Updated
April 11, 2025

What to expect at MDS Fest 3.0: A free community data conference

See what’s in store at MDS Fest 3.0—a free, virtual conference for data professionals with 58 sessions, 68 speakers, and five tracks on governance, AI, engineering, leadership, and storytelling.

Sarah Bazal
Data Governance Specialist
See what’s in store at MDS Fest 3.0—a free, virtual conference for data professionals with 58 sessions, 68 speakers, and five tracks on governance, AI, engineering, leadership, and storytelling.

MDS Fest is back and bigger than ever.

Join us for MDS Fest 3.0—a free, virtual conference featuring 58 sessions, 68 speakers, and 5 core tracks designed to equip data leaders with the practical tools and insights needed to navigate the modern data stack. From scalable governance frameworks to AI-powered analytics, this year’s event will explore the cutting edge of data management in all its forms.

Whether you're leading data at a fast-growing startup or navigating complexity in a large enterprise, MDS Fest 3.0 is built to help you tackle real problems, move faster with confidence and make new connections with your peers.

🎟️ Registration for MDS Fest 3.0 is NOW OPEN. Get your ticket today! 🎟️

📚 Five tracks, limitless insights

We’ve expanded and refined our tracks for 2025 to reflect the evolving priorities of data teams:

1. Data Governance & Strategy

This track is at the heart of MDS Fest 3.0. We’ll dig into how teams are operationalizing data governance, without slowing down innovation. Sessions will explore compliance, privacy, lineage, metadata, and how governance enables AI-readiness. Speakers will also share how they are building a governance-friendly culture and managing change.

Perfect for: Data governance leaders, Heads of Data, compliance officers, CISOs, anyone trying to understand data governance better.

2. Modern Data Architectures & Engineering

Build resilient, scalable foundations for your data strategy. This track covers the core technical blueprints: from lakehouses and real-time processing to DataOps and observability.

Perfect for: Data engineers, platform engineers, CTOs, and DevOps teams

3. AI, Analytics, & Business Intelligence

High-quality data powers great insights. This track focuses on how AI/ML and BI can be responsibly scaled across organizations—bridging data quality, governance, and democratization.

Perfect for: Data scientists, analysts, product teams, AI/ML engineers

4. Leadership, Career Growth & Skills Development

The human side of data. Learn from top data leaders about building high-performing teams, managing change, hiring effectively, and scaling governance in real organizations. Speakers will also share their tips for career growth, and developing a relevant skill set to future-proof yourself - a timely conversation with the rise of AI.

Perfect for: Anyone who currently works in data or is trying to break into data

5. Data Storytelling (New!)

Our new track for 2025, because we believe every dataset has a story to tell. This track is an open stage for sharing passion projects, and unique perspectives on data. Whether it’s visualizing historical events or mapping the rise of viral memes, this is the space to get creative. 

Perfect for: Those interested in how to tell an engaging, fresh story with data

🤝 New stages: Startups and Partners

While our main Keynote stage will remain the central hub for data practitioners and thought leaders, this year we’re introducing two additional stages focused on Startups and Partners in the data space.

These new stages are designed to elevate the voices of builders, innovators, and collaborators who are shaping the future of the modern data stack. Whether it’s a scrappy tool solving a niche challenge or a platform enabling scale at enterprise level, these sessions are grounded in learning, sharing, and building community.

💬 Why Attend?

This isn’t your average data conference. MDS Fest 3.0 is:

  • Community-powered. Get inspired by folks who are on the cutting edge of the data space, and make new connections with your peers.

  • Cross-functional. Hear from data practitioners, executives, thought leaders, startups and enterprises - you choose your own schedule from our 58 sessions.

  • Free and virtual. Tune in from anywhere in the world, and attend the sessions most relevant to you. To keep MDS Fest accessible, once again the conference is entirely free to attend.

  • No fluff. These aren’t vendor pitches or recycled slide decks—just honest, practical insights from people solving real data challenges every day.

🔗 Save your spot

Whether you’re navigating governance at scale or experimenting with real-time pipelines, MDS Fest 3.0 has something for you.

Register now and join 1,000+ data professionals rethinking what modern data looks like today.

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