I’m sure most of us in this position have a similar story, but I didn’t intend on doing this. Speaking at and planning professional conferences, to be specific. When I first submitted to speak at a conference, it wasn’t because I wanted to help plan one someday. I was being selfish.
Conferences are expensive, and my company wasn’t going to pay for me to attend one.
It’s really hard work, no matter the size or length of the event. All of the little things you see in every corner of the conference have to be planned. The beautiful part has been learning from my teammates how a stellar event can be presented.
I wanted to highlight some of my favorite parts of the week at Agile2023. A week together means a lot of content, and people come to the conference looking for different things. If you’re wondering what you will get out of a trip to Orlando in July, we have you covered!
Agile2023 themes
When you lay out five days’ worth of content on a table, it can seem overwhelming to make sense of what each day means for attendees. The team took a step back to see what we built and noticed a story starting. Moving cards around a bit, we found that each day settled on themes.
Monday asks attendees if we can engage our “beginner’s mind.” Regardless of our experience in Agile content, there is value in remembering what it felt like to experience concepts for the first time. By taking a fresh perspective, we set the stage for a week of deep engagement.
On Tuesday, we will build upon that mentality by challenging our current assumptions. Attendees will be asked if they can see things differently with topics to reframe our experiences in a new light. After two decades of Agile conferences, a new set of eyes might be just what attendees need.
We are trying something new for Wednesday this year, with sessions intended to focus and refresh our minds. There will be larger sessions intended to center on big ideas and provide a chance for attendees to connect and relax with some wellness activities.
For Thursday, some new ideas will be presented for consideration. Finding Agility in the less obvious spaces, technical practices we can all understand, understanding customers at every level, and so much more await attendees in advance of our conference event down the road at Universal Studios City Walk.
Usually a laid-back day, we wanted Friday to be the highlight of the week. Finishing strong is indeed epic with an amazing final keynote and some star-studded presenters prior. The intent is to give a burst of creativity as people disperse for the weekend.
User journeys
On top of each day telling a story with content, we wanted to craft an experience for attendees no matter their skill level or subject-matter expertise. If you’re attending the conference with a specific topic in mind, we have taken your wants into consideration with the agenda.
- If you are earlier in your agile journey, you will find content that builds over the week. The essentials track will funnel attendees to sessions past Tuesday and continue the learning path. It’s exciting to know organizations can send their teams to benefit from an awesome learning experience.
- Agile coaches have content every day to further your practice of aiding teams and programs. Thanks to the salon and some amazing presenters on every track, you will be challenged in your practice. The Thursday session with Bob Galen is the icing on that cake.
- Technical practices are back and better than ever with fresh tech takes. More than just pipelines and quality, the team wanted to think about how tech can build a better world for Agilists wanting more from their places of employment.
- Taking a look at the keynotes, you will notice a theme of leadership. Attendees will be given three different perspectives on the topic, as well as an amazing Wednesday session from Diana Larsen and Tricia Broderick.
- And we have business Agility, product thinking, transformation opportunities, and so many other paths that are available each of the five days of Agile2023.
There’s so much more!
It would be impossible to highlight every aspect of the agenda with so much planned for the week. That said, the program team wanted to look at a few of the constants of every year and take a fresh look at them.
The Audacious Salon is living its name, providing a space for some big ideas. Agile Advice looks to plan an even bigger role in connection to the content. We will also have an actual Open Space all-day on Thursday, something I’ve been looking forward to having for a while.
If it’s been a while since you attended the conference, this is the year to come back. If you’ve never been before, you’ll have a unique experience found in no other place. We look forward to seeing you all this summer!
Be sure to check out the full program and agenda here.
