In the first day I was not sure if I had made a good decision about going to this congress. I bought my tickets mainly because of the agenda and the speakers, and in my research I noticed that the format was a little different of conventional tech conferences, the attendance was smaller and there was more than one talk at the same time, making the groups in every talk even smaller.

But I’m more than happy to say: This was the best decision ever! I was wrong at comparing this congress to traditional tech events out there, and the reason why is...

… Because we were a small group in each talk or workshop, I had conversations deep in details with the other attendees, we could share the wins that we had in common and I learned what they have been doing in their current jobs.

... I had enough time to meet personally almost every person there, which gave me the opportunity to make connections that remain until now.

… Every talk was also an open conversation, be a small group allowed us to be more participative and collaborative.

… I could easily get in touch with the speakers, in some cases also over a dinner.

… I've felt in a safe environment to ask any kind of questions in the Q&A, without perceive any type of bad judgment.

... It was very well organised and the food provided was delicious. The organisers are open for feedback and happy to help in any kind of request. The companies supporting the event also brought valuable content and meaningful products to our conversation.

Attendee Attention
There was not much of a crowd. You could sense that it was on purpose - every attendee got to meet/greet every other attendee at least once everyday. It helped break the barrier and know more about each other and share knowledge.

About Program
The topics were diverse. No one topic was repeated. The entire schedule was designed as if an artist had separated the silk strands and arranged it based on thickness and color. Such precision and judgement of which session should follow which other session and excellent diversity in terms of experience, context, first timer vs seasoned, country, gender, age, roles, designations and presentation styles. I had so much difficulty in choosing the track to attend not just once or twice but for the entire 2nd day - yes, the entire second day! Luckily, one of the tracks was recorded. There was no "You sponsored, get a slot and sell your product" kind of talk. Every talk was selection worthy.

Last Day
The whole three tracks was now just one track for the last day. Looking back, there was talks, keynote, games, breaks, hallway discussions, group discussions, tutorials, performances. There were first timers, seasoned speakers, experts and plenty of networking opportunities. You could sense that whatever happened was the right thing to happen.

First day was a workshop day: you could attend two workshops. I was thrilled as I really enjoy workshops, that’s my kind of a preferred learning experience. The content was really high standard so I had some trouble choosing which sessions I should attend. Same happened with the second day where there were 3 parallel tracks of talks! While the third day everyone got together to one bigger room for keynote-like talks.

Overall, the conference was full of wonderful content, yet unpretentious, real & genuine. The main organiser & founder Anna Royzman, in general, is a very kind, yet straight-forward, sincere person who is not about making a show of a conference, but allowing participants learn & shape it themselves. There were spaces for discussions,  or even interactive games in groups. This really helps attendees to network in a cozy conference environment.

Why cozy? Because the number of attendees is just perfect for getting to know almost everyone, network, and feel comfortable in sharing your knowledge. No big overwhelming auditoriums where the more people there are – the lonelier you may feel.

And, the attendees themselves are just a wonderful set of people. I’m so glad to have been a part of this conference, and, have met such inspiring people!

As my very first conference, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I went with an open mind and an intention to absorb as much as I could. TLC is a conference that welcomes software professionals from all over the world. The conference in June focused on emerging trends in software development and covered a lot of diverse and useful topics, including on-boarding, continuous delivery, continuous testing, leadership improvement and much more.

TLC featured seasoned test engineers and managers from companies known for their strong engineering cultures, such as The New York Times and Amazon.

Another workshop that stood out to me was a leader’s peer workshop where participants shared their experiences managing engineering teams and broke into groups to discuss and hash out solutions to common industry problems.

The inspirational talks especially resonated with me as they got participants to rethink how we could become better leaders, including the importance of acknowledging and facing our fears to help us get to the positions we aspire to achieve. It was invaluable to hear proven industry leaders share their journeys, which always included hard work and uncompromising loyalty to their authenticity as individuals and in staying true to their principles.

Growing up I attended a variety of summer camps related to my different activities and hobbies and those were some of the most fun weeks of my summer. I remember feeling nervous upon arrival because I didn’t know anyone, but fast forward to the end of the week and I was always sad to leave because of the strong bond I had made with my new friends. As adults, we often lose those opportunities to create such a bond with people over the course of a few short days. But occasionally, lightning strikes and the opportunity to relive that “camp feeling” presents itself.

Recently, I attended TLC conference in New York City and was fortunate enough to have that experience.

One thing that was unique about this conference was that it had a different flow each day. I attended all three days, which meant I was able to take part in the tutorial masterclasses offered on Wednesday, the multi-track day on Thursday, and the single-track sessions on Friday. On Wednesday and Thursday I had a hard time choosing which workshops and presentations I wanted to attend. The quality of content was amazing and almost every session seemed to offer something I wanted to learn about and take back to my team. On Friday the format switched to single-track.

This day was exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. There was so much content, but each speaker had a fresh perspective and made me think about how I work with my team on a regular basis. We ended the conference with a reception to celebrate new friendships and three days of shared learning and professional growth. This different approach to the conference style kept things moving each day. It was nice to be able to explore topics of my own choosing during the workshops and concurrent sessions, but the full day of everyone listening to the same content was a great way to end with a common experience for all attendees. During the breaks it was easy to strike up conversation with the person next to me because we had all just heard the same talks.

Another aspect of TLC that I loved was the size. There was not a maze of exhibitors trying to showcase their products. Instead, it was a small group. It felt intimate and personal. The focus was on learning and making connections with other leaders. I felt like I was able to speak to almost everyone in attendance. Conversations flowed easily, and it was such a fantastic opportunity to bounce ideas off one another and realize that everyone is struggling with similar issues. There were also many opportunities to connect.

Friday night, at the end of the reception, I had that same feeling I used to experience at the end of a week of camp. I couldn’t have explained it when I was 15, but upon reflection the best camps I attended brought together a group of strangers who had a shared passion, and in the course of a few days helped us learn and grow while fostering deep connections with people we most likely wouldn’t have otherwise met. And that was exactly the experience I had in during my three days at TLC! This conference was fantastic. I hope I have the opportunity to return and I highly recommend this experience to other testing leaders.

The Transformative Leadership in Disruptive Times Certificate Program at the Seton Hall University Stillman School of Business helps you innovate through digital transformation by identifying the value in emerging technologies, business models, and resources at your organization.

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