Why agencies should send their employees to TYPO3 camps

In the agencies where I worked, it was clear: you go to TYPO3 camps. No discussion, no petitioning, no approval loops. The costs were covered, participation was expected and encouraged. There was also no cap along the lines of "maximum two events per year". Anyone who wanted to go could go.

Since 2011, I have attended several TYPO3 Camps every year. And then I meet people there who are there at their own expense. At the weekend. Because their company won't even pay 150 euros for a camp ticket.

This article is the extended version of my LinkedIn post on the same topic. With more depth, concrete figures, an overview of TYPO3 Camps 2026 and a checklist to help you convince your boss.

What actually is a TYPO3 Camp?

If you've never been to a TYPO3 Camp before, you might imagine it to be a classic conference. A fixed program, presentations from the stage, listeners in the audience. That's not what a camp is.

A TYPO3 Camp is a barcamp, i.e. an open participatory conference. The content and schedule are determined by the participants themselves on the day of the event. There is no predetermined agenda.

The schedule usually looks like this:

• Session planning starts inthe morning after breakfast. Anyone can suggest a topic on which they would like to show or tell something. But topic requests are also possible: "I would like to know more about X, can someone say something about it?"
• A show of hands is then used to find out who is interested in which topic. Depending on the response, a suitable room and time slot is allocated.
• Three to five sessions run in parallel, depending on the size of the camp. You choose what interests you and switch between the slots.

The special thing about the barcamp format is that you don't know in advance what will be discussed. Topics often arise spontaneously. Someone has a question, someone else has an answer, and it becomes a session. Sometimes with 50 people in a full room, sometimes as a small discussion group of three at a table.

And then there's the part that's not on the program: the conversations during the breaks, at lunch, at the social event in the evening. You sit together, eat and drink something, talk to extension developers, core developers, people from other agencies. You exchange ideas, discuss project problems, get to know new people.

These informal conversations are often more valuable than the sessions themselves. You don't get that at a traditional workshop.

What are the specific benefits of a camp?

From my experience of over a decade of regular camp attendance, I can say that the benefits are broad and accumulate over the years.

• Solutions for current project problems. You get stuck on a topic, talk about it over lunch, and someone solved it last week.
• Ideas for project implementation. In a session, you see how someone approaches a problem differently to you. You take this with you and use it in your next project.
• Contacts that become collaborations. People you get to know at camps over the years become partners. You refer requests to each other because you know who is familiar with what.
• Extensions that you would otherwise never have heard of. A developer shows you an extension that solves exactly your problem. Or you get to know the developer of an extension that you already use and can ask questions directly.
• Direct line to core developers. At a camp you sit at the table with the people who build TYPO3. That's priceless.

A concrete example: I got to know the Renovate tool in a session at the TYPO3 Camp RheinRuhr about two years ago. Renovate monitors Composer packages in TYPO3 projects and reports available updates (Renovate can do even more, but that's how I use it at the moment). On this basis, I have now built a system with GitHub Actions that makes updating TYPO3 projects extremely easy. In conjunction with front-end testing tools such as Playwright, it even enables fully automated updates. Without attending this one session, I would probably never have gotten to know this tool. It has saved me countless hours of work over the last few months.

This is not a one-off stroke of luck. It happens at every camp. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But the cumulative effect over the years is enormous.

The cost comparison: camp vs. traditional training

This is where it gets interesting. A TYPO3 camp usually costs money:

For comparison:

• A TYPO3 one-day workshop with a commercial provider usually costs 1,000 to 1,500 euros. For one day, focused on a specific topic.
• Technology workshops (e.g. for AWS or comparable platforms) are around 2,000 euros for two to three days.

It is important to classify this fairly: a workshop is focused on a specific topic in a smaller group. This has its value and justification. A camp covers a broad spectrum and thrives on open exchange. One does not replace the other.

But the cost-benefit calculation for a camp is impressive. For the price of half a workshop day, you get two days of knowledge transfer, networking and practical impulses.

The counter-arguments and why they don't hold up

"The employee is missing from day-to-day business"

Most TYPO3 camps take place at the weekend. Saturday and Sunday, sometimes Friday and Saturday. In the worst case, an employee is missing a day for the journey. If that happens two or three times a year, it's a ridiculous investment in training.

And yes: you can't work productively on projects during training. This applies to any form of training, whether it's a camp, workshop or online course. However, the new impulses, techniques and contacts more than compensate for the absence.

"The employee could be poached"

Then ask yourself an uncomfortable question: if an employee at a camp decides to move to another agency so quickly, is it because of the camp? Or is it because of the company culture, the management style, the appreciation?

It's worth being honest here: When employees get to know the community and see how other agencies work, it's not a risk. It's a reality check. Employers who benefit from the fact that their own people have no comparison should ask themselves whether this is really the basis on which they want to retain a team.

"The costs are too high"

500 to 600 euros per person and event. Including catering, networking and two days of knowledge transfer. If an agency can't afford that, it has completely different problems than the question of whether it should send employees to camps.

Voices from the community

The LinkedIn post on which this article is based has generated a significant response in the TYPO3 community. Some have shared their own experiences. I would like to anonymously reproduce two voices here because they show the problem from different perspectives.

One TYPO3 developer reports that for years he had to take vacation days for community events and core team meetings. At the same time, his agency at the time actively advertised in client offers that they had a core developer on the team. Working on an open source project was therefore used as a sales argument, but not recognized as working time. It was only with another employer that everything was accepted, including Saturday as working time.

Another commentator describes the "keep it small" mindset that he himself experienced for years. As a creative, he was hardly allowed to attend events and was not offered any further training. His conclusion: he now knows exactly what he no longer wants professionally.

These experiences are not isolated cases. They show that the topic is hitting a nerve in the industry.

Why standing still is not an option

Our industry is dynamic. New technologies, new methods, new software. Everything is evolving. If you don't keep up, you lose touch. And standing still leads to the death of an agency in the long term.

TYPO3 camps are of course not the only method of further training. There are targeted workshops, online courses, documentaries and YouTube. But camps are one of the most effective and cheapest methods of building up knowledge, maintaining contacts and keeping your finger on the pulse of the community.

Agency heads who understand this actively encourage participation. They recognize that it's an investment, not a cost. People come back with fresh ideas, new approaches and an expanded network. This pays off in every single project.

Of course, there are also employees who don't want to spend their weekends at such events. There are good reasons for this: Family, other commitments, personal preferences. You can't and shouldn't force them. But as an agency, you can create a culture in which the added value of such events is visible. And you can specifically hire and promote people who see community engagement as part of their professional development.

The TYPO3 Camps 2026

The camp season is underway. Here are the most important TYPO3 events 2026:

You can already buy tickets for many of these events. You can find the current overview on the TYPO3 Events page.

Checklist: How to convince your boss

You want to go to a TYPO3 camp, but your boss is blocking you? Here are concrete steps and arguments you can use in the interview.

Prepare before the interview

• [ ] Pick a specific camp. Don't ask abstractly ("Can I go to a camp?"), but specifically: "I would like to go to the TYPO3 Camp Baden-Württemberg on May 8-10 in Heidelberg."
• [ ] Break down the costs. Ticket, hotel, travel. A concrete figure is better than a vague "It won't cost much." Reckon on 500 to 600 euros.
• [ ] Establish the link to day-to-day business. Which current project or challenge will benefit from this? "We are currently implementing project X and I expect to find solutions for Y there."
• [ ] Have a comparison with traditional training courses ready. A one-day workshop costs 1,000 to 1,500 euros. You pay a third of that for a camp weekend.

Argue in conversation

• [ ] Training, not leisure time. "This is one of the most affordable training opportunities in our industry. Two days of knowledge transfer, meals included, for around 500 euros."
• [ ] Network as a corporate value. "I make contacts with extension developers and other agencies there. These are relationships from which we benefit as a company."
• [ ] Competitiveness. "Our industry is developing fast. Camps are the most direct way to keep your finger on the pulse of TYPO3 development."
• [ ] Minimal downtime. "Most camps take place at the weekend. In the worst case, I miss a day for the journey."

After the camp

• [ ] Share knowledge. Offer to hold a short internal meeting after the camp in which you share the most important findings with the team. This shows the boss the concrete feedback.
• [ ] Document the results. What impulses did you take away? What contacts did you make? What solutions did you discover? This makes it easier to argue for the next time.

Conclusion

The TYPO3 Camps 2026 are just around the corner. You can already buy tickets for many events.

If you have employees: send them. There is no cheaper and more effective training. The costs are minimal, the downtime is low, and the benefits pay off in every project.

If you are an employee and your boss is blocking it: use the checklist above. Go into the conversation with concrete figures and arguments. It's about your further training, which will also benefit your company.

If you have to keep your people down to keep them, you have a problem. And the problem is not the camps.

If this article has helped you, share it with someone who needs it.