Ciao, Statamic family! If you missed Flat Camp EU 2024, let’s just say you missed one heck of a good time. After last year’s epic get-together in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, we decided it was time to pack our bags, cross the pond, and bring the party closer to our European friends, customers, and community members. This year, we set up camp right outside the eternal city of Rome, Italy - and it was nothing short of magical.

Forget the auditorium. Flat Camp is all about forging connections, sharing ideas, and getting hands-on with the coolest crew around. It’s a conference, sure, but one where the focus is on people and our lovely community, not the slides on a screen. Let’s be honest, conference talks can still be watched on YouTube anyway. But meeting people and sharing an amazing experience together? Only possible IRL. 50 people from all over the world made their way to Italy to join us.

La Dolce Vita: The All-Inclusive Flat Camp Experience

Imagine this: three nights in a private Italian villa nestled in the countryside just outside Rome. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? Well, that was our reality at Flat Camp this year. From the moment we arrived, it was clear this wasn’t just any conference — it was a full-blown experience.

• Lodging: We took over an entire villa, ensuring that everyone had a cozy room to rest their heads after long days of geeking out (about mechanical keyboards) and networking.
• Food: Our private chef whipped up incredible meals — breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The food was so good it might have been a sin to leave a single crumb behind. And let’s not forget the (all-you-can-drink) wine cellar. When in Rome, right?
• Swag: Exclusive Statamic and Flat Camp swag? Oh, you bet! We made sure everyone left with more than just memories.
• Fun: A spontaneous ping pong tournament? Check. Poolside hangouts? Double-check. Sylvester even brought some special Statamic craft beers all the way from Denmark. Cheers to that!

Some of us arrived a bit early or stuck around after to soak in Rome’s sights, sounds, and (of course) tastes. Whether it was exploring ancient ruins like the Colosseum, indulging in pasta, or just wandering through cobblestone streets, Rome was the perfect backdrop for our community to connect and unwind.

The Core Team: The Dream Team

Having the entire Core Team — Jack, Jason, Jesse, Joshua, Duncan, and Erin — on-site was awesome since we don't see each other in person often as a remote-first team. It’s one thing to chat on Discord, but getting the community together and having actual face time is way more valuable. The show'n'tell session was particularly cool, with everyone showcasing their latest projects and ideas. Here are a few highlights:

• Sylvester from TV2 shared some insights about their migration and launched their first site right after Flat Camp. Talk about timing!
• Jack Sleight blew everyone’s minds with his amazing (Bard) PRs and experiments.
• Jason gave us a sneak peek at driver-based image transformation coming in the future.
• Jesse dove into some cool modular Starter Kit stuff that we launched a few days ago.
• Duncan shared all about the new Dictionaries Fieldtype that's also available now.
• Jack teased the upcoming redesign of statamic.com.
• Plus, there were tons of (client) projects shown and fresh ideas bouncing around, like the potential of Statamic Enterprise.

Looking Forward to the Next Camp

This year's Flat Camp was everything we hoped it would be and more. It was an opportunity to talk about Statamic's roadmap with the people who use it the most and also to strengthen the bonds within our community. We left Rome with full hearts, full bellies, and a ton of new ideas. If you couldn’t make it this year, don’t worry — we’re already looking forward to the next one. Where will we go? You’ll just have to wait and see!

A massive thank you to our sponsors as well — Ploi.io, Pingu Solutions, Codetopia, and Arcustech — for helping make this event possible and allow more people to come. You guys rock!

Check out the photo gallery to relive some of the best moments, and start planning for next year. Flat Camp is more than just a conference — it’s a community, a family, and one heck of a good time. See you at the next one!