EuroSTAR Conference

Unlocking Success: Top 7 Trends for Attracting Visitors to Your EXPO Booth in 2024

January 25, 2024 by Lauren Payne

As we stride into 2024, the landscape of software testing continues to evolve as the EuroSTAR and AutomationSTAR conferences continue to grow, demanding innovative strategies to stand out in the crowd. Here are the top seven trends for 2024 that will redefine how you attract visitors to your booth at Europe’s largest testing software testing conferences this June:

Clare’s 7 Top Trends To Follow:

1. Interactive Booth Experiences: Engage your audience with interactive experiences. From live product demos to hands-on testing challenges, creating a dynamic and participatory environment at your booth will draw inquisitive minds.

2. Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR): Embrace the future with VR/AR experiences. Let visitors immerse themselves in solutions your product or service can achieve through virtual or augmented reality, providing a memorable and futuristic encounter.

3. Killer Swag: Elevate your EXPO booth experience by offering killer swag that not only grabs attention but also leaves a lasting impression. Unique, high-quality swag items act as powerful magnets, drawing attendees to your booth. From trendy wearables to functional gadgets, thoughtful swag creates buzz, fosters engagement, and serves as a tangible reminder of your brand. In a sea of booths, having killer swag sets you apart, turning curious passersby into enthusiastic visitors and potential long-term connections.

4. Networking Hubs: Transform your booth into a networking hub. Provide comfortable seating, charging stations, and conducive spaces for impromptu meetings. Networking hubs create an inviting atmosphere that encourages meaningful conversations.

5. Gamification for Engagement: Infuse an element of fun into your booth with gamification. Create interactive games or challenges related to software testing concepts. Attendees love the opportunity to learn while having a good time. Get involved in the annual EXPO prize-giving and display your AMAZING prize on your booth over the 3 days to attract attention and collect leads via the sign up.

6. Short Demo Sessions: Elevate your booth’s presence by hosting 3–5-minute demo sessions during the networking breaks. Conduct brief, impactful presentations on emerging trends, best practices, or case studies about your products and services. Position your booth as a knowledge hub within the conference.

7. Social Media Integration: Leverage the power of social media to amplify your booth’s visibility. Follow and use the event-specific hashtags #esconfs and encourage attendees to share their experiences online, and host live Q&A sessions. Utilise social media platforms to foster engagement before, during, and after the conference.

Embracing these trends ensures your booth becomes a magnetic destination withing the EuroSTAR EXPO, attracting a diverse audience of software testing professionals. Stay ahead of the curve, make lasting impressions, and turn visitors into valuable connections at EuroSTAR in 2024.

For more information on how EuroSTAR can help you achieve your business goals, check out the EuroSTAR 2024 EXPO brochure or book a call with me.

Clare Burke

EXPO Team, EuroSTAR Conferences

With years of experience and a passion for all things EuroSTAR, Clare has been a driving force behind the success of our EXPO. She’s the wizard behind the EXPO scenes, connecting with exhibitors, soaking up the latest trends, and forging relationships that make the EuroSTAR EXPO a vibrant hub of knowledge and innovation.

t: +353 91 416 001
e: clare@eurostarconferences.com

How to get a Talk Accepted

August 25, 2023 by Suzanne Meade

The EuroSTAR 2024 Call for Submissions is open until 17^th September, and our Programme Committee, Michael Bolton (Chair), Ru Cindrea, Bas Dijkstra, Baldvin Gislason Bern, and Tanja Vos. are calling for testers, developers and quality professionals to submit their talk proposals for the 2024 programme.

In this blog post, Michael shares tips on what style of talks he’s keen to add to the line-up.

Greetings friends,

Here are a couple of things that you might want to consider for EuroSTAR 2024 that could help your submission to fit the theme, or otherwise to be successful.

People are hungry for stories, so that’s what we’re looking for. The theme is a question “What are we doing here?” and that isn’t quite the same as “What have we done?” Consider stories about the testing that you’re doing at the moment, even if it’s work in progress.

Either way, your story need not be about successes. Your presentation can be failures you’ve experienced and problems you’ve encountered, whether you managed to resolve them or not. Some of the most interesting and compelling conference talks I’ve attended have involved trouble and getting around it. Others have ended with “to be continued”. You may even have attendees coming to you with suggestions afterwards!

“What are we doing here?” could be about something that’s happening, at the conference, in the room where we’re gathering. Whether you’re doing a tutorial, a workshop, or a track talk, consider something experiential: a quick exercise, a role play a game, or a puzzle to work through. Give people a chance to meet, chat, and collaborate.

Moreover, the EuroSTAR community is an enormous resource. Hundreds of people with diverse skills and rich experience are eager to share their ideas with you, and to offer help with puzzles and problems that you may be trying to work through. During the discussions, after your story of what we’re doing here, you may get terrific insights on what they’re doing there.

Before you submit, it can help to ask a colleague or friend to read your abstract and learnings, so you get immediate feedback on whether it engages them and captures their attention. Below you’ll hear from the EuroSTAR team as they give you insights on the overall programme selection process.

Until next time,

Michael

EuroSTAR 2024 Programme Chair

Start Submission

How are talks selected?

The EuroSTAR programme process is as transparent as possible. Once all the submissions are in, they are independently reviewed by a team of 40-50 community reviewers. Reviewers are members of the testing community that volunteer their time to help read a selection of talks and then score them for:

Engagement – Does the talk appeal to you? Will the attendees engage with it?
Original Ideas – Has it all been heard before or are there new ideas that will excite and energise the listeners?
Scope & Relevance to the theme – is it in keeping with the 2024 theme “What Are We Doing Here?”

Reviewers see only the talk details (not the speaker) so every submitter has an equal opportunity. If you are unsure of how to write a good submission, get in touch and we’ll help guide you.

Each talk has 5 reviews and then the scores are averaged. The top scoring talks will be the main basis for the programme. There will be some invited speakers (like all conferences) but the majority of talks come from the above blind review process.

If you’d like to be part of the review panel, please contact our Programme Manager, Siobhán.

If you are thinking of submitting a talk proposal, check out the full Call for Speakers detailing potential topics and what the EuroSTAR 2024 Committee are looking for.

Over 55% of the speakers at EuroSTAR 2023 were speaking for the first or second time, that’s in 31 years of EuroSTAR Conferences so there is always a mix of voices on the EuroSTAR stage. If you’ve submitted before and didn’t make the programme, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help.

New Track Talk Length for EuroSTAR 2024

August 9, 2023 by Fiona Nic Dhonnacha

The EuroSTAR 2024 Call for Submissions is open, and Programme Chair, Michael Bolton, is calling for the testing community to submit their talk suggestions for the 2024 programme.

In this blog post, Michael shares his changes to the 2024 track talk format.

Greetings friends,

There is one minor change to the EuroSTAR 2024 programme layout. Instead of the previous track talk timing, we’ll be going with 60-minute sessions to afford more time for presenters to tell their stories (up to 40 minutes instead of 30), and more time for discussion afterwards (up to 20 minutes instead of 15). The goal here is to provide more time to present the idea, and in particular, more time for discussion, reflection, and alternative perspectives.

That means as a speaker, you’ll need be prepared for comments and questions. You might find that some of those questions may be challenging. That’s normal. You’ll be talking to a room full of testers! It’s our job to learn, to notice when details are missing, to recognize inconsistencies. As testers, our work and our findings will be challenged too. Consider a presentation less as a fashion show and more like a trip to the gym.

Imagine yourself an attendee sitting in the audience. What would you like to hear (or not)? What would make you feel your time was well-spent? Share your powerful ideas, case studies and the most innovative initiatives, solutions, or projects. Be useful! The EuroSTAR audience will want actionable content – learnings they can apply or make a difference with when they get back to their jobs. What have you learned that can be useful to them? How can they apply it? Advanced sessions perform well at EuroSTAR and usually draw larger audiences.

Of course, as testers, it’s also part of our job to be respectful and helpful to people who have created things, and a conference talk is no exception. EuroSTAR has its own code of conduct. In addition, I’d like to add to that by borrowing from my colleague Ilari Henrik Aegerter: Philosopher Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative offers suitable instructions on how to act: ‍“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law”. ‍Or, if that sounds too wordy, here is a simpler general heuristic: ‍

“Always act in a manner your parents/mentor/spiritual leader would approve of”

Thanks for reading. I’ll be sharing more tips shortly and in the meantime, the EuroSTAR team have added some helpful guidelines below.

Michael

EuroSTAR 2024 Programme Chair

Start Your Submission

Every year there are hundreds of submissions so to help guide you when considering what to propose, the EuroSTAR team have gathered their top tips of what the audience have told us they want in a Track Talk.

EuroSTAR Track Talks ideally:

Tell your stories of trials and triumphs, successes & lessons learned
Detail the methodologies or approaches that have helped individuals and organisations
Bring new information, emerging and/or innovative approaches or techniques
Introduce case studies of real projects
Show how you’ve addressed technical or non-technical pain points
Avoid sales pitches
Allow for discussion time – this is where a lot of the learning takes place
Include actionable takeaways for attendees and their teams

Start your Submission

If you’re inspired to submit a track talk – or indeed, one of our other talk types – check out the Call for Speakers details.

Here are some dates to bear in mind:

Call for Speakers deadline: 17 September 2023
Speaker selection notification: Late November 2023
EuroSTAR Conference: 11-14 June 2024 in Sweden

We look forward to reading your submission, and if you have any questions, please get in touch with us.

We’ve got the Stage – You’ve got the Story

July 17, 2023 by Lauren Payne

The 2024 EuroSTAR Software Testing Conference is going to Stockholm, Sweden.

If you’ve ever wanted to speak at EuroSTAR and share your story on Europe’s largest stage, the Call for Speakers is open until 17th September.

Now is the time to start thinking about what you’d like to share. What experiences will help others in the room. Perhaps it’s something that didn’t work at first but then you found a solution. It might be technical, or it might core skills.

EuroSTAR 2024 Programme Chair, Michael Bolton, is inviting you to explore the theme, ‘What Are We Doing Here?’ – it’s a wide-open question, with lots of possible interpretations and related questions.

Talk Type

We’ll share more on these later but for now, there will be three main types of talks:

Keynote – 60mins (45mins talk + 15mins Q&A)
Tutorials/Workshops – Full-day 7 hours OR Half-day 3.5 hours incl breaks
Track Talks – 60mins (40mins talk + 20mins valuable discussion)

Who?

Calling all testing enthusiasts and software quality advocates – whether you’re a veteran, or new to testing – to share your expertise, successes (and failures) with your peers; and spark new learnings, lively discussions, and lots of inspiration.

Think about what engages you in your work, engrosses you in testing, challenges you’ve faced, or new ideas you’ve sparked? Get in front of a global audience, raise your profile, and get involved with a friendly community of testers.

Here’s everything you need to know about taking the first step on to the EuroSTAR stage.

We invite speakers of all levels to submit their talk proposals and take the biggest stage in testing!

What Do I Need To Submit?

A clear title, a compelling abstract and 3 possible learnings that attendees will take from your talk – this is the main part of your submission. We’ll ask you to add in your contact details and tick some category boxes but your title, talk outline & key learnings are the key focus.

Topics for EuroSTAR 2024

Michael is calling for stories about testers’ experiences in testing work. At EuroSTAR 2024, we embrace diversity and value a wide range of perspectives. We’re most eager to hear stories about how you…

learned about products
recognised, investigated, and reported bugs
analysed and investigated risk
invented, developed, or applied tools
developed and applied a new useful skill
communicated with and reported to your clients
established, explained, defended, or elevated the testing role
Created or fostered testing or dev groups
recruited and trained people
made crucial mistakes and learned from them

START Your Submission

Mark Your Calendar

Here are some essential dates to keep in mind:

Call for Speakers Deadline: 17 September 2023
Speaker Selection Notification: Late November 2023
EuroSTAR Conference: 11-14 June 2024 in Sweden

If you’re feeling inspired, check out the full Call for Speakers details EuroSTAR attracts speakers from all over the world and we can get over 450 submissions. Each year, members of the EuroSTAR community give their time to assess each submission and their ratings help our Programme Committee select the most engaging and relevant talks. If you would like help writing a proposal see this handy submissions guide and you can reach out to us at any time.

EuroSTAR 2024 promises to be an extraordinary experience for both speakers and attendees. So, submit your talk proposal before 17 September 2023 and let’s come together in the beautiful city of Stockholm next June. Together we’ll make EuroSTAR 2024 an unforgettable celebration of software testing!

Reflections on EuroSTAR 2023 by Gek Yeo

June 27, 2023 by Joseph Cesín

Gek Yeo is a Sap Quality Expert who joined us an the official EuroSTAr Reporter for our 2023 EuroSTAR Conference in Antwerp. In this blog Gek shares her second day experience at Europe’s biggest software testing conference.

Luckily, this time, I managed to find some time to attend the two main Thursday #EuroSTARconf 2023 keynotes. The first keynote is Maaret Pyhäjärvi ‘s keynote titled “Whose Test is It Anyway?”. One point that stood out to me was the legal or ethical aspect. Even if it is legal, is it ethical to use computer-assisted software development? I listened to my peer Maaret and could relate to her viewpoint on the GitHub Copilot.

As we move onto AI-assisted technologies, it becomes a question of how future generations will use these technologies for good or bad. The definition of what is good for one may seem bad to others. 23 years ago, I had already started with AI and used it for my projects. I always remember what my university professor said: it takes 20 years for the industry to adapt to what we wrote in our thesis. And now, the industry has embraced AI in testing. The debate on the usage of AI technologies has started to spread in our daily lives.

Regarding the key notes seen in this picture, I agree with Maaret when she said, “We are accountable.” We have responsibilities to ensure that the rules for domains, both for laymen (whom I would refer to as citizen developers) and experts, are well-defined. The testing process should belong to everyone, not just the tester or the developer. Another takeaway is on exploratory testing. I love exploratory testing. It’s not an excuse to do manual testing. In fact, Maaret highlighted the points that exploratory testing helps with automation and it brings people together, not siloed testing. I have witnessed this in action during my test release cycle with my colleagues.

I organize bug bashing events in my teams for exploratory testing so we can have fun while testing. It’s about the team and the people, not just software releases. We take pride in finding bugs before our customers do in our releases.

The second keynote I attended is titled “The Cyber Security of Smart ‘Adult’ Toys or Lack of It” by Jo Dalton. It was originally meant to be delivered by Ken Munro and Jo Dalton, but unfortunately, Ken couldn’t attend. Kudos to Jo for delivering this SFW (safe for work) keynote all by herself! I have kindly shared some pictures of the slides from this talk here. Without security experts like Jo, we would probably giggle this topic off and treat the lack of security testing in connected adult toys as the elephant in the room.

By speaking at a global conference, we become more conscious of the business needs for security testing and why we desperately need regulations for IoT (Internet of Things). Seriously, we should not let the backdoor through the backdoor happen, as Jo highlighted in her keynote. I hope that, as a QA community, more folks will speak up and contribute to security testing for IoT.

See Call for Speakers

Conferences like EuroSTAR provide valuable opportunities for continuous learning, networking, and staying up-to-date with industry trends. It is important for us as testers to self love and find time to attend high-quality conferences like EuroSTAR 2023 to broaden our perspectives, share experiences, and build new friendships and connections within the IT community such with Peter Thomas, Kapil Bakshi from Karate Labs and Humza Ahmad. And it is also beneficial when employers support their employees in attending such events, as it demonstrates a commitment to their professional development and encourages skill-set improvement. I hope to see some of you in EuroSTAR 2024 again.

The EuroSTAR Conference has been running since 1993 and is the largest testing event in Europe, welcoming 1000+ software testers and QA professionals every year. Don’t forget to connect, like Gek Yeo, with the testing community at our next events.

Diving into EuroSTAR Conference 2023 by Gek Yeo

June 21, 2023 by Joseph Cesín

Gek Yeo is a Sap Quality Expert who was the official reporter at the EuroSTAR Conference 2023 in Antwerp. In this blog. Gek shares her experience from Europe’s biggest software testing conference:

After a long hiatus due to the pandemic, I had the privilege of attending #EuroSTARconf 2023, my first software testing conference in person. The conference, held in the stunning venue called “A Room with a ZOO” next to the Antwerp Zoo in Belgium, provided an awe-inspiring setting to reconnect with industry professionals. In this blog post, I will share the highlights of my EuroSTAR experience, from the fascinating talks and engaging panel discussions to the vibrant atmosphere and the joy of connecting with peers from around the world.

A Captivating Setting

EuroSTAR Conference 2023 was hosted in the magnificent “A Room with a ZOO” venue, where the majestic gorilla, Matadi, served as the mascot. Beyond the conference, the venue’s commitment to nature conservation, animal welfare, and education resonated deeply with #testautomation attendees, reminding us of the importance of aligning our actions in the software industry with the preservation of our ecosystem.

Engaging Activities and Swag

Upon arrival, the EuroSTAR Conference organizers welcomed participants at the reception, offering them tote bags filled with exciting swag. Attendees could stay updated on the conference schedule and engage with fellow participants through a dedicated app. Volunteer heroes in green were readily available to assist delegates, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience throughout the event. The interactive booths, showcasing a wide array of test automation tools, provided an opportunity for attendees to immerse themselves in hands-on experiences and collect stamps on their passports for a chance to win a grand prize.

Inspiring Talks

The conference schedule encompassed a diverse range of talks, catering to both technical and soft skill topics. I had the pleasure of attending two impactful sessions. Andrew Brown’s talk on “How to Prevent Your Next Software Release Ending in Disaster” offered valuable insights and mitigation strategies for avoiding catastrophic outcomes. Lina Zubyte’s session on “How Minimalism Helps Build High-Quality Products” struck a chord with me as a minimalist enthusiast, emphasizing the power of simplicity in software development.

A tightly knitted QA Community

#EuroSTARconf provided a platform to connect with fellow QA professionals from all corners of the globe such as Austria, Israel, Berlin, Netherlands, Iceland and Belgium. Engaging conversations with this community of QA peers enriched my understanding of different testing practices and automation solutions. The vibrant atmosphere at the conference was fueled by the enthusiasm of attendees exploring the booths, playing games, and collecting swag, fostering a sense of camaraderie and excitement. As a volunteer reporter, I had the privilege of interviewing some of my QA peers. The popularity of talks on “Gamification” and “Why Testers are the True Rock Stars of IT” highlighted the shared interests and passion within the QA community. Stay tuned on my LinkedIn profile in the coming weeks for video clips featuring these insightful conversations.

Conclusion

EuroSTAR Conference 2023 was an exhilarating conference experience that reignited my enthusiasm for software testing. The engaging talks, vibrant atmosphere, and connections forged with fellow professionals made this event truly transformative. As we move forward, I am inspired to implement the lessons learned and continue nurturing a thriving QA community.

See Gek’s second experience blog.

The EuroSTAR Conference has been running since 1993 and is the largest testing event in Europe, welcoming 1000+ software testers and QA professionals every year. Join us at our next events.

Tips on writing a great conference proposal

July 27, 2022 by Fiona Nic Dhonnacha

The submissions are flying in to this year’s EuroSTAR Call for Speakers, and the committee is so excited to read everyone’s great ideas. If you’d like to share your story on the EuroSTAR stage, and you’re still working on your submission, we can help. We asked the 2023 committee if they had any tips on crafting a great conference proposal, and get your submission noticed. Of course, they had lots of great advice to offer.

Check out some top tips below from committee members Kristoffer Nordström, Rob Lambert, Maria Kedemo, and Fiona Charles. If you’re thinking about submitting to EuroSTAR – or any conference – these tips will help you make the most of your submission.

start eurostar submission

Kristoffer Nordström

EuroSTAR 2023 programme chair Kristoffer Nordström created this year’s conference theme, Software Development is a Social Activity, and you can read more about the theme and its topics on our Call for Speakers page. One of his top tips is: “Everyone has a story that they can tell. Write a submission based on what you’ve learnt and what you’ve experienced from it.”

Fiona Charles

“Remember that, besides being a source of information, your abstract is a sales tool. You’re selling your talk idea to the conference organizers. If it’s accepted, the conference will use your abstract to help sell the conference and then to attract an audience to your session.”

Maria Kedemo

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I always ask some of my peers if they have time to review my paper. I ask for feedback regarding clarity, and if they would attend based on the paper and language, since I am not a native English speaker. I always make sure at least one of my peers has a different perspective than I do.”

Rob Lambert

“Choose a core purpose of the talk, and try not to deviate too much from that. Good communication always has a solid purpose – if you deviate too far from this in the submission, and the talk, and it could get confusing. Read the guidelines for submitting carefully, then read them again, and use the guidelines to structure your submission Keep a copy of your submission safe.”

Bonus tip! Read Rob Lambert’s Blazingly Simple Guide to Submitting to Conferences – in particular the section on making sense of a conference theme, generating topic ideas, and writing a good proposal.

Now you’re ready to submit an awesome proposal! If you’d like to speak on Europe’s largest testing stage, the EuroSTAR Call for Speakers closes 9th September.

start your submission

Why speak on Europe’s biggest testing stage

July 21, 2022 by Fiona Nic Dhonnacha

We’re back from our first in-person event in 2 years, and we had an absolute blast. 1000+ testers came together in sunny Copenhagen as we celebrated 30 years of the testing community. We’re already so excited for EuroSTAR 2023 – taking place in Antwerp.

Our Call for Speakers is open until September 9th, which means it’s time to start thinking about your submission. 2023 programme chair Kristoffer Nordström invites you to take to the stage and speak on the theme ‘Software Development is a Social Activity‘, in homage to Jerry Weinberg and his legacy. You can learn all about the theme on our submissions page, but you can interpret the theme your own way – use your imagination!

Topics include communication, software testing, test automation and its role in the work we do, team building, creating healthy organisations, and lots more. Speaking on the EuroSTAR stage is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Here’s why you don’t want to miss out on speaking this year.

start submission

Join industry leaders

You’re in the best company – we’ve been honored to have some of the biggest testing leaders share their story on stage at EuroSTAR. Every year we welcome 60+ speakers from all over Europe to share their experience and skills, and inspire attendees with new ideas, solutions, and practical takeaways they can implement at work. Take your place among this friendly community, and make a real difference in software testing through sharing your experience.

Build on your career

Whatever your career goals, speaking on the EuroSTAR stage will elevate you to new heights within the software testing community. Your name and your company are included in the conference promotional information, including featuring on the conference website, across all social channels and more, so your organisation also gains exposure. Showcase your skills to the entire testing community, and be part of driving testing forward and helping the community grow: your voice can help shape the message, conversations, and direction.

Expand your network

EuroSTAR is an incredibly friendly, diverse, and open community, and there’s an opportunity at every turn to spark up conversation and make meaningful connections. Chat with lots of well-connected people in the testing world, as well as potential clients sitting in your talk’s audience. Gain new business development and get noticed! There are lots of networking events throughout the 4 days, including the annual Gala Night, community networking party, plus lots of mini meet-ups, lean coffee, and more.

Gain access to all tutorials & talks

Speakers who are selected for the EuroSTAR Programme receive complimentary conference registration —giving them access to every session on the programme, including full and half day tutorials. In addition to the best of training and strategy, outside of your own talk, you’ll be able learn about new trends and ideas in testing as well as important team and leadership skills, giving you cutting-edge strategies to take back to your company.

We’re going to the zoo!

Did we mention that EuroSTAR takes place at the zoo in Antwerp? A Room with a ZOO is the only convention centre in the world with its very own zoo – and one of the first scientific zoos in the world. It also boasts a rich legacy, with stunning 19th century architecture; including beautiful marble features, high ceilings, and lots of natural sunlight. All profits made by the convention centre are invested into research and nature conservation worldwide. We’re blown away by the inspirational setting – and we’re sure you will be too.

submit now