When we think about conferences, it’s often images of vast crowds moving, almost anonymously, across a nondescript venue that come to mind. But what if things could be different? More intimate, connected, and altogether laid-back? 

That was the question on Adrian Marin’s mind as he set about designing a conference that put ‘cosiness’ at the fore. That was, to its very core, as friendly and welcoming as it was enlightening. So friendly, in fact, that the word even informed the conference's distinct name. Enter: Friendly.rb, a developer conference held in Bucharest, featuring some of the best European industry speakers with a very deliberate guestlist size of only around a hundred or so. 

The conference delves deep into all things ‘Ruby’ (as in programming language, not the precious gem!). And its first ever iteration, held this year, saw an incredible line-up of truly top-tier speakers take to the stage. A whole range of topics were covered expertly, from ‘Crafting Elegant Code with Ruby DSLs’ to ‘Making It as an Indie Developer’ and ‘Getting the Most Out of ChatGPT’.

Read on for our interview with Adrian to learn all about this highly successful conference – and the things that make it stand way out from the usual conferencing crowd. 

Barbara Feige is a self-confessed history buff. But it’s so much more than historical knowledge that makes her Munich tours stand out from the crowd. As you’ll learn when reading our interview with Barbara below, this is someone who’s excavated every nook and cranny of what makes a guided tour genuinely enjoyable for all participants. 

Herz und Heimat Stadtführungen (that’s ‘Heart & Home City Tours’ to English-speakers) are tours that have been very artfully tailored towards their members' specific wants and needs, you see. Rather than simply taking a one-size-fits-all approach, Barbara recognises that different people have very different priorities when it comes to exploring the city she proudly calls home. 

Some fancy a leisurely stroll with a few interesting facts thrown in along the way. Others want historic rigour and to fit as many architectural sites in as possible. Some participants are, in fact, hens first, tourists second (Herz & Heimat’s bachelorette tours have proven very popular). Others are there to bond with work colleagues while soaking up all that Munich has to offer. Then there are those who’ve just hopped off a long-haul flight, and who need more sustenance (in the form of traditional Munich fayre) than exertion.

It’s no wonder Barbara and her team are busy. There’s much to organise when you care passionately about delivering exceptional, tailored experiences for such a diverse cross section of Munich’s visitors. From what we gather, they do it all with nothing but joy.

Read on to learn more about this thriving independent tour business, from the woman who started it all.

It was just another average weekend when Mark Cooke decided to invite his mates around for a mini tabletop gaming convention – what better way to while away the hours while his wife was away on a hen do? Granted, it was a pretty impressive weekender considering it all took place at Mark’s flat (he even managed to secure a sponsor). But still, it would have been hard to predict just how game-changing (sorry) the whole thing would end up being for Mark and his friend-slash-co-founder, Ben. 

Fast-forward seven years, and these guys are running an award-winning analog gaming festival that attracted no less than 4000 attendees to its most recent event.

AireCon, which currently takes place at the Harrogate Convention Centre, provides a place for eager tabletop gaming fans to convene, play and connect with like-minded people. It prides itself on being super welcoming and inclusive – there’s no need to rally a group to attend with (although you can if you want to!), as those visiting alone will get tons of opportunities to connect with others. 

Keep reading to learn all about Mark and Ben’s awesome journey – from mates killing time one weekend, to co-founders of one of the country’s most successful gaming conventions. It really is impressive stuff.

Wrestling fans – unite! Or at least listen up, because if you haven't yet heard of Hooked on Wrestling, you’re going to want to rectify that… immediately 😌💪.

Even if you’re not into wrestling, we reckon you’ll be impressed by the subject of our latest Ticket Tailor community interview. Paul Benson took his passion for WWE and turned it into a thriving events business that brings like-minded wrestling enthusiasts together to enjoy major WWE events in a truly intoxicating atmosphere. Ten years into their endeavour, and they’ve proven that there was a giant Hooked on Wrestling-shaped hole in the fandom world of WWE… and that they were the ideal candidates to fill it. 

So, what’s it all about? Mainly – gathering wrestling fans together in super-cool locations (like Croydon’s BOXPARK) to watch major WWE events as a fun-seeking collective. There’s a giant screen for watching, obviously, plus games, wrestling tunes, food and drink and (of course) the occasional wrestling pub quiz. 

What’s even more impressive is that Paul and his Hooked on Wrestling team seamlessly run multiple sell-out events like this at once… proving that with enough hard work and dedication you can turn your passion into something much, much bigger than a hobby. Inspirational, to say the least. 

Keep scrolling for our interview with Paul. It’s well worth the read.

This September, for a whole weekend, the streets of Stroud will take on a different quality. Among the usual locals and Cotswolds-visitors will be a more niche type of tourist – one that’s interested in discovering the less-trodden tracks of Stroud, and who has a keen ear for cutting-edge contemporary classical and avant-garde music. 

Across the 23rd and 24th September, the third edition of Hidden Notes festival – organised by the minds behind Stroud-based culture magazine Good On Paper – will fill venues across the town once more. It’s set to be an incredible few days of truly unique music line-ups, which include Mercury Music Prize and Emmy-nominated composer, and BBC Radio 3 broadcaster, Hannah Peel, as well as legendary Japanese composer and percussionist Midori Takada among many, many others.

We are quite literally scratching the surface here 👆. So without further ado, let’s get stuck into our recent chat with Alex Hobbis – one half of the founding pair of Hidden Notes. Read on to learn all about this pioneering festival, and the beautiful – often surprising – town that it calls home. 

In the Netherlands, something pretty special takes place every spring. From around mid-April to mid-May, vast swathes of its countryside are transformed into a technicolor dream, with rows upon rows of blooming tulips opening their petals to the blue spring skies. Pink, yellow, purple, red, orange… these are rainbows like you’ve never seen them before. 

Below, we chat to Rory, a member of the Ticket Tailor community who’s made a successful tour business out of these precious weeks in-bloom. A tour business with Barack Obama on its roster of past attendees, no less. 

Amsterdam Tulips Tour offers backroads tours of some of the region’s most stunning tulip fields with a visit to a fully private tulip farm. Rory is friends with the farmers, so his tour groups get to spend plenty of time in the fields without having to fight their way through swarms of tourist crowds.Read on to learn all about how Rory has crafted a unique offering that allows visitors of the region to experience Amsterdam’s tulip fields in a truly authentic, intimate way.

Adventure Velo was born out of one woman’s newfound love of cycling. Just over a year from launch, the company’s become a successful cycling tour operator in the Cotswolds and beyond. “My motto is dream, believe, achieve,” founder Lauren Shaw tells us below; an attitude that’s as intoxicating as it is – evidently – effective. 

Not only does Adventure Velo offer a range of bespoke guided and non-guided cycling tours around the enchanting Cotswolds, it runs a bi-annual and wildly successful Ladies Weekend event – a real gamechanger for women who want to try cycling but have been daunted by male-dominated clubs in the past. As if all that weren’t impressive enough, Adventure Velo wheels are soon to be spinning across beautiful landscapes overseas, too, with their Euro tour taking place this month. 

Read on for our chat with Lauren, where she talks about everything from the initial inspiration behind Adventure Velo through to the breathtaking beauty of the Cotswolds, and the self-confessed perfectionism that makes her business stand out.

Let’s go 🚴👇.