Top QA Events in 2021
The Ultimate Guide by QAwerk
Quarter 3: July, August, September
It looks like the pandemic situation is gradually getting better, but mass gatherings and events still face hard times. However, this doesn’t mean that the third quarter of the year 2021 will be boring for QA experts in terms of gaining knowledge.
The show is going on — most of the events switched to the online format, so you can attend them even without leaving your home. Nowadays this is the most reliable way to join a gathering, as you won’t have to worry about travel restrictions and your health.
We also didn’t forget about those of our readers who have an opportunity to travel and attend conferences in person. The list below includes both online and offline events (some of them are hybrid, with the online and offline format at the same time), so take a closer look at it to plan your self-development activities.
Test Automation & Digital QA Virtual Summit — Oceanic, July 8-9. Virtual
Test Automation & Digital QA Virtual Summit is the event opening the third quarter of testing conferences in 2021. It will be virtual, so you can attend it regardless of your location. Just pay attention to the time zone — the event is scheduled for 10:00 AM – 01:30 PM, AEST.
QA Virtual Summit gives flexibility for people to continue learning while not being away from work for long: there will be 4 speakers each day and 8 talks in total. You will gain some new knowledge in the areas of test automation, software performance testing, digital transformation. Each talk will be followed by the question & answer session. You can monitor the agenda here.
At Test Automation & Digital QA Virtual Summit, you will be able to discover the most interesting practices and case studies, and enhance your skills. And if you would like to watch any session one more time, this won’t be a problem — you will have access to the recorded talks.
Sounds interesting? Then don’t hesitate to register. Please note that before registering you will have to select a currency in which you would like to pay. The available options include AUD (Australian dollar) and NZD (New Zealand dollar). After the registration is confirmed, you will also get an invitation to join the LinkedIn group, which is a good opportunity to expand your network.
Pricing:
- Standard: AUD 52.50 (around $39)
- Standard: NZD 52.50 (around $37)
ISSTA, International Symposium on Software Testing and Analysis, July 11-17. Virtual
Preventing potential cancellation, the ISSTA conference has also switched to the online format — originally, it had to take place in Denmark. That was a smart decision, as now the event doesn’t depend on the COVID-19 situation.
ISSTA isn’t a new event in the area of software testing — the year 2021 will be its 30th edition. The coming conference will last for 7 days, which is pretty impressive in comparison with one-day events. The program is going to cover such topics as testing Android apps, automated testing, testing deep learning systems, data compatibility bugs, security testing. Take a closer look at the program here, but keep in mind that it is preliminary. ISSTA will be “co-located” with ECOOP, the European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming.
Does this look intense and promising to you? As a great opportunity to learn something new without leaving your home? Here is even more good news — the participation is free, and the registration is already open. To register, you will have to create an account in the system and then fill in the registration form. Find more details here.
Pricing:
- Free
Agile, DevOps and Testing: New Directions in Methods and Tools, July 14-15. Virtual
Here is one more event that doesn’t require attendees to travel and cannot be affected by the pandemic situation — Agile, DevOps and Testing: New Directions in Methods and Tools. UNICOM isn’t a new player in the world of Agile, DevOps and Testing conferences. The first event was held in 1984. So far, over 12,000 experts have attended Agile, DevOps and Testing conferences.
The event’s agenda looks very topical and diverse. It includes topics on the various aspects of Agile, software testing, DevOps and continuous integration testing, Low-Code and No-Code, cloud-based performance testing, test automation, security. Q&A discussions and tool demos are also on the schedule. At the moment, 12 speakers have confirmed their participation, and the program is nearing complete. The call for participation is still active for panellists, hence you can apply.
Due to its diversity, the event attracts experts in various fields, so you will get an opportunity to expand your network and get valuable insights without leaving the safe area of your house.
Consider inviting your teammates so that you will be able to learn something new together. This is possible as you can get a discount: 4 people can attend the event at the price of 3 (use the code UNI443 when booking the tickets).
Pricing:
- Standard for end users: £95 + VAT (around $132 + VAT)
- Standard for vendors and consultants: £295 + VAT (around $410 + VAT)
Test Automation & Digital QA Summit, July 22. Sydney, Australia. Offline
Do you remember the first event we described here, with the same title? This conference is virtually the same, but it takes place in Sydney, Australia. Making the journey there can be rather complicated and expensive, but if you are already in Australia, why not?
Here are some of the topics you will be able to dive into: advanced test automation, trending technology in software QA, performance testing. The full agenda for the offline event can be checked here.
The provided Standard prices are relevant till July 22. Discounts for groups are available.
Pricing:
- Standard (single): AUD 450 (aroud $339)
- Standard (group of 2): AUD 850 (around $641)
- Standard (group of 4): AUD 1,660 (around 1,252)
- Standard (group of 6): AUD 2,430 (around $1,833)
Mile High Software Testing Conference, July 27-28. Denver, USA. Offline
Most events switched to online format to avoid potential cancellations and postponements, but Mile High Software Testing Conference was brave enough to announce an offline gathering. So if you are in the USA (or are willing and have an opportunity to travel there), consider joining the event.
There you will be able to learn more about performance testing, accessibility testing, automated visual testing. The schedule includes not only 90- and 45-minute sessions, but also 3-hour workshops — you can check the program here. Please note that more sessions and workshops are going to be added, so if you are interested, monitor the website to stay on top.
The ticket covers all the sessions, workshops and tutorials, as well as breakfast, lunch and beverage breaks. Mile High Software Testing Conference takes care of its attendees, so you won’t have to starve while getting familiar with the most effective approaches. If you are going to attend Mile High Software Testing Conference in a group of 3 or more people, get in touch with the organizers to get a discount.
Pricing:
- $495
QA Summit from Xpanxion, July 28. Salt Lake City, USA. Hybrid
Here comes one more brave event striving to get back to normal life — QA Summit from Xpanxion. It will be held not only in a virtual format, but also in person in Salt Lake City, so if you are going to be there on July 28, consider visiting the event. There are several reasons for doing this.
First of all, attending QA Summit will provide you with an opportunity to listen to the brightest speakers, discuss the most relevant challenges, ideas and practices, and share your own experience and insights. You will learn how to transform from a manual tester into an automation engineer, discover the role of machine learning and AI in testing, explore real-time reporting on bugs and fixes (find more details on the program here). Besides, you will be able to establish new connections.
Secondly, QA Summit from Xpanxion is free to visit. Yes, there is no mistake, this is the second event on this list that doesn’t require you to pay for tickets. You will only have to register, and that’s it. And if you have no opportunity to attend the event in person, you can always join it online.
Regarding the offline format of Xpanxion, we recommend you monitor the event’s website to be aware of potential changes which may still happen due to the COVID-19 situation. Here is what Xpanxion says about this: “In the interest of best serving our QA Summit community we will be following local and state guidelines at the time of the event.”
Pricing:
- Free
Agile, DevOps and Testing: New Directions in Methods and Tools, August 4-5. Virtual
We have finally reached August events, and the first one is Agile, DevOps and Testing. You may now get a funny sense of deja vu, but this is okay. We have already mentioned this event, but during the third quarter of 2021 it will take place twice. So if you miss it in July, you can still attend it in August.
The list of the topics is virtually the same as in July: DevOps and continuous integration testing, cloud-based performance testing, Agile software testing. Q&A discussions and tool demos are scheduled as well. You can check the program here, but note that some speakers aren’t confirmed yet.
Just like in the case of the July event, 4 people can attend Agile, DevOps and Testing at the price of 3. The code is the same — UNI443.
Pricing:
- Standard for end users: $99
- Standard for vendors and consultants: $249
QA Global Summit by Geekle, August 17-19. Virtual
QA Global Summit by Geekle will consist of two tracks: Junior and Senior. The Junior Track will take place on August 17. The Senior
one — on August 18-19. The Summit is likely to be a really global event, as over 8000 registrations are expected.
What else is going to be there apart from an impressive number of attendees? More than 35 speakers and 32 hours of valuable talks. Here are some topics that you will be able to enjoy: advanced automation capabilities of Cypress, quality assurance trends, evaluating test automation solutions, how to automate testing and training the bots. More topics and speakers will be announced soon. You can check the details and monitor the news here.
There are also three workshops that you can attend: “Business-driven scenario-based exploratory testing”, “Agile testing just in time” and “Building Performance Testing Infrastructure A to Z”.
Please note that the price of the Full Access package consists of the following components: the basic package cost ($99) plus the workshop cost. Each workshop costs $199, and for this package you have to select one of them. You can also book only a workshop or all of them if you want.
Pricing:
- Junior Track: free
- Full Access + workshop: $298
- Pro Track: $119 (access to both Junior and Senior Tracks)
TestCon Europe, September 7-9. Vilnius, Lithuania. Hybrid
TestCon is the first September event on our list. It will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania, but the number of on-site tickets might be limited in order to ensure social distancing. However, this isn’t a problem, as you can still join the online version of TestCon even in case the on-site conference will be canceled due to the COVID restrictions. The on-site tickets can be converted into online ones (or vice versa).
Being one of the biggest software testing conferences in Europe, TestCon is going to attract more than 800 attendees. 10 workshops and over 40 talks are scheduled, which provides you with a great chance to learn about the latest practices and testing trends. Here are some of the topics that will be covered during TestCon: test automation, performance testing, software integration testing, usability testing software, Android testing, manual testing. You can take a look at the full list of confirmed talks here.
Apart from gaining knowledge, you can share it — TestCon is calling for speakers. Holding a talk or a workshop is a great way to expand your network and prove your expertise, so feel free to submit a proposal. You will find all the essential details on this page.
Please note that Regular tickets are available till August 12, 4:00 PM GMT+3. The Late Bird tickets are available till September 8, 4:00 PM GMT+3. Invite your teammates — groups of 10+ attendees get a 10% discount.
Pricing:
- Regular, full ticket: €544 (around $647)
- Regular, workshop: €306 (around $364)
- Regular, 1 day conference: €238 (around $283)
- Regular, 2 day conference: €391 (around $465)
- Late bird, full ticket: €640 (around $761)
- Late bird, workshop: €360 (around $428)
- Late bird, 1 day conference: €280 (around $333)
- Late bird, 2 day conference: €460 (around $547)
As a company delivering performance, usability, and integration testing, we are surely attending TestCon Europe. Will you be there as well? Let’s meet each other and discuss our potential cooperation.
Test Automation Days, September 15-16. Utrecht, The Netherlands. Offline
The Test Automation Days conference is also trying to bring “traditional” events back to life. It will be held in the offline format, in the Netherlands. The title of the event speaks for itself — it will be devoted to test automation.
You will meet the leading test automation experts from all over the world, learn about the most recent techniques and tools, and establish new connections with the test automation community.
This looks like a must-attend conference for those interested in improving test automation skills or learning how to deal with automated testing. However, since the conference is offline, consider possible travel restrictions. We also recommend you monitor the news. The Test Automation Days event takes all the essential measures to ensure the attendees’ safety, but it also follows the guidelines set by the Dutch Government. New circumstances and rules may appear at any time, so keep an eye on the situation.
Pricing:
- Test Automation Day 1 (masterclasses): €495 (around $589)
- Test Automation Day 2 (conference): €395 (around $470)
- Both days: €890 (around $1,058)
SEETEST, September 28-29. Belgrade, Serbia. Hybrid
To meet the needs of testers from all over the world, SEETEST is coming in two formats: offline and online. This will be a hybrid conference with 24 sessions and 8 tutorials. Over 30 speakers are expected to join.
Here are some of the topics SEETEST will cover: test automation, mobile testing, cloud testing, performance testing, security testing, Agile testing. You will meet world-class lecturers, gain expertise and interact with around 600 IT professionals. Sounds interesting? Then take a look at the program to learn more about the event.
If you are going to attend SEETEST in person, you will need the full conference hybrid ticket. It allows physical attendance and provides access to the online recordings (you can learn more about the package differences here). The early bird prices are valid until July 15.
Pricing:
- Early bird, full conference ticket (virtual only): €95.20 (around $113)
- Regular price, full conference ticket (virtual only): €119 (around $141)
- Early bird, full conference ticket (hybrid): €300 (around $357)
- Regular price, full conference ticket (hybrid): €375 (around $446)
600 IT experts and over 30 speakers? The QAwerk team is definitely going to be there to share our knowledge and gain some valuable insights. Join us!
EuroSTAR, September 28-30. Virtual
EuroSTAR is a true veteran among testing conferences — it got up on the stage in 1993. Since then, EuroSTAR continually delivers an impressive experience and provides in-depth knowledge for QA testers. The conference attracts over 1000 attendees every year.
EuroSTAR 2021 will bring together over 50 speakers with various backgrounds to cover topics such as test automation, testing in the cloud, testing AI systems, API security, manual testing, and others. Check the full schedule here, and please note that even more talks are going to be added — EuroSTAR has planned over 100 sessions in total. The event will take place online, so you don’t have to worry that it will be canceled or postponed.
In case you need assistance to get approval to attend EuroSTAR or still have questions about the event, feel free to get in touch with the organizers. They will provide you with resources to help you (or your manager) approve your attendance. The tickets are already available — note that attending the event in a group is cheaper than alone, so bring your team to learn something new together.
Pricing:
- Individual ticket: €550 (around $654)
- “5 for 4” group: €440 (per ticket, around $523)
- “10 for 7” group: €385 (per ticket, around $458)
Attending conferences is one of the most effective ways to discover the latest trends and approaches, gain valuable insights and skills, explore diverse tools and establish new connections. The pandemic won’t stop you this year, as most events are available online. No travel restrictions, no extra expenses on plane tickets and accommodation.
So stop waiting until the world gets back to normal. Let yourself evolve and grow as a professional. Invest in your self-development and new opportunities, choose an event (or events) from our list, and book your tickets today or at least in the near future, as the first conference we mentioned is taking place very soon!
Yours free: Essential guide to rock an offline IT conference
