1. Introduction
For the Umbraco community in India, the Umbraco India Festival 2026 (#UIF26) was an extremely significant turning point. Developers, technology professionals, MVPs, partners, speakers, and all other attendees came together for the nation's first Umbraco Festival to exchange ideas, explore new technologies, and talk about Umbraco's future.
The 2-day festival, which took place in Kochi on August 28 and 29, provided a platform that included AI, MCP, automation, scalability, search, and the future of digital experiences. #UIF26 held special significance for Techxot. In addition to actively engaging in the festival through hackathon projects, knowledge-sharing sessions, community interactions, and discussions on the future of search, we were honored to sponsor this historic event as a Platinum Sponsor and Official Umbraco Partner.
This Umbraco Festival became more than just an event for us. It was an opportunity to contribute, collaborate, connect with the community, and be part of an important new chapter for Umbraco in India.
In this blog, we take you through our journey at #UIF26; from Hack on the Waves and our team projects to inspiring sessions, community conversations, presentation on the future of search, and the memorable moments that made India’s first-ever Umbraco Festival truly special.
2. From Nashik to Kochi: The Techxot Journey Begins
We began the trip from Nashik to the #UIF26 Umbraco India Festival 2026 with our twelve members.
After arriving in a new city, we were eager to learn, discover and get to know the Umbraco community. But before the main festival sessions began, we had a unique experience waiting for us- Hack on the Waves.
It was a great beginning to our stay in Kochi and sets up the scene for the days ahead, which was full of technology, new relationships, education, and treasured memories.
3. Day 1: Hack on the Waves
Hacking on the Waves was one of the most exciting experiences. It wasn't a usual hackathon inside a conference room. During this special three-hour event on a Kochi Water Metro vessel in Kochi, India. Developers, MVPs, and tech geeks came together to write code while cruising the sea.
Along this sailing we also got an opportunity to meet each other again, share our ideas, and interact with other community members. There was no pressure, no winners, and no competition; only attendees enjoying each other and sharing ideas.
It was a great and rejuvenating start to our Umbraco India Festival tour and a splendid example of the values of an open-source community.
4. Conversations Beyond the Sessions
Some of the best moments at a technology event are felt outside the conference rooms. From seeing new developers, partners, MVPs, speakers, and members of the Umbraco community to exchanging ideas and viewpoints on technology, AI, content management, and digital experiences, beyond the meetings, a lot was going on.
One of the highlights for us was seeing two hackathon projects developed by our Techxot teams. As part of the hackathon, participating teams build projects or POCs based on Umbraco and AI, and we were proud to have two of our teams take part.
The teams worked together to develop the projects, with Aditya Bhagwat and Durgesh Patil, our freshers, putting in great effort and working hard throughout the project, while Shital Kuyate presented and explained the projects, showcasing how AI can support smarter content creation and more efficient Umbraco publishing workflows. It was a proud moment for all of us and a great reflection of the teamwork and effort behind both projects.
5. Day 2: The Festival Begins
This special Day 2 had plenty happening even before the main sessions began. The Umbraco festival began with a Run in the morning, followed by a warm welcome at the Lulu Twin Tower in the Smart City, Kochi.
With the well-known #H5YR (Hi-Five You Rock) tradition of greeting guests, the venue embodied the spirit of the Umbraco community.
Before the event began, the entire community came together for a 30-second moment of silence in tribute to Nepal flood crisis. It was a moment of unity and togetherness that showed what the Umbraco community is truly about: people first, as always.
The celebration then started with a traditional welcoming ritual. The Umbraco HQ team and sponsors were also invited to be part of the inauguration. Representing Techxot, Rohan, our Co-Founder and Managing Director, had the opportunity to take part in this special moment, making the occasion even more memorable for our team.
Followed by a vibrant Kathakali dance performance, celebrating Kerala’s rich cultural heritage and adding a beautiful cultural touch at the beginning of the festival.
With virtual messages from Umbraco CEO Mats Persson and VP of Developer Relations Emma Garland, the celebration was made even more remarkable. Hearing from Umbraco's leaders was an important and unforgettable moment for India's first-ever Umbraco Festival.
6. The Sessions That Took Center Stage
Now that the festival had officially begun, the day was full of events with talks on everything from AI and MCP to business architecture, scalability, automation, and the future of search.
A few memorable sessions and moments.
Stephen Simon: Rethinking AI Agents with MCP
Stephen Simon gave an engaging presentation on AI agents and MCP to start the technical talks. In order to provide new opportunities for more connected AI experiences, the session examined how MCP is altering how AI agents interact with tools, systems, and context
Antony Meyn: Building Umbraco for Scale
Antony Meyn gave insights into the architecture and scalability needed to support expanding digital platforms by taking the audience behind the scenes of Umbraco Cloud load balancing.
Ansar and Farsuddin: Bringing Three CMS Platforms Together
Ansar and Farsuddin discussed how they combined three different CMS platforms into a single Umbraco Cloud platform. Their talk provided a useful overview of the benefits and difficulties associated with corporate replatforming.
A Little Fun Along the Way
To be fair, the day wasn't only about presentations and technology. All came together dancing with high-energy and that brought the spirit of the festival and reminded the attendees that life is worth enjoyment in being together with others at a community event.
Lunch, Games, and Great Conversations
After a busy morning with lots of knowledge sharing, discussions and new ideas, it was time to take a break and rejuvenate.
All attendees took a break, enjoyed some great food, played some fun games organized by the team and continued the discussions in a relaxed environment during lunch. All in all, it was yet another great opportunity for discussion and also an excellent networking forum with other participants.
Agentic Umbraco: Where Automation Meets MCP
Nikhil Prajapati took the stage to discuss how AI agents, MCP, and Umbraco automation can collaborate to build more intelligent and integrated workflows.
The presentation was based on what these technologies can offer in relation to the automation of content operations and artificial intelligence (AI) and how they can make multi-step workflows smarter and more efficient.
A Pause for Mindfulness
Additionally, Seema Sunil's meditation session in the afternoon, "The Present is Perfect," provided a valuable change of pace.
It served as an emotional call to stop, think, and enjoy the moment among conversations about innovation and technology.
Bringing the Energy to the Festival
To add to the fun and liveliness, Maulik Dudharejia gave the event a dance performance energizing the event. It was an eye opener that the Umbraco India Festival wasn't just about learning and technology but also celebrating, connecting and enjoying the experience together.
The Future of Search: SEO, AEO, and GEO
The highlight of our time was witnessing the speech by the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Techxot, Mateen Shaikh.
During his presentation on the Future of Search: SEO, AEO & GEO in Umbraco, Mateen discussed the changing landscape of search beyond SEO and how organizations should consider their content to be found and understood by AI-powered search and answer engines.
The session also provided an understanding of the AI Inspector package and how SEO, AEO, and GEO will become a critical part of the future of digital visibility.
I, AI, and Umbraco: A Developer Perspective
Emmanuel Tissera spoke about Umbraco's potential for more agentic and AI-driven experiences, allowing a developer-focused viewpoint on the platform's future.
It offered a curious peek at how AI might continue to affect Umbraco development, developer interaction, and usage.
A Story That Inspired the Community
The youngest member of the Umbraco MVP group from Nepal, Bishal Tim, discussed his journey to become the youngest MVP.
It proved to serve as an inspiring reminder that the Umbraco ecosystem is made up of people, experiences, and adventures that shape the community in addition to technology.
The Floor Was Open: A Conversation with Umbraco HQ
As the event moved towards its conclusion, the floor was officially opened for an engaging Umbraco Q&A session taken by Antony Meyn and Emmanuel Tissera. It was an excellent opportunity for community members, developers, and students to speak with Umbraco HQ professionals firsthand.
This session was one of the most engaging parts of #UIF26, led to insightful discussions, curious questions, and valuable knowledge sharing. It was great to see how the community actively participated in turning the QnA session into an open discussion about Umbraco, technology, and the future.
7. A Celebration of People, Partnership, and Community
As the sessions came to an end, the festival took a moment to celebrate the people and organizations who played an important role in making India’s first-ever Umbraco Festival a memorable experience.
The Indian Umbraco MVPs were honored on stage for their contributions to the community, while the visiting Umbraco HQ delegation received a meaningful gift from the Umbraco India Festival team.
It was a proud moment for the whole Techxot team, as our Co-Founder and Managing Director, Mateen Shaikh, received the Speaker Award for his session on “The Future of Search: SEO, AEO, and GEO”. His dedication to his work, commitment to knowledge sharing, and effective delivery of the session contributed to this well-deserved recognition.
The festival also took a moment to appreciate the organizations whose support helped bring the event to life. Techxot, Phases, and Giriraj Digital were Platinum Sponsors and WeSure a Gold Sponsor.
The event was further enriched by the speakers, whose insightful sessions and expertise brought valuable perspectives to the Umbraco India Festival 2026. With their ideas, experiences, and insights: Simon, Tony, Farshad, Ansar, Nikhil, Mateen, and Emmanuel.
And, of course, special appreciation also went to the organizing committee and the dedicated team who made this event a success.
Wrapped Up with Music and Dance
As the evening drew to a close, there was music and a dance floor. Team Techxot really enjoyed dancing altogether after a day full of technical discussions and lectures, as it was the ideal way to wrap out the Umbraco India Festival 2026
8. Techxot: Platinum Sponsor of #UIF26
For Techxot, being named a Platinum Sponsor of India’s first-ever Umbraco Festival meant much more than having our name associated with the event. It was an opportunity to support and stand with a thriving community that is growing, sharing knowledge, and shaping the future of Umbraco in India.
9. A Special Thank You to the Umbraco HQ Team
We would also like to thank Mathilde Høst, Antony Meyn, and Emmanuel Tissera from Umbraco HQ for being part of this memorable occasion and providing us with an unforgettable experience to remember. In the coming year, we want to have them back for the Umbraco India Festival in Goa.
10. Until the Next Chapter
As we wrapped up two memorable days, we took back so many memories with us. We returned with fresh ideas, meaningful connections, new perspectives, and an even stronger appreciation for the power of the community.
And while the festival may have come to an end, the conversations, connections, and ideas it created are only just beginning.
