NDC Oslo is a software development conference in Oslo, Norway, part of the NDC Conferences portfolio. Originally focused on Microsoft technologies – I believe NDC stands (stood?) for Dot Net Developer Conference – it has somewhat deemphasizes its Microsoft technology roots, though it still feels fairly Microsoft-centric.
My talk Data Modeling for Software Engineers was selected by the organizers for this year’s conference, and found myself making a second trip to Oslo in less than two months: last fall my wife and I started planning a Norwegian holiday, well before my talk was selected.
Venue
NDC Oslo 2025 was held at the Oslo Spektrum, a multipurpose arena originally built for professional hockey. The arena was then deemed too expensive for the two Oslo professional teams, and the albatross was repurposed as a concert venue and event center.
Main Floor
The main floor – e.g., the level where the ice rink would be – is the common area for the conference: food stalls, vendor booths, pinball machines, tables for eating or working, chairs and beanbags, generally where everyone coalesces when not attending a session. A stage for keynote address was erected, behind which was the larger (largest?) presentation room. The main floor was the starting point for everything about the conference.
I was most impressive with how well traffic flowed here, especially during the lunch break when no sessions are held and everyone is getting their sustenance. While definitely crowded, it was not the oppressive crowds I’ve experienced elsewhere where, at times, it is almost impossible to move at all. Only during then vendor drawings, when everyone gathers round to find out they didn’t win, did traffic truly stop.
Presentation Rooms
Five of the seven presentation rooms were created by cordoning off a section of upper-deck seats with a curtain to create rooms in which to present. For Room 6, the room in which I presented, I roughly count 350 seats. As shown above, the upper-deck is fairly steep, perhaps surprisingly but sensible for the Spektrum’s original role as a sporting arena.
The two main floor presentation rooms were on the concourse where seats are on a level surface. In my experience this is a more typical arrangement, no different than when held in hotels or office conference rooms.
A special overflow section allowed attendees to watch any of three different rooms, listened with provided headphones, allowing attendees to switch between these rooms without physically relocating. Just another type of channel surfing.
Quiet Spaces
The Spektrum layout allowed for three separate spaces where attendees and speakers escaped the hustle/bustle of the main conference. A green room on the main floor is a softly-lit, decently quiet room for anyone to rest and decompress before reentering the fray. The second upper-deck level had an area for those who needed get work done, while a third level area was designated for speaker preparation.
I used both the second and third level spaces and, as advertised, quiet and relaxing places to work and prepare away from the main floor. Conferences often don’t have the room to provide such areas, so kudos to NDC Oslo for addressing this need.
Food Galore
Most conferences carefully stage manage the refreshments provided, e.g.: mid-morning/-afternoon snacks; pre-packaged or buffet lunches with limited choices; on-demand coffee and tea. Lunches in particular are underwhelming, repetitive and frustrating, and at least once I’ll leave the conference in search of something more appealing. Organizers with whom I’ve spoken confirm that feedback from attendees leans negative, but venue requirements, dietary restrictions, and budgets make it impossible to please everyone.
NDC Oslo is different … dramatically.
Wednesday was the first day of talks, and multiple Slack threads praised the available food. I was hungry after arriving mid-day Wednesday in Oslo, so headed to the Spektrum to get my conference credentials and see what, if any, food was still available post-lunch. The answer: everything!
My expectations were low; instead NDC Oslo had food from multiple vendors always available: breakfast items, curry dishes, sandwiches, sliders, pizza, sweets, sodas, coffee, tea, more. Peckish? Pick up whatever appeals to you at that moment. Not currently hungry? No problem, the same choices will be available later!
The line for pizza confirmed its status as an attendee favorite, which included me. I also enjoyed (too many) slices of carrot cake. I tried other dishes but often went back for more pizza. Definitely no complaints from this speaker!
Conference Organizers
The organizers of NDC Oslo showed their experience by delivering a top-notch conference. Most of my interactions with the organizers were through emails and Slack – I say I met anyone in person – but everyone was friendly, organized, helpful, and, most importantly, professional. Pre-conference questions were answered quickly and the conference ran without a hitch. I know the effort required to execute a conference, and it shows by the overall quality of the end product.
Final Thoughts
An amazing experience attending and speaking at my first NDC Oslo, one I hope to repeat next year!
Image Credits
All images © 2025, Scott C. Sosna
