Don’t skip South America’s premier event for all things software testing: TestingUY 2019

It’s that time of year again. The time of year when many “Abstracteros” prepare their talk and workshop proposals for the testing conference we’re sponsoring that’s also in our own backyard, TestingUY 2019.

I personally have been involved since the first edition of the conference six years ago, and it’s been amazing to watch it grow from a small event in which we weren’t expecting more than 50 people to one that attracts over 500 each year, including keynote speakers like Michael Bolton and Derk Van De Grood.

What is TestingUY?

TestingUy is a non-profit testing and software quality conference in Montevideo, Uruguay, which brings together testing professionals as well as programmers, analysts and project managers. This year it will take place May 13th and 14th at the Antel Tower followed by an Agile Testing Tutorial on May 15th by Lisa Crispin and Janet Gregory. Stay tuned for the agenda.

The idea of TestingUY was born in 2013 from the desire to create a meeting place to share experiences, knowledge, new technologies and trends in software testing. To keep the spirit of the event alive throughout the year, TestingUY also has a meetup group with over 850 members and recently, it joined forces with the Ministry of Testing for more testing awesomeness. We’re excited to have Melissa Eaden, EditorBoss of Ministry of Testing attend TestingUY this year.

Why You Should Go to TestingUY 2019

Let me tell you why I think every tester (that can) should attend this year’s TestingUY in Montevideo, Uruguay.

1. The Biggest Testing Conference in South America

In other continents like North America, Europe, and Asia you have several software testing conferences to choose from. We have less large-scale testing events to choose from here, but TestingUY is the biggest conference dedicated just to testing in South America. It’s a great chance to get to know the community better and learn from other testers and thought leaders that speak our language and are more accessible than those in other parts of the world.

The conference caters to testers and technologists with a broad range of topics from soft skills to hard, spanning various aspects of quality from mobile testing to load testing to automation, etc. In the region, there is actually quite a big community of testers with a lot of research being done, so it is well worth it to come here and see what South American testers have to say.

2. TestingUY is Free

That’s right, it’s completely free for all attendees thanks to the volunteers who make it happen and all the sponsors. The organizers have always wanted to make the barriers to entry very low so that the most people can benefit from the event as possible.

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3. Learn Agile Testing from the Best

This year we are extremely proud to announce the attendance of Lisa Crispin (from the US) and Janet Gregory (Canada), international speakers and authors of the highly referential books, “Agile Testing: A Practical Guide for Testers and Agile Teams” and “More Agile Testing: Learning Journeys for the Whole Team.”

On May 15th, they will be hosting an all-day Agile Testing Tutorial that aims to help anyone new to Agile or Agile team members who are struggling with testing & confidence in frequent delivery.

Here’s a quick description of the tutorial:

Agile development is considered “mainstream”, yet many testers joining agile teams feel overwhelmed or frustrated. Many “agile” teams still struggle with delivering good-enough-quality software in a timely manner, and find themselves dragged down by production bugs. They haven’t mastered core practices that let us build quality into software. They may want to build a DevOps culture and move to continuous delivery, but lack the confidence to deploy changes to production so frequently. If you’re new to agile, or if you’re finding it hard to succeed with any aspect of testing with your team, join this hands-on, interactive tutorial to get traction on agile testing essentials.

We are happy to be part of the @testingUY 2019!
We look forward to sharing our knowledge and to inspire the Latin America #agiletesting community.
Join us on the 13th and 14th of May in Uruguay.https://t.co/oLSbWXvdMvpic.twitter.com/DW17QEHrWw

— AgileTestingFellow (@AgileTFellow) February 12, 2019

4. Get to Know an Underrated South American Destination

Apart from Uruguay’s famous fútbol (soccer) team and meat industry, not many people know about everything else this country has to offer. In 2019 and in several recent years, its capital, Montevideo, has ranked the top city for quality of life in South America by consulting firm, Mercer.

(See why we think Uruguay is the perfect place for a tester to live and work.)

Uruguayans enjoy a country filled with undeveloped natural beauty, from grassy hillsides and wetlands to over 400 miles of Atlantic coastline. Uruguay’s beach towns like Punta del Este, Piriapolis, and Cabo Polonio are the perfect getaway in South America and are reachable in just a couple of hours by car from Montevideo along a beautiful, scenic route.

In past editions of TestingUY, the other organizers and I planned fun day trips and social activities before and after the event for anyone who wanted to get to know us and Uruguay better.

Playing set game with @michaelbolton in his last dinner with him and the @testingUY team. Result: I won every match 😛 😉
Have a safe trip! pic.twitter.com/pwgfJIMpM2

— Federico Toledo (@fltoledo) May 21, 2017

Compartir no solo conocimiento, también buenos momentos, costumbres, similitudes y diferencias. Hermoso día de paseo previo a @testingUY con los extranjeros que nos visitan @DerkJanDeGrood @SiemensKyle @claubs_uy @gskrilec pic.twitter.com/Ba6IalBfyU

— Federico Toledo (@fltoledo) May 21, 2018

5. Meet Abstracta

It might go without saying, but many testers at Abstracta will be attending and participating as speakers and workshop leaders in addition to tending to our company booth where we will be giving out some swag. We love getting to know other professionals in software development with whom we can collaborate or even hire to join our team (We’re always hiring!). 

Here are the sessions and workshops we will lead:

See the full agenda here.

And there you have it. Will I see you at TestingUY 2019? 

Recommended for You

TestingUY 2017 with Michael Bolton, a Week of Pure Testing
Uruguay: The Best Hub for Software Quality Engineers in South America?