Our Laracon US 2025 Experience

Next year will mark the 10-year anniversary of my first line of Laravel code.

I’d been writing code for many years before that. I was writing HTML and CSS in my early teens, and then my eyes were opened to PHP.

A programming language that allowed me to do ‘smart’ things, like let people log in, create database entries, and include reusable templates.

Over time, I had the chance to build a wide range of PHP projects. With each one, my skill set grew, my experience widened, and I learnt plenty of lessons along the way.

So in 2016, less than 12 months after starting Steadfast Collective, I took on my most ambitious project yet. I estimated it would take 53 days. It probably took closer to 300.

I knew I needed a framework that would shortcut a lot of the boring stuff and something that would grow with the project. I was also self-aware enough to admit that writing SQL queries (how you talk to a database) wasn’t my strongest suit.

I’d heard of Laravel. So I read everything I could find.

I instantly fell in love.

That project is still live today. And since then, at Steadfast Collective, we’ve built with Laravel ever since.

We became patron sponsors of the Laravel framework in 2019. When this developed into the now partner programme launched, we didn’t hesitate.

Laracon 2025

In July 2025, Alex and I headed to our first Laracon. There are a handful of Laracons around the world. Not wanting to do half measures, we flew out to Denver for Laracon US, the premier Laravel conference.

Laracon US felt right. We were sponsoring the event, we were able to meet a client there, and it gave us the chance to meet the Laravel and Statamic team.

Day 0

The day before the event, the Laravel team had lined up something special for speakers and sponsors. We headed to the Pinery Golf Course, collected our sponsor badges, and found ourselves paired up with another member of the Laravel community.

It was at this point you could really feel the scale and impact of Laravel.

Here were 150 people, all of whom had travelled to Denver. And these folks weren’t just attending, they were sponsoring or speaking at the event.

That’s when it really hit me: Laravel isn’t just a framework. It’s an economy of people who owe their businesses, teams, and products to Laravel.

We swung some clubs, hit some balls, and occasionally fired some CO2 cannons.

Day 1 & 2

The conference itself was held at the Mission Ballroom, a huge venue capable of holding 4,000 people. In later posts, I’ll share what was announced (and how it might impact you!).

But first, a quick note on the event itself.

The Laravel events and marketing team is lean, but they pulled off one of the most inclusive and welcoming events I’ve ever attended.

A few examples:

1. Posters with a phone number to call or text if you see or experience something that doesn’t align with the code of conduct.

2. An MC who really understood how to set the tone.

3. More food and drink options than you could ask for.

I often find myself at community or membership events, where the focus is on community managers. These conferences are always thoughtful and accessible, I wasn’t expecting the same from a tech conference.

But this is where Laravel stands out. And it’s why it’s the perfect fit for Steadfast Collective.

At Steadfast Collective, we sit in this brilliant Venn diagram of clients who use Laravel and build memberships or communities.

Laravel is built by the community, for the community and in our case, used by communities.

A big high-five to Alex for joining me on the trip.