This has been the case of years. My first FOSDEM was about a decade ago and it felt like that then. You go to a room a talk or two before the talk you actually want to see because of the queues, which means you’re in a talk you didn’t necessarily want to go to, at the expense of someone who might have wanted to. So they’ll queue a talk or two ahead next time, ad infinitum

True, depends on the room of course. Rust was crazily crowded last year but this year they had a much bigger room and it was OK.

The queue for the Belgian Fries truck is always longest;-)

Tbh fosdem has long felt like an event that runs on autopilot because it mostly serves as a regular meeting point for the same cliques of people every year. They are not in a rush to change anything.

The fact that you can't catch talks unless you camp in the room is a consequence.

I don't think it's too big, just uncurated and not very accessible. Everyone is there to talk to their own circles.

The queues are one thing, another is the terrible ventilation inside the devrooms. I ended up most of today listening to talks in the Janson auditorium, as it at least has breathable atmosphere.