Road to BackstageCon 2023: A Sneak Peek into an Exciting Lineup & A Recap of 2022!
Tags: developerportal, backstage, kubecon, backstagecon
Published: 2023-10-31 18:30:00

**[BackstageCon 2023](https://events.linuxfoundation.org/kubecon-cloudnativecon-north-america/co-located-events/backstagecon/#about)** is right around the corner! Hosted as a CNCF Co-located Event in Chicago, this year's BackstageCon promises a plethora of insightful sessions, keynotes, and lightning talks. It will be taking place on November 6 at McCormick Place West in Chicago, Illinois.

Our very own [Himanshu Mishra](https://colocatedeventsna2023.sched.com/speaker/himanshu@orkohunter.net), Product Manager for Harness IDP module will be speaking about Backstage core and focus on 16 powerful features that makes Backstage suitable for the self-service Internal Developer Portals in his talk **[What Does Backstage Really Offer – Looking Beyond Catalog and Templates and Into the Core Platform](https://sched.co/1Rj48)**. The talk will emphasize Backstage's superiority over homegrown portals, highlighting its flexibility and control, making it an optimal choice for businesses. Himanshu was previously part of the Backstage core team at Spotify. Previous talks like **[Backstage: Shaping the Future Of Developer Experience](https://youtu.be/UbrPNvaHxCE?si=pX9JhIaAzngSGgoV)** and **[The Evolution of Backstage Backends](https://youtu.be/ZXF7uxrEBVY?si=HhKW9RiG21n_56NT)** from 2022 could be a good prelude to this talk.

Here is a sneak peek on some other exciting talks to look out for -

Roadie’s [David Tuite's](https://colocatedeventsna2023.sched.com/speaker/davidtuite) talk on **"[How to Adopt Backstage](https://sched.co/1Rj2F)"** continues 2022's themes focusing on **[developer happiness](https://youtu.be/DtGV2zR2z6Y?si=ChNeHlbz2rVqUZbP)**, emphasizing the real-world benefits of Backstage. [Ryan Emerle](https://colocatedeventsna2023.sched.com/speaker/ryan_emerle@comcast.com) from Comcast will discuss **[how their DevHub, powered by Backstage](https://sched.co/1Rj6c)**, addresses challenges and promotes extensions. Meanwhile, [Wolfgang Gottesheim](https://colocatedeventsna2023.sched.com/speaker/wolfgang.gottesheim@dynatrace.com) and [Andi Grabner](https://colocatedeventsna2023.sched.com/speaker/andreasgrabner) from Dynatrace will share their journey of **[enhancing developer efficiency](https://sched.co/1Rj6D)** for over 1000 engineers using Backstage, highlighting the rollout challenges and success measurements, which are on the same line of the last year's talk on **[DAZN’s journey of using backstage. ](https://youtu.be/tvogOVhAXI8?si=E1zCBmd4bATe2p0f)**

**GenAI in Backstage:** [Ben Wilcock](https://colocatedeventsna2023.sched.com/speaker/benwilcock) from VMware will spotlight the **[integration of AI models](https://sched.co/1Rj1O)** like ChatGPT in Backstage, showcasing how AI can elevate developer productivity by automating tasks and generating code. In a related[ lightning talk](https://sched.co/1Rj3b), [Nate Axcell](https://colocatedeventsna2023.sched.com/speaker/nate.axcell@telus.com) from TELUS will share their transformative journey with Backstage. From a collaboration tool for 2,500 employees to an internal search for 100,000 in just a year, TELUS harnessed AI capabilities, resulting in a 566% surge in Backstage adoption in Q2. This rapid adoption translated to significant productivity gains, saving each employee over 284 days of effort in two months.

At the upcoming event, there will be a deep dive  into Backstage adoption stories. A **[panel](https://sched.co/1Rj2k)**, featuring experts from Spotify, U.S. Bank, Expedia Group, Twilio Segment, and Lunar, will discuss their Backstage journey, touching on technical and cultural shifts. Additionally, folks from B3, a top global stock exchange, will share their unique experience. They've been able to use** [Backstage to boost developer satisfaction in a regulated environment](https://sched.co/1Rj5m)**. Join us to learn from these real-world implementations and insights.

**Keynotes:** A series of sponsored keynotes featuring industry stalwarts like [Chris Westerhold](https://colocatedeventsna2023.sched.com/speaker/chris.westerhold) from Thoughtworks, [Balaji Sivasubramanian](https://colocatedeventsna2023.sched.com/speaker/basivasu) from Red Hat, [Meg Watson](https://colocatedeventsna2023.sched.com/speaker/megw4) from Spotify, and [Scott Sisil](https://colocatedeventsna2023.sched.com/speaker/ssisil1) from VMware.

**Lightning Talks:** Quick, insightful sessions on a range of topics, ensuring there's something for everyone.

And that's just a sneak peek! The **[full schedule](https://colocatedeventsna2023.sched.com/overview/type/BackstageCon)** has even more exciting content, discussions, and networking opportunities. This being the second edition of Backstagecon 

But that's not all! With Harness being a proud sponsor, we're excited to connect with fellow Backstage enthusiasts and share our expertise and insights with the community. If you're keen to explore how the **[Harness Internal Developer Portal (IDP)](https://www.harness.io/products/internal-developer-portal)** can enhance your developer experience and help you with your Software Delivery Life Cycle, check it out [here.](https://www.harness.io/demo/internal-developer-portal)

See you in Chicago! 🚀🎉