A Platform for the Future of Collaboration
By Taco Potze, Co-founder & CEO, Open Social
Opening the Summit,Open Social’s CEO, Taco Potze, introduced Open Social’s Community Collaboration Platform, a major evolution in how organizations can connect, share and innovate together.
This new positioning defines Open Social’s long-term vision to become the trusted foundation for large-scale mission-driven collaboration, blending open technology, interoperability and digital sovereignty into one connected ecosystem.
“Collaboration shouldn’t be siloed; it should be systemic,” Taco noted.
“Our mission is to turn individual communities into a collective force for good.”
Measuring the ROI of Collaboration, Lumina Insights and the Value of Engagement
By Bram ten Hove, Co-founder & CTO, Open Social
Bram, our CTO, introduced Lumina Insights, Open Social’s powerful analytics and intelligence suite.
Unlike traditional reporting tools, Lumina Insights is the first platform analytics solution designed specifically for community collaboration. It not only visualizes engagement and growth but also provides governance-ready data and actionable insights that help organizations prove impact and guide real decisions.
With Lumina, communities can finally measure and understand what and who drives participation, retention and real-world outcomes across complex networks.
Key highlights included:
- Real-time dashboards that track engagement and growth
- Privacy-safe analytics fully aligned with data sovereignty standards
- Actionable insights that connect activity to impact
Cross-Organizational Collaboration at Scale: The WE BUILD Consortium Case Study
By Louise de Laat, Project Manager, WE BUILD Consortium
Louise de Laat shared lessons from coordinating collaboration among more than 180 public and private organizations across 30 countries within the WE BUILD Consortium, one of the largest digital collaboration initiatives in Europe.
Her presentation showed how Open Social powers this ecosystem as a Community Collaboration Platform, enabling secure communication, governance and innovation between diverse partners.
She also introduced the consortium’s work on the EU Digital Wallet for Business, a pilot initiative designed to simplify cross-border transactions and strengthen Europe’s digital autonomy. By connecting national administrations, business registers and technology platforms, the project demonstrates how open standards and interoperability can build trust across sectors while supporting the next phase of the European digital economy.
Designing for the Future and Building Our Document Collaboration Suite
By Victoria Vorobiova, Design Lead, Open Social
Victoria, our very own Design Lead, introduced Open Social’s Document Collaboration Suite, a new addition to the Community Collaboration Platform that lets members co-create, edit and organize documents directly within their communities.
She explained how the suite was designed to bring collaboration into context, making file sharing and versioning effortless for distributed teams.
Her presentation focused on design principles that guide Open Social’s approach to product innovation: simplicity, familiarity and inclusivity. By combining intuitive interfaces with secure access management, the suite enables teams to work together efficiently and transparently in any hybrid environment.
Collaborative Open-Source Editing: Collabora Online
By Eloy Crespo, VP Business Development, Collabora
Eloy presented the next evolution of open-source document editing with the latest updates to Collabora Online, now fully integrated into Open Social’s Document Collaboration Suite.
He showcased a redesigned, faster editing experience with new capabilities like on-selection edits, nested comments and secure digital signing, all built to enhance usability without compromising control.
The collaboration between Collabora and Open Social reflects a shared commitment to digital sovereignty, open standards and user privacy, ensuring organizations can manage their documents with complete independence and trust.
Multi-Community Ecosystems and Collective Intelligence: Navigating Multi-Community Ecosystems
By Erik Ballhausen, ICT Advisor, European Commission
Erik explored how interconnected community networks can create collective outcomes across sectors, drawing from real examples within European Commission projects.
He discussed how the principles outlined in Communities of Practice by Etienne Wenger still hold true in today’s digital context, showing how shared purpose and participation remain essential for collaboration at scale.
His presentation highlighted the growing importance of interoperability and open ecosystems, where multiple platforms and institutions work together to exchange knowledge, reduce duplication and drive systemic change.
Product Insights: Engagement Studio & Connection Hub
By Moritz Arendt, Head of Product, Open Social
Moritz, our own Head of Product, introduced three key innovations shaping Open Social’s product ecosystem in 2025: Engagement Studio, Connection Hub and Gaia AI.
Together they form the foundation of Open Social’s Community Collaboration Platform, helping organizations create deeper connections, automate engagement and integrate their communities into broader digital ecosystems.
The Engagement Studio enables teams to design personalized communication flows that drive participation and retention. The Connection Hub connects Open Social with existing CRMs, data warehouses and automation tools, turning platforms into fully connected collaboration environments.
Moritz also previewed Gaia AI, a suite of built-in assistants that help summarize content, score relevance and support community moderation.
From Knowledge Silos to Collective Intelligence: The UNDP SparkBlue Journey
By Gayan Peiris, Head of Data, Technology & AI, UNDP
Gayan’s session was one of the highlights of the Summit, showing how SparkBlue, UNDP’s global platform with over 40,000 members across 190 countries, is using AI to connect expertise and ideas across agencies.
He spoke about turning static knowledge into living intelligence and how human-centered AI can strengthen collaboration while protecting trust and ethics.
AI, Vision Agents and the Future of Community Intelligence
By Jamie Abrahams, Co-founder, FreelyGive & Drupal AI Initiative
Jamie introduced Vision Agents, AI-powered tools built to help community managers moderate, summarize and surface insights across discussions.
His talk sparked a lively debate on how automation can enhance engagement without losing the authenticity and human connection that define successful communities.
One Platform, Many Roles
By Manuela Capraro, Digital Transformation Lead, WAGGGS
Manuela shared how WAGGGS, the world’s largest movement for girls and young women with more than 10.8 million members across 153 countries, is transforming the way it collaborates digitally.
She described the organization’s journey from scattered tools and “digital archipelagos” toward a connected ecosystem centered on Campfire, its Open Social platform.
Her talk illustrated how integration, governance and clear ownership are essential for sustainable transformation. By aligning their platform with core systems like CRM and analytics, WAGGGS is creating a single, trusted space for collaboration, learning and leadership development worldwide.
Measuring Impact and Success: Community Strategy Foundations and Theory
By Emile Berckmoes, Founder, Product Department
Emile shared a practical framework for understanding what drives successful community platforms, combining strategy, behavioral psychology and product thinking.
He explained how growth depends on clearly defining the core interaction of a platform and solving the classic “chicken and egg” challenge of participation.
His session outlined principles for building sustainable engagement and leadership alignment, reminding organizations that strong communities do not just happen but are designed, curated and maintained.
Fireside Panel: The Future of Collaboration Platforms
The closing panel brought together Gayan Peiris (UNDP), Zarko Palankov (World Bank) and Paul Gatoux (Upsun) to explore the future of collaboration platforms.
Their discussion centered on how open ecosystems, AI and ethical data practices can shape the next generation of global cooperation.
The speakers agreed that trust, transparency and shared standards will be key to building technology that truly connects people and organizations at scale.
Workshops & Hands-On Learning: Day 2
The second day of the Summit gave participants the opportunity to explore Open Social’s newest tools in a series of interactive workshops led by our product experts.
Each session focused on practical learning, collaboration and sharing insights from real community use cases.
Highlights included:
- Community Management System and Add-ons with Stefano Tabarelli
- Product Deep Dive: Engagement Studio and Connection Hub with Moritz Arendt
- Designing with Purpose with Victoria Vorobiova and Alexander Varwijk
- Gaia AI: Vision, Use Cases and What’s Next with Jamie Abrahams
- #AskUsAnything Q&A with Taco Potze and Bram ten Hove
Closing Reflections
The Open Social Summit ’25 reminded us that collaboration is never just about platforms or technology. It is about the people who build trust, share knowledge and create space for change together.
Across every presentation and conversation one message stood out clearly: meaningful innovation happens when communities unite around a shared purpose.
This year’s Summit showed how far we have come, from ethical AI and open data to large-scale cross-organizational collaboration, but also how much potential there still is when we choose to build openly and act collectively.
We are deeply grateful to our speakers, partners and participants for bringing their energy, ideas and belief in collaboration to Amsterdam.
Explore the Aftermovie below to relive the moments that inspired us and shaped the vision for what comes next.
Connect. Collaborate. Thrive.
Open Social, powering digital collaboration and communities worldwide.
