Your feedback to Swiss Cyber Storm 2025
Here we go again with the traditional blog post with the feedback for the conference that brings you - our audience - some transparency about the event. We received feedback from 68 participants, which is a bit higher than our usual response rate.
Overall impression of the Swiss Cyber Storm conference
We start every survey with this simple but telling multiple-choice question. The idea is to tune in and lead people to the conference. The fact that it’s the same question allows us to compare the feedback year after year.
- 55.6 % (2024: 57 %) – It was a very interesting and cool event, keep it up and I’ll be there next year.
- 41.3 % (37 %) – It was quite good – I will consider attending next year.
- 3.2 % (6 %) – It was okay, but I probably won’t go again.
- 0 % (0 %) – Bad, I won’t go again.
That translates into a 97 % positive vs. 3 % negative sentiment, which is an absolute top score. I would not overemphasise this, since there is lots of blur with such a survey, but anything above 90% sounds good.
| Year | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 97 % | 3 % |
| 2024 | 94 % | 6 % |
| 2023 | 93 % | 7 % |
| 2022 | 95 % | 5 % |
| 2021 | 96 % | 4 % |
| 2020 | — | — |
| 2019 | 91 % | 9 % |
| 2018 | 91 % | 9 % |
| 2017 | 89 % | 11 % |
So, once again: a very happy audience!
Average speaker rating
As always, we asked participants to rate each speaker individually (on a 1–4 scale, from bad to very good). We don’t publish those per-speaker numbers, but we do calculate the average — a good reflection of how well our program committee curated the lineup.
For 2025, the average rating was 3.27, up from 3.20 in 2024. That’s a very strong result and close to 2021 when we ran a Corona edition in front of a small audience of fans. When I started as program chair in 2017, we received an average rating of 2.96, and it felt like a success. Now at 3.27 it has become the standard for us.
| Year | Average Rating |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.27 |
| 2024 | 3.20 |
| 2023 | 3.02 |
| 2022 | 3.19 |
| 2021 | 3.34 (a fanboy audience with fewer attendees than usual) |
| 2020 | — |
| 2019 | 3.04 |
| 2018 | 3.04 |
| 2017 | 2.96 |
One element that plays into this is the shaping of the audience after the lineup. With a consistent direction and quality of the talks, those people appreciating that style will return and those who don’t like it will attend other conferences. That means that the fact the numbers are going Northeast should be taken with some humility.
Still, we’re proud of this steady quality — and grateful to all speakers and the team who make it happen. Inviting speakers is one thing, but preparing the conference so they feel at ease and deliver their perfect talk is more work.
AI Village
The AI Village premiered in 2025, and it got people curious. Finding the village was a challenge for many (the frequency clearly grew in the afternoon).
- 27.9 % I visited it
- 14.8 % I even took part in a workshop
- 57.3 % I didn’t visit this time
When asked whether we should bring it back, 64.3 % said “Yes, and I’ll visit next year!” Another 25 % would like it to return even if they won’t personally participate, and only 10.7 % said “No, thanks.”
That’s a clear “yes” from the community. We will have to balance that with the costs such an endeavour brings with it.
Choice of the focus theme “Resilience in a mad, mad world”
Our 2025 focus theme — “Resilience in a mad, mad world” — received 83 % positive feedback. 8 % didn’t like it, and 9 % admitted they didn’t realise there even was a focus theme (we’ll make it more prominent next time!).
| Year | Approval | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 82 % | “Resilience in a mad, mad world” |
| 2024 | 95 % | “The AI Revolution” |
| 2023 | 93 % | “The Human Factor” |
| 2022 | 92 % | “Digital Identities and How to Secure Them” |
| 2021 | 88 % | “Securing the Supply Chain” |
| 2020 | — | — |
| 2019 | 83 % | “Embracing the Hackers” |
| 2018 | 78 % | “Trust” |
| 2017 | 67 % | “E-Voting” (but not very prominent) |
When you look at the numbers, the approval is surprisingly low, and on top, a stunning 9 % did not even notice the focus theme. I have a hard time making sense of this. People were exceptionally happy with the conference even when a surprisingly large number of participants did not really like its focus topic.
But anyway, it’s a result that makes sure we don’t lose touch with reality.
Food and beverages
Food is always an emotional topic, and after two excellent years, we faced some issues at lunch. Food ran out too fast, and some people complained about the dinner options (some of the food was ignored because it looked like dessert).
This is visible in the numbers in the survey.
Here’s how 2025 stacked up with recent years.
| Year | Great | Good | OK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 49 % | 44 % | 7 % |
| 2024 | 65 % | 29 % | 6 % |
| 2023 | 59 % | 27 % | 11 % |
Where did people hear about the conference?
This question always reveals a lot about our community — and how word of mouth continues to be our strongest marketing channel.
- 63 % (2024: 53 %) – I’ve attended before
- 17 % (26 %) – Colleagues
- 5 % (10 %) – Through communication from a sponsor
- 4 % (5 %) – Through a partner organisation (InsomniHack, SATW, etc.)
- 2 % (2 %) – Online articles or blogs
- 4 % (2 %) – Social media
- 5 % (2 %) – Other
Returning visitors remain the backbone of Swiss Cyber Storm — a positive sign of trust and community loyalty. And inviting them to bring their friends continues to be a successful marketing strategy.
All in all, SCS 2025 was another highly successful conference. We really loved the vibes in the network area, the wonderful presentations, strong connections in the workshops, and many new bonds formed among the audience.
Stay tuned for Swiss Cyber Storm 2026 on October 20 — and consider grabbing your super-early bird ticket. The ticket sale has started and this is the best deal you will get.
