Local Hubs at RIPE 92: Bringing the Community Together, Wherever We Are

Beyond the plenaries and working group sessions, RIPE Meetings are where the RIPE community gathers to catch up, exchange experiences, talk about challenges, and make new connections. And while not everyone can travel to every RIPE Meeting every time, that doesn't mean people can't come together to take part in these events closer to home.

Local hubs give the community a way to get together in person while participating remotely in a RIPE Meeting. They combine the content and discussions of the event itself with the networking and community spirit that comes from meeting face-to-face. For RIPE 92 in Edinburgh, three such hubs were organised: in Sofia (Bulgaria), Istanbul (Türkiye) and Jarosław (Poland). Each offered a different perspective on what makes a successful hub.

RIPE 92 attracted almost 700 onsite and more than 300 online participants. The hubs provided a layer of engagement on top of that, letting people take part in the meeting remotely together.

We really believe that creating this option for attendees is an effective way to get people involved in RIPE activities who might not have taken part otherwise, and in this article we want to look at what went into organising the hubs themselves and the different experiences that came out of them.

Three hubs, three different communities

One of the most interesting aspects of the Local Hub programme is that there is no single formula for success.

Sofia: Building a national operator gathering

The Sofia hub, organised by Dimo Nikolov and Kristina Kaneva from BIX.BG, brought together participants from several major Bulgarian operators, Internet companies and system integrators. The hosts invested significant effort in outreach, contacting communities throughout Bulgaria and even neighbouring countries. While the 20 attendees ultimately came primarily from Sofia, the event succeeded in creating a lively and welcoming atmosphere.

The organisers adapted the RIPE 92 agenda to local time, prepared a Bulgarian-language programme and considered practical details such as dietary requirements and providing desks for people to work on, if they need to. They also had to solve a challenge familiar to anyone organising a remote participation event - lunch. With a two-hour time difference between Edinburgh and Sofia, local participants were hungry well before the RIPE Meeting lunch break began. The solution was simple and effective: provide sandwiches and other snacks during Bulgarian lunchtime and go to a nearby bar for a social break later in the day when RIPE 92 participants are having their lunch.

The hosts estimated spending around €2,000 on venue and catering, demonstrating that creating a high-quality Local Hub experience requires investment but can deliver significant value for participants.

Istanbul: Conversations beyond the screen

In Istanbul, Özgür Sırman and the team at TurkNet hosted their local hub in their office. Around 15 participants representing several major telecommunications companies attended, some traveling all the way from Ankara. The organisers noted that discussions frequently emerged during and after RIPE presentations, with participants exchanging experiences and perspectives on the topics being presented.

This highlights one of the biggest strengths of local hubs. Participants are not simply watching a webcast together. They are creating a local forum for discussion and knowledge exchange. Sometimes the most valuable conversations happen between presentations rather than during them.

The organisers also observed that attendees had deliberately set aside time from work to participate. Based on this experience, they concluded that concentrating activities on the two most technically relevant days of the meeting may be preferable to running a hub throughout an entire week.

Jarosław: Combining community and local culture

The Local Hub in Jarosław, organised by 5-time veteran Local Hub organiser Marek Zarychta and hosted at the State Academy of Applied Sciences, demonstrated another successful approach. The hub blended RIPE participation with local community building, bringing together university students, Erasmus participants, regional ICT professionals and other members of the local tech community.

A highlight of the event was a guided tour of the historic town of Jarosław, which proved particularly popular with visitors from outside. Besides the opportunity to explore the old town, the event also created an excellent space for discussions and exchange of experiences regarding new national ISP regulations, IPv6 deployment, VoIP solutions, and many other technical topics.

The organisers also emphasised the value of small details. Community-sponsored refreshments, support from local institutions and RIPE-branded giveaways all contributed to creating a welcoming atmosphere and helping participants feel connected to the wider RIPE community.

Common Lessons from RIPE 92

Although the three hubs differed slightly, several common themes emerged that I’m outlining here in the hope to help future organisers.

Attendance will never match registrations: All three organisers reported a gap between registrations and actual attendance. A 30% no-show rate is entirely normal, especially for free events. Future organisers should plan accordingly and avoid being discouraged by no-shows. A registration list of 30 participants may realistically translate into 20 attendees on the day.

Networking is as important as the webcast: Participants consistently valued the opportunity to meet peers, discuss operational challenges and exchange experiences. The RIPE webcast may be the reason people attend, but the local conversations are often what they remember afterwards.

Food matters: It may sound trivial, but refreshments repeatedly appeared in organiser feedback. Coffee, snacks and shared meals create opportunities for informal discussion and help participants stay engaged throughout the day. Time zone differences may require organisers to adapt meal schedules to local expectations.

Technical preparation pays off: The technical side of RIPE 92 Local Hubs was largely successful. Organisers tested their setup in advance and reported smooth experiences with minimal disruptions. Good audio quality remains particularly important, as participants are joining primarily to follow presentations and discussions.

Thinking About Organising a Local Hub?

If you are considering hosting a local hub for a future RIPE Meeting, here are a few practical recommendations based on the RIPE 92 experience:

• Focus on creating opportunities for local interaction, not just watching the webcast
• Start outreach early and use personal invitations in addition to mailing lists and social media
• Expect attendance to be lower than registration numbers
• Adapt the schedule to local realities, particularly around lunch breaks and working hours
• Keep the atmosphere informal and welcoming
• Test all technical equipment beforehand
• Provide refreshments if possible
• Consider adding local activities or discussions that complement the RIPE programme
• Don't worry about making the event large. A smaller group of engaged participants can create an excellent experience

Looking ahead

The Local Hub programme continues to demonstrate that meaningful participation in RIPE Meetings doesn't require everyone to be in the same room. Whether hosted in a university classroom in Poland, a tech venue in Bulgaria, or a network operator's office in Türkiye, the hubs provide a way for communities to come together, learn from one another and remain connected to the wider RIPE community.

The success of the RIPE 92 hubs shows that local participation is not simply a substitute for attending a RIPE Meeting in person. It is a valuable community-building activity in its own right.

As preparations begin for future RIPE Meetings, we hope to see even more communities take advantage of the opportunity to create their own local hub and bring a little bit of the RIPE Meeting experience closer to home.