The non-technical topics couldn't be more relevant today. The idea that tech just exists in a bubble, and that one does not need to concern themselves with any ethical or moral implications is causing more harm than ever before. Dismissing that as "social issues and knitting" is concerning to me.
(knitting also being a notably feminine-coded activity)
The Chaos Communication Congresses have sold out in seconds every year for a decade. Visitor numbers are limited only by how many people they think they can fit. It is unrivaled in technical, medial and cultural relevancy in the region.
At that point, the question becomes not how you get people to come, but who you want at your event. And I'm very glad that for Congress, this means being unashamedly political, artistic, social, antifascist, inklusive. If that scares you away, that's by design.
Point that pushing subjective political point of views in technical conferences will not make the tech nor the political landscape better. Its actually divisive to push your own point of views without restraint and can actually backfire.
(knitting also being a notably feminine-coded activity)