A day in the life of an Optimizely Developer - We Hacked the Future: Netcel's Opal Hackathon Adventure

Ever wondered what happens when you mix AI, creativity, and a dash of competitive spirit? Welcome to the Opal Hackathon 2025—where we rolled up our sleeves and built something game-changing.

So, what’s Opal anyway?

Think of Opal as your AI-powered co-pilot inside the Optimizely Digital Experience Platform. It helps marketers:

• Automate repetitive tasks
• Surface actionable insights
• Personalize content like a pro

Basically, it’s the smart assistant you didn’t know you needed.

The Hackathon Challenge

This isn't just any hackathon. It's an exclusive playground for OMVPs (and their teams) to:

• Get early access to the Opal Tools SDK
• Build tools that make digital experiences smarter
• Show off some serious innovation chops

Our mission? Create an Opal integration that manages events through natural language chat.
Imagine saying:

“Show me upcoming events”
or
“Create a new event in Eventbrite and sync it to CMS”
…and it just happens. No more juggling spreadsheets, CMS, and Eventbrite tabs. Just chat, done.

Why This Matters

• No context switching = more focus
• Fewer errors = happier teams
• Faster delivery = better experiences

What We Learned

• How to wrap APIs into Opal tools
• Building advanced workflows and agents
• Deploying tools via Opal Connect Platform (OCP)
• Using SDKs in JS, Python, and .NET
  Basically, we leveled up big time.

What’s Next?

We’re not stopping here. Expect smarter workflows, deeper integrations, and maybe even a killer demo at Opticon. The future of digital experience? We’re building it—one hack at a time.

Stay tuned. Big things are coming.

👉 Want to know more? Get in touch with us.