How is Quality Sense Conf related to the podcast of the same name? Why is it relevant to generate instances of exchange? What is the importance of having a diversity of speakers? Find out the answers in this article. Also, find out who our sponsors are and how to join us.

By Federico Toledo

As you already know, at Abstracta we are organizing Quality Sense Conf, which will be held on December 9th in Montevideo, Uruguay. I feel very proud to lead this event given all that it means: the possibility of opening access to knowledge related to software testing to all interested people, hand in hand with great leaders from around the world, to continue positioning the country as a digital hub around the globe.

For many years I have been working with this same sense, through my blog, Abstracta’s blog, talks, webinars, and workshops. In 2014, I published “Introducción a las pruebas de sistemas de información”, the first testing book coming out from Uruguay, one of the first in Spanish with a practical approach (you can download it for free here). I was co-organizer of TestingUy events and meetups for many years. And in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, I started my testing and software quality podcast, called Quality Sense, which has precisely the same name as the event we are now presenting.
From the very beginning, the idea of the podcast was to create a space to learn more about the leaders in software quality, their experiences, and a little more about their lives, how they came to testing and their biggest challenges. Quality Sense Conf will allow us to follow this path in person. 

We will be able to talk with the people who have inspired many of us and have given us so much material to learn from. And we will also have the possibility of generating new contacts, initiating links, and forging new networks, which is a key tool for our growth and development.

I remember in 2008 I had the opportunity to meet Scott Barber, who was the author of most of the texts I had read on performance testing until then. That experience had a huge impact on me. Something similar happened to me recently with an interview I conducted with Maaret Pyhäjärvi for my podcast, an author whom I have read a lot in relation to exploratory testing, and whose sharp tweets have been of great influence to me. And like these examples, I could name many more. 

Over the years, I have had new opportunities of this kind, and each time it has happened, it has marked me. This possibility of exchange moves me, motivates me, and inspires me. Quality Sense Conf is born with this spirit, with the objective of making part of this type of experience for all the people interested in being part of it. Also, to continue positioning ourselves on the map as a digital hub, to be able to show everything we are doing and the tremendous potential there is in our community.

Another point of contact between the conference and the podcast is undoubtedly that there will be some spaces with an interview format, which will be extremely interesting. 

We are working hard to achieve the presence of an important diversity of speakers because we consider that this responds to a central value of a conference like the one we are proposing: that it be inclusive. In this sense, it will be an open, free and accessible event, with simultaneous translation in English and Spanish, and live transmission for those who cannot attend in person. 

Why is it important to ensure diversity? A speaker is a role model, influencing and inspiring us, just like an author. Precisely for this reason, it is crucial to increase the chances that, in one way or another, the majority of the people in our audience will identify with whoever is delivering the lectures. 

Although we do not have a defined quota in any aspect, we want to encourage diversity when putting together the list of speakers, and in this way contribute to the fact that one day it will no longer be necessary to focus on these things. Diversity is something that will continue to be promoted globally, and we hope that the time will come when it will no longer be necessary to fight for equal opportunities in all respects, as it is something that comes naturally. Unfortunately, today we are still far from that, and it is essential that we work to encourage this process.  

We already have several confirmed speakers from the United States, Canada, France, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Cuba, and Colombia. This translates into the existence of a very rich cultural diversity in Quality Sense Conf. We also aim to have gender, experience, and age diversity represented in our speakers. 

Given the current context, where there are still great social inequalities, we know that it will not be possible to achieve everything we set out to do. But what we certainly don’t want is for it to be a conference in which there are only men of a certain age, a certain background, and a certain skin color (yes, in 2022 there will still be such conferences).  

Quality Sense: Open Call for Sponsors

Who is the Sponsorship plan aimed at? 

We are looking for sponsors who are motivated to support this initiative, and who want to take advantage of the opportunity to showcase their brand to the wide audience of IT professionals that we hope to reach. 

We have collaborated in the past in this type of events, and sponsors have generally supported us because they are aligned with the values and vision of the event. In addition, they are looking for different benefits such as being able to showcase their products to a varied technical audience and make their company and brand visible in order to “capture talent”. 

Who has already joined as a sponsor?

We have several brands already confirmed as sponsors, both from the region and internationally. The first to join were Mabl, Dynatrace, BigCheese, the Association for Software Testing, Blazerunner, Commit Studio, December Labs, Fluxon, K6, NearShore, Qualitas, and UruIT.

At Abstracta, we have worked hard in a variety of software testing events in order to train professionals and raise the level of the community. This, undoubtedly, has a positive impact on all companies and helps us to set the bar higher every day, in order to create quality software that offers the best possible user experience. 

Interested in sponsoring the event? Contact us and let’s talk about all the possibilities.

Would you like to attend Quality Sense Conf? Register here.

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