Top Tips for FinOps X

FinOps X 2025

Mon Jun 2 - Thu Jun 5, 2025 (San Diego, CA)

FinOps X is the FinOps Foundation’s flagship conference and expo.

Each June, more than 1,600 cloud-cost professionals gather for three days of keynotes, chalk-talks, and hands-on sessions that cut straight to the dollars behind your architecture.

Who Should Go to FinOps X?

• Cloud architects & engineers: Real-world tactics to trim idle spend, tag smarter, and link cost to performance.
• FinOps practitioners & analysts: Deep dives into the FinOps Framework
• Finance & procurement partners: A plain-English view of cloud economics and the contacts to validate savings claims
• Tool builders & vendors: Direct feedback from the folks who live in cost dashboards all day

Benefits That Keep Paying Off

• Peer learning without the sales fluff: 30 of the Fortune 50 sent teams in 2024, so you’ll swap notes with people solving problems at scale.
• Road-tested practices: Sessions are chosen by a community program committee, not a marketing team, so you hear what works and what fell flat.
• Certification on-site: Optional pre-conference training lets you earn a FinOps credential in one focused day, saving you a travel budget later.
• Year-round community: The #finops-x Slack channel stays open, turning conference handshakes into an always-on help line.

14 Tips to Make FinOps X Work for Your Team

1) Secure Training Budget Up Front

The optional certification day isn’t fluff, it hands you a recognised badge plus a dense download of new tactics. Wrap the cost into your travel request early so finance doesn’t have to approve a second purchase order.

2) Register the Moment Early-Bird Opens

Tickets and hotel blocks disappear within days. Book the combo of pass + refundable room as soon as registration goes live. You can always adjust flights later.

3) Set Three Sharp Goals

Examples: “trim idle EC2 by 20 %,” “build a cross-cloud tagging policy,” “meet two peers running FinOps for AI workloads.” Keep the list in your notes app and check progress each night; focus beats FOMO.

4) Craft Your Schedule Around FinOps Capabilities

Identify the FinOps capabilities that matter most to you, then build your schedule around them. Once you’ve nailed down your focus, open the FinOps X agenda and search by Capability to find relevant sessions, chalk-talks, and workshops. Add two talks under different capabilities for a fresh perspective, but leave at least two open blocks each day for hallway problem-solving.

5) Put Chalk-Talks First, Breakouts Later

Breakout sessions are usually recorded and released after the conference, but chalk-talks vanish once the whiteboard is wiped. Prioritise those small, live problem-solving rooms in your schedule and bookmark the breakouts to watch on the flight home. You’ll get the interactive value onsite without missing the formal content later.

6) Arrive a Day Early

Evening badge pick-up doubles as a relaxed mixer and kills the dawn queue on Day 1. Use the extra night to adjust to the time zone and scout quiet spots for quick calls during the week.

7) Join the FinOps Slack Channel Before You Fly

#finops-x buzz ramps up weeks out: ride-share chats, dinner plans, last-minute ticket swaps. Post a short intro and list one topic you want to discuss; people will self-select into valuable side conversations.

8) Pack Two Conversation Starters

Keep it simple: “What cost metric keeps you up lately?” or “Which tool saved you last quarter?” Seasoned attendees appreciate questions that skip small talk and get straight to real problems.

9) Bring the Right Gear

• Comfortable shoes (you’ll probably clear 15k steps daily)
• Lightweight laptop or tablet for note-taking
• Power bank - outlet space is scarce
• Reusable bottle (water stations everywhere)
• Hoodie or light jacket - ballrooms run cold
• Spare room in your bag for the swag you actually want

10) Turn Lunch and Evenings into Networking Gold

Skip the solo sandwich. Sit with someone new at lunch, then join an evening meetup or sponsor reception. Aiming to spark one meaningful conversation a day builds a week-long chain of fresh insights, and often faster fixes, than any formal session.

11) Manage Your Energy

Long days drain fast. Grab protein over pastries at breakfast, hydrate often, and block one 15-minute outdoor walk per afternoon. Small choices keep your brain firing through late-day chalk-talks.

12) Sample the Host City

You probably aren't going to get a whole lot of spare time. Aim for one local food-truck lunch and a quick waterfront or rooftop sunset. Then get back to your hotel in time to prep for morning keynotes.

13) Follow Up Within 24 Hours

Trade badge scans for LinkedIn or Slack, but send a short personal note that night while the chat is fresh: what you discussed and one way you can help each other. The message sticks; generic connection requests don’t.

14) Ship a 30-Day Pilot After You’re Home

Pick one idea from your note - say, automated idle alert - scope it small, and launch within a month. A quick win proves the trip’s value better than any slide deck summary.

Bonus Tip: Look Out For Discounts

Keep an eye on your inbox after registering. FinOps X sometimes emails attendees a unique code for 50 % off any self-paced FinOps certification course and exam (the offer popped up for 2025 and may return in future years).

• Act fast: The offer usually expires shortly after the event.
• Earn the badge early: Finish the course before you fly and you’ll pick up a shiny “FinOps Certified” pin at the registration desk—instant credibility on your lanyard.
• Save budget twice: Well, kinda. Half-price tuition plus one less travel day compared with on-site training.

Even if the discount isn’t offered every year, set a filter for emails from @finops.org - perks like this land quietly and disappear just as fast.