UKSTAR (12-13 March)  is back for 2018 and we are looking for great software testing speakers to inspire and educate the testers of today and leaders of tomorrow!

The purpose of UKSTAR is to provide the inspiration, education, and connections that our attendees need to further their personal careers and advance the success of their organisations.

The software testing industry is continually evolving. Testing is increasingly a distributed activity in modern software development teams, where testing is no longer the exclusive domain of an independent team. The shift towards “everyone working as an engineer and everyone testing” to collectively deliver great working software means our community is growing and UKSTAR welcomes everyone who tests!

Following the success of the inaugural UKSTAR Testing Conference, we are back in the heart of London on 12 and 13 March 2018. Bringing together an eclectic fusion of Testing, Development and Technology Management communities.

We are seeking thought leaders and industry professionals to share their knowledge and expertise as we work together to explore emerging issues, promulgate leading practices, and advocate for their profession.

If you want to share your passion and expertise with our attendees, then we want to hear from you!

We are looking for….

BOLD STORYTELLING

Audacious, powerful talks from diverse, exciting, and influential people. These fascinating presentations should educate, challenge, and impress….in 8 minutes or less!

IDEAS & EXPERIENCES

Led by some of the best worldwide testing and development professionals, these talks should teach the principles and skills that will improve the attendees’ techniques and practices.

HACKS, TIPS & TRICKS

Sessions where the speaker goes deep into the details and provides practical insights into some of today’s hottest topics and success stories.

MANAGEMENT INSIGHTS

In these talks, you might hear from top C-level experts and senior executives on how their role is evolving; what they require as stakeholders of testing; the challenges they have overcome and what the future might bring to those that practice leadership and management.

HANDS-ON DEMONSTRATIONS

You might show how you use particular technology and tools to solve your problems or help people get started with a particular approach or possibly take people to the next level by providing them with advanced practices that you have used.

UKSTAR invites anyone with great Software Testing & Development ideas and stories to submit your concepts and opinions. There are several types of sessions at UKSTAR that you can submit to speak at. These include:

1) Workshops – From 1.5hrs – 3hrs, these sessions are normally interactive and cover practical topics and ideas in more detail than a talk.

2) Talks – A presentation style talk that lasts 20 minutes, with 5- 10 minutes thereafter for Q&A

3) Conversations – These sessions are 60 minutes long and are made up of two speakers talking for 10 – 15 minutes each, followed by a moderated discussion between speakers and audience. We will pick pairs of speakers with enough common ground to easily understand each other’s decisions, and enough difference to learn from each other’s choices. We don’t expect the conversations to be a debate, rather a way of understanding different points of view. We will look for pairs of speakers who do similar work in different contexts, who use different tools to achieve parallel aims, who have similar problems but alternative solutions. Two people may submit together for a conversation track, but you don’t have to have a conversation partner to submit.

4) Storytelling – This new type of talk will last for just 8 minutes per speaker. These smaller talks allow you to very quickly present your core ideas and experiences. We are looking for storytelling talks that include, but are not limited to:

• The Newcomer – “The story of my testing role or task”
• The Unintended Tester -“The story that made me fall in love with this profession”
• The Over Achiever – “I have my BSc / Degree / Certification / Training… and here is how it helped me”
• The Conqueror – “They said this test role / job / software was impossible… This is how I made it possible”
• The Veteran – “I have learned a lot over the years and this is the most important lesson I can give you and the story of how I learned it”
• The Reflective Tester – “I had this particular problem to solve or challenge to overcome, and I tried xxxx. It failed. This is how I responded”

To submit to speak, simply fill out the form, telling us a bit about yourself and the talk you’d like to give.

We want to encourage as many styles, stories and subjects as possible. Some tracks will have specific practical tips, others may propose challenging new perspectives or ideas. We welcome sessions aimed at beginners, and those aimed at more experienced and advanced practitioners. You choose the right format for your topic, from presentation-style to audience participation style, to make sure you get your message across and help improve your profession.
We look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks,

Nathalie van Delft , Mike Jarred, & Alan Richardson
(The UKSTAR 2018 Programme Team)