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Looking Ahead to 2026 - Communities, Growth, and Your Input

· 5 min read
Steven
Steven
Lead Developer

2025 was a big year for Atria. We launched multi-platform video streaming, brought on our first team member, completed a full TypeScript migration, and most importantly - started hearing from real users about what they actually need.

As we head into 2026, I want to share where we're going and how you can be part of it.

What We Built in 2025​

A quick look back at the major milestones:

  • v0.1.0 - Initial public release with core event management, real-time chat, and networking features
  • v0.2.0 - Multi-platform video streaming (Vimeo, Mux, Zoom)
  • v0.3.0 - Embedded video conferencing with Jitsi (JaaS) and external platform linking
  • v0.4.0 - Complete TypeScript migration (768 files!) for better reliability and developer experience
  • Team growth - Welcomed Aaliyah as our first full-stack engineer

We also shipped 27 documentation guides, built out the API reference, and got valuable feedback from early users. That feedback is shaping everything that comes next.

The #1 Feature Request: Communities​

By far, the most requested feature has been a way to maintain ongoing engagement between events. Users want more than just event-to-event interaction - they want a persistent home for their community.

This is the big focus for 2026: Communities.

What Are Communities?​

Communities are persistent hubs that live alongside your events - a dedicated space for your organization to maintain engagement year-round, not just during event days.

This isn't just for traditional conference organizers. We're building Communities to work for:

  • Associations and professional organizations who want to maintain engagement between annual conferences, build hype for upcoming events, and keep members connected year-round
  • Event-focused organizations running regular virtual, hybrid, or in-person events who need a home base for their attendees
  • Local groups - political organizations, hobby clubs, professional networks - who need a simple space to coordinate without forcing everyone to learn complicated tools
  • Content creators and online communities who want to own their space instead of renting it on platforms that take a cut of everything

What Communities Will Offer​

The details are still being finalized, but here's the direction we're heading:

Your space, your rules

  • Persistent chat and announcements between events
  • Streaming anytime, not just during formal events
  • Choose your identity mode: real names for professional networking, or handle-based privacy for communities where members prefer anonymity

Own your revenue

  • Bring your own streaming accounts (Mux, Vimeo, etc.) so platform fees go directly to you
  • Free and paid membership tiers
  • Self-host your data or use atria.gg - either way, you keep more of what you earn

Easy sharing

  • Link-in-bio style landing pages for your community
  • Shareable passes for events (potentially Apple Wallet integration)
  • One link that captures everything about your community

Event integration

  • Track check-ins at in-person events
  • Help members connect after gatherings
  • Seamless flow between community engagement and formal events

This Is Still Taking Shape​

I want to be transparent: the specifics are still being worked out. We're actively designing the data models, planning the rollout, and figuring out the best way to make this work for everyone.

What won't change is the core vision: your community, your way, your needs covered.

If you have thoughts on what you'd want from a community feature, I genuinely want to hear them. Drop a note in GitHub Discussions or reach out directly.

Building the Team​

Atria is growing, and we're looking for people who want to be part of something meaningful.

We're not a VC-backed startup chasing hockey stick growth. We're building open-source software that helps people own their communities and events. If that resonates with you, we'd love to talk.

Roles we're interested in:

  • Developers - React, TypeScript, Flask/Python
  • Designers - UI/UX, graphic design, brand identity
  • Event industry folks - Marketing, community outreach, people who understand this space

Also looking for:

  • Online community builders - Streamers, content creators, community managers - people who live in this space and have strong opinions on how platforms should actually work. If you've ever thought "why doesn't anyone build this right?" we want to hear from you.

What we're looking for isn't just skill - it's people who fill gaps, who bring perspectives we don't have, and who want to build something that matters.

Interested? Reach out at steven@sbtl.dev

What's Next​

2026 is going to be about making Atria a platform for everyone - not just traditional event organizers, but anyone who wants to build and own their community.

We'll keep shipping updates, keep listening to feedback, and keep building in the open. If you want to follow along:

Thanks for being part of this. Here's to 2026.

Questions or ideas? steven@sbtl.dev | GitHub Discussions