Stepping foot through the doors of Europe’s biggest software testing conference can be daunting – especially if you’re a newbie. We’re here to give you a helping hand.
Plan Your Sessions
Plan the sessions that you want to attend – it might sound tedious now, but you won’t regret it! Create a timetable for yourself, noting speaker names and room numbers. Creating a personalised timetable means you won’t waste any of your precious time at the conference trying to find your next session or rushing to where you need to be. Although, if that does happens, don’t worry – there’s always someone around from the EuroSTAR team who will steer you straight.
Dive in
First off, there are many people in the same boat as you. Take comfort from that if you’re feeling nervous. Second, the best way for you to get comfortable is to dive right in – or at least stick a toe in the water to get the feel of things. That means not just attending sessions but taking part in everything EuroSTAR has to offer (which is a lot this year!). Get chatting to people, ask lots of questions. Head to Huddle for some conversations with visionaries. If you’re feeling overwhelmed – head to the Quiet Room. You will come across some like-minded people!
Do Some Testing
OK, it seems obvious, but hear us out! We don’t just talk about testing at EuroSTAR, we’re all about getting hands-on: tinkering, tweaking and experimenting with testing. Head to the Huddle – the heart of EuroSTAR Conference – and connect with the community at the Test Lab and Test Clinic. Fact: Eurostar was the first ever conference to organise a test lab and 11 years later it’s gong stronger than ever!
Take Notes
Take lots of notes, because you’re surrounded by a fountain of knowledge and inspiration. Grab a notebook and pen, write it into your phone, sketch or draw – whatever works for you! You never know what will spark your creativity at the conference, and you can even share your notes with the community if you think there’s a benefit.
Join a conversation
Conversations spill outside of the speaker sessions, and that’s usually where new ideas are born, discussions and opinions are shared enthusiastically. There are interesting conversations happening all over, and this is an opportunity to connect and meet people from very different backgrounds and experiences. There are always groups of people gathering to discuss different methodologies and their merits: agile, devops, and anything else you want to talk about.
Get social
EuroSTAR conversations happen online at the conference as well. People at the conference are commenting on sessions they’re attending using the conference hashtag, and some people will be live-blogging sessions they attend and posting links to their summaries on Twitter, so you can read up on any sessions you missed. This year we’re introducing the Whova app for the first time, a super way to engage with other attendees and stay up to date on what’s happening at the conference.
If you haven’t got your ticket yet – it’s not too late! Our 1-day ticket is the perfect option if you can’t join us for the full 4-day package.