meetup · one-off
.NET CMS Showdown: Three Platforms, One Discussion
Three .NET CMS MVPs, one room, no declared winner
When
Thursday 7 May
Time
17:00
Venue
IDHL
City Centre
Price
Free
On Thursday 7 May 2026, Umbraco Leeds Meetup hosts a head-to-head forum comparing three of the most widely used .NET content management platforms: Umbraco, Kentico, and Optimizely. Three MVPs — one per platform — each take ten minutes to cover key features, available products, AI capabilities, and what distinguishes their CMS from the others. After the presentations, the floor opens for a Q&A that can go anywhere: licensing models, hosting options, editor experience, AI integrations, real-world implementation headaches.
The format is deliberately non-competitive. There is no panel vote, no winner announced. The point is to get honest, platform-specific knowledge into the same room so that developers, architects and project managers can ask the questions that actually affect their work. If you are mid-evaluation, committed to one platform but curious about the others, or just want to hear practitioners talk candidly about trade-offs, this is a practical use of a Thursday evening. Pizza and refreshments are included.
Umbraco Leeds Meetup has been running .NET and CMS-focused events in Leeds for several years, drawing developers and digital professionals from across West Yorkshire. The group sits within a wider network of Umbraco user groups across the UK, but its events regularly reach beyond the Umbraco community to cover the broader .NET web development ecosystem. Sponsors for this event include Enjoy Digital, Pixelbuilders, Moriyama and MSQ DX, all of whom are contributing venue, food and drink.
Why attend
You will hear three platform MVPs give their honest account of what their CMS does well and where it struggles — in ten minutes each, with no marketing budget behind them. The open forum that follows is the more valuable part: bring a specific question about licensing, headless architecture, AI content tooling or migration complexity and you are likely to get a direct answer from someone who has shipped it in production.
The networking runs from 20:00 and draws .NET developers, digital agencies and technical decision-makers from across Leeds and West Yorkshire. Free to attend, with pizza provided.
Agenda
- 18:00 — Mingling and pizza
- 18:30 — .NET CMS Showdown: ten-minute presentations from each MVP, followed by open forum Q&A
- 20:00 — Open social and networking
Speakers
- Andy Boot — Umbraco MVP
- Liam Goldfinch — Kentico MVP
- Graham Carr — Optimizely OMVP
Organiser
Umbraco Leeds Meetup
Umbraco Leeds Meetup is a community group for .NET and CMS practitioners in West Yorkshire, hosted by Phil W. and four co-organisers. They run regular evening events covering Umbraco and the wider .NET web development ecosystem. Events are free and typically include food, drink and time to network.
Venue
IDHL, City Centre
IDHL is based on the first floor at 10 South Parade in Leeds city centre, a central and well-connected location familiar to many in the Leeds digital agency scene.
FAQs
- Is this event free to attend?
- Yes, the event is free. Pizza and refreshments are provided on the night, sponsored by Enjoy Digital, Pixelbuilders, Moriyama and MSQ DX.
- Where exactly is the venue?
- IDHL, First Floor, 10 South Parade, Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire.
- Do I need to register in advance?
- Yes. Registration is through the Meetup.com event page for the Umbraco Leeds Meetup group.
- Who is this event aimed at?
- Developers, technical architects, project managers and anyone involved in CMS selection or implementation on .NET projects. You do not need to be an existing Umbraco user.
- Is this event in person or online?
- In person only, at IDHL in Leeds city centre. No hybrid or remote option is mentioned in the event details.