We sat down with Sanne ahead of Meet Magento New York to talk about bringing Hyvä Commerce stateside, what makes MM25NYC special, and why face-to-face still matters in our digital world.
New York, New York 🗽
You've been to a few MMNYC editions over the years. How has the event evolved since those early days?
Meet Magento New York is all about bringing the US Magento community together. 3 years ago was our first visit outside of Europe, and we had just a table, a banner and some swag. We got a lot of traffic though, and many people asked us what Hyvä was because hardly anybody knew us. Nowadays, we’re an established and well-known brand, and the US is our second largest market. Meet Magento New York has become an important event to meet and connect with our US clients and partners, and we usually take the stage to talk about our product roadmap. Mainly Hyvä Enterprise, which is compatible with Adobe Commerce, is big in the US and an important conversation topic.
This year, the event's moving to a new venue, Civics Hall in Union Square. Manhattan's vibrant, cosmopolitan energy is pretty infectious. Does the NYC setting actually influence the vibe of the event, or is it just a nice backdrop?
Each Meet Magento event is characterized by the city it takes place in, because it’s not just about the event, but also the side events like pre- and afterparties, and meetups the day(s) after the event. It’s a great way for the global Magento community to get to know a city and of course, NYC is one of the most popular destinations and something to look forward to for many people. The energy of the city definitely flows into the event itself!
MM25NYC pulls 200-300 attendees these days. What is it about New York that draws the global Magento community compared to other locations? Is it the city itself, or something about how the event's run?
Like I said before, NYC is an attractive place for people to travel to. The event is also one of the longest running Meet Magento events worldwide, which makes it appealing to go back to because apart from learning new things, it’s also a great get together with old friends. The event is organised by Marsha Naidoo, who always pulls off a great show with a lot of attention to detail. She is also set on bringing a diverse group of people to the stage: there’s always a nice mix of new and familiar faces, and there’s a lot of women on stage, making this unique!
How does MM25NYC compare to other Meet Magento events you've been to around the world? What gives it that distinct New York character?
Meet Magento New York is 1 of 2 Meet Magento’s in all of the US, so it has always attracted people working with Magento from all over the US as opposed to other Meet Magento’s which have a more local appeal. MM25NYC has also always had a lot of visitors from outside the US, probably because New York is easy to reach and appealing to many. Unlike other Meet Magento’s, Adobe is heavily involved with MM25NYC, meaning you can get a lot of first hand updates about the platform.
What to Expect at MMNYC 2025
The event features different tracks, technical sessions, business content, solution showcases. With such a packed agenda, how do you usually decide what to attend? What's your strategy?
To be honest I always look for talks about Hyvä or talks given by our partners/clients, but that’s professional bias ;). It is hard to choose sometimes but it helps if you take some time beforehand to familiarise yourself with the agenda and attend the talks that appeal to you most. Also it helps to connect with conference veterans at the event who can help you choose :).
MM25NYC markets itself as "welcoming to newcomers" while still attracting industry veterans. That's a tricky balance. How do they pull it off?
Again, this is credited to Marsha. Because she has been around for so long, she has a great network that she mobilises for the event, but she’s also keen on giving new people a chance so she actively looks for them. Sponsors and speakers are actively encouraged to motivate their network and beyond to come to this event.
Hyvä's Taking Manhattan
Right, let's talk about why we're really going. What's Hyvä's presence at MM25NYC this year?
We're bringing Hyvä Commerce to the USA properly. This is a big moment for us. Ross McHugh and Tom Ketels will be there representing Hyvä, and we're Silver sponsors alongside Scandiweb.
What can people expect if they swing by your booth?
Ross will be running demos of Hyvä CMS, our latest addition to the Hyvä Commerce suite. It's brilliant, and seeing it in action makes the benefits immediately clear. Tom, our Partner Manager, will be there chatting with agencies and vendors about how we can work together. If you're an agency curious about Hyvä or a vendor thinking about compatibility, Tom's your person.
You've also got some news about Adobe Commerce support?
Yes! We'll have updates on our Adobe Commerce compatibility and what we're building for that side of the ecosystem. Can't say too much yet, but if you're running Adobe Commerce, you'll want to hear this.
And there's something special for merchants attending?
Absolutely. We're offering unlimited free merchant tickets. If you're a merchant (basically, if you run an online store), you can grab a ticket worth €249 for free. Just use our referral link: https://hub.meetmagentonyc.com#/?affl=Hyvä or the promo code "Hyva" when registering. No catch, we just want more merchants at the event. And for non-merchants, we suggest using the promo code Hyva20 to get a special 20% discount.
Why Face-to-Face Still Matters
From Hyvä's perspective, what's the value of showing up in person at events like MM25NYC? We've all got Slack, video calls, email. Why get on a plane?
Especially when working in a digital industry, face to face connections are so important. We can easily get lost spending days behind a desk: isolation and mental health are definitely issues in this community. It’s good to get together sometimes and feel the energy, get inspired and have a little fun! Life’s better when we’re together :).
Can you share a memorable moment or connection from a previous Meet Magento New York that's stuck with you?
Last year I had the pleasure of meeting Yueyung Rodriguez and Catherine Tran from Rocket Shippers at the Women in Ecommerce event the day before Meet Magento New York. They had never heard of Magento but decided on the spot to come to MMNYC the next day and get to know this community. They’ve been attending several MM’s since, and their company built an integration with Magento. It’s great to see how these events get new people interested in Magento and it’s a great example of how work relations can become friends.
The Big Question
If you had to describe Meet Magento New York in three words, what would they be?
Energetic, fun, inspirational!
Final one: what would you say to someone on the fence about attending MM25NYC?
You can not miss out on an opportunity to visit this fantastic city, hang out with great people and get up to date about all that’s going on with Magento!
Meet Magento New York 2025 📌 Civics Hall, Union Square, Manhattan 📅 Pre-event: 27 October | Main event: 28 October ⏰ Breakfast starts at 8am on the 28th
Come find Ross and Tom at the Hyvä booth. Whether you're curious about Hyvä Commerce, want to see CMS in action, or just fancy a chat about the state of Magento, we'd love to see you.
Grab your ticket: https://meetmagentonyc.com
Merchants, use code Hyva for free entry 🎟 Non-merchants use code Hyva20 for promo ticket
#MM25NYC #MeetMagento #HyväCommerce #Magento #NewYork
