluable.

But the conversations in the hallways, at the booths, over coffee, and during an evening out? That’s where relationships are built.

And those relationships are what keep these communities strong.

Somewhere Along the Way, Something Changed

Here’s something I’ve noticed over the past year and a half.

When I first started attending open source events, I was the new guy. I was meeting people, introducing myself, learning names, and trying to understand the landscape.

Now?

I walk into an event and I know people.

I’m connected with them on social media. We interact throughout the year. We comment on each other’s posts, share a laugh, and keep up with what’s happening in our respective corners of the world.

Then, a few months later, we find ourselves at another conference in another city, and instead of introducing ourselves, we’re giving each other hugs and picking up conversations and inside jokes right where we left off.

I’ve gone from being someone who works in the open source industry to someone who genuinely feels like part of the open source community.

And I don’t take that for granted.

Because the truth is, even without the technical background that so many of the people around me have, I’ve never felt like that disqualified me from being part of this community.

I’ve been welcomed, included, and embraced by people who recognize that a strong community needs all kinds of contributions. Developers, engineers, maintainers, advocates, marketers, event professionals, and countless others all have a role to play.

You don’t have to write the code to believe in the community behind it.

The Relationships Are What Stay With You

I spend a lot of time thinking about what makes an event successful.

Of course, there are the metrics. Attendance numbers. Booth traffic. Leads. Engagement. All the things that someone in events and marketing is supposed to care about. And I do care about those things.

But increasingly, I find myself measuring success in a different way, too.

How many meaningful conversations did we have? How many relationships did we strengthen? How many new friends did we make? How many people walked away feeling a little more connected to the community?

While it’s hard to put an exact number on meaningful conversations, strengthened relationships, and new friendships, we can certainly measure the impact of those connections. From the number of new Percona Community members who joined during the event and attendees who entered our raffle, to the visitors who stopped by our booth (yes, we actually keep track!) and the people proudly sporting Percona-branded swag and giveaways for the remainder of the event, these numbers tell a bigger story.

They represent more than just engagement metrics; they represent connections made, relationships built, and a growing community of people who feel like they belong.

And when I think back on my week in Prague, it’s not necessarily a particular session or booth interaction that stands out most.

It’s the people. The familiar faces. The laughter. The conversations. The friendships.

Because at the end of the day, whether it’s a teammate who knows your drink order (double whiskey), a familiar face you can’t wait to catch up with at the next conference, or someone you just met over a cake pop, it’s the relationships that make all of this worthwhile.

I may never be the most technical person in the room. In fact, I won’t ever be.

But I went from a guy who knew little to nothing about the open source community to a guy writing and publishing blog posts about his passion for the community and his open source educational journey.

And after 18 months in this community, I can confidently say I’ve found a community of people that make me feel included and valued, regardless of my second-grade database knowledge.

And that’s pretty cool. ∎