CMS Summit 25 in Frankfurt | Recap

Søren, Emina and Olivier at the CMS Summit 2025

On 13 and 14 May 2025, Frankfurt hosted the first European edition of CMS Summit 25 – an independent conference for the international content management community, organised by Boye & Company. We were there as conference partners. Our managing directors Olivier and Søren were there, along with Emina from the marketing team, who is responsible for social media, and Marco from our partner agency punkt.de.

Enjoy reading!

Was this your first time attending the CMS Summit?

Olivier: Yes, this was my first time here in Frankfurt. Last year, I attended a similar conference in Montreal, Canada.

Emina: Yes, this was my first time at the CMS Summit in Frankfurt. In fact, it was also my first networking event focusing on CMS. Until now, I had mainly attended marketing events. That made it all the more exciting for me to gain new insights and contacts here.

What were your expectations going into the conference?

Olivier: My expectations were two full days with lots of inspiration and encounters around the topic of CMS. These were more than fulfilled.

Søren: Few expectations, but hopes: I had hoped for exciting presentations and interesting discussions. Both were exceeded :)

Emina: I had high expectations of the participants in particular. I assumed that there would be lots of CMS professionals there, and that's exactly how it was. In the discussions and especially in the presentations, you could sense how passionate the speakers were about their topics. There was an expert on hand for every question.

What were your personal highlights at the CMS Summit 2025 in Frankfurt?

Olivier: There were several. Firstly, the preliminary meetings here at our agency with Janus and other participants over lunch. The very intensive programme with presentations on selecting the right CMS. But also the realisation that the topic of CMS is still very important for customers.

Emina: My personal highlight was definitely the atmosphere. TechQuartier in Frankfurt provided the perfect environment for exchanging ideas and striking up conversations. This open and friendly atmosphere lasted throughout the entire day: professional, yet relaxed at the same time. It simply made you want to network.

Which lecture did you find particularly inspiring – and why?

Emina: I was particularly impressed by the presentation ‘The time is now for Web Sustainability’ by Thorsten Jonas, founder of the Sustainable UX Network. He spoke about the environmental impact of our digital behaviour and presented concrete approaches for making websites more sustainable – not only in terms of the environment, but also with financial benefits. The presentation was strong in content and really made me think.

Olivier: We all love Jonas. I already know him from the various calls that Janus organises with his CMS Experts Group. What impresses me about Jonas is that he really lives and breathes the subject. It's infectious!

Søren: The presentation by Maximilian Steudel (Dr. Oetker) on their journey to their current CMS and the entire tech stack. I found the journey (initially dissatisfied with their CMS) to the next CMS (again, not everything was perfect) to the current CMS and the entire structure particularly insightful. It showed what the decisive factors were and that, for example, recipes are an extremely important element of the website and therefore require their own database with CMS connection.

How do you perceive the current developments in the CMS world?

Olivier: I don't really want to say it so bluntly: in a world where AI (artificial intelligence) is becoming more widely used, CMS is not dead. AI is changing the way we view our tools, and only those who engage with it will remain relevant.

Emina: The CMS world is evolving very dynamically. It is no longer just about the technical management of content, but rather about holistic digital experiences. Topics such as headless architecture, personalisation, performance and sustainability are playing an increasingly important role. At the same time, we are seeing how AI-supported tools are changing the market. This affects both editorial processes and technical implementation. It remains exciting to see where the journey will take us.

Which topics or technologies were the main focus of the summit?

Søren: My impression was that AI kept cropping up. But composability was also a key focus. A composable CMS is a content management system that allows companies to combine independent, interchangeable components (such as content modules, microservices or APIs) to create and manage digital experiences. This ‘Lego block’ approach offers flexibility and scalability compared to traditional, monolithic CMS systems.

Olivier: The conference covered a wide range of topics. The clusters I was able to identify were: MACH, composability, DXP, and corporate governance.

Emina: I didn't feel that there was a single topic that took centre stage, and that's exactly what I found exciting. The conference covered a wide range of topics: from AI and CMS selection strategies to sustainability on the web, everything was included. In terms of content, it was definitely never boring.

If you had one wish for the next CMS Summit, what would it be?

Olivier: I would perhaps prefer softer seats. ;-)

Søren: I completely agree with Olivier: chairs with backrests and better ventilation.

Emina: I would find it exciting if the next CMS Summit featured even more practical examples from real customer projects – ideally with insights into what worked well, but also what perhaps didn't go so well. A look behind the scenes often helps to gain new perspectives for one's own work.

Conclusion

The CMS Summit 25 was an all-round successful event for us. Two days full of exciting discussions, valuable insights and genuine encounters. Particularly enjoyable: the open exchange with other CMS experts and seeing familiar faces from the community again.

A big thank you to Boye & Company for the great organisation – and of course to everyone who was there. We are taking lots of good ideas back to the office with us and are already looking forward to seeing everyone again next time.

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