September’s the time when the Northeast goes back to school. And so it is for testers, development managers and test-focused developers, as we meet in Boston for the annual Software Test & Performance Conference. It’s your annual opportunity to add to your skill set, your resume and your stock price within the organization.

This year we’ll be located at the Marriott Copley Place, closer to downtown Boston. We hope this puts us in easier proximity for some of you to drop in for a class or two, or perhaps walk the exhibit floor during your lunch hour to get up to speed on the latest testing tools, solutions and services from dozens of the industry’s top vendors.

The Software Test & Performance Conference is here to continue your education on the ways of building, testing and securing applications, be they made with AJAX, SOA, UML or another emerging technology that has yet to come your way.

Our curriculum contains introductory, intermediate and advanced content to suit you and everyone on your staff. Plus, we’ll have tracks designed especially for managers and other specialists just like you, who must stay on top of the latest technologies and development techniques to keep your company competitive.

As always, our speakers are hand-picked for their technical expertise and ability to communicate their knowledge effectively, in ways that are most useful for integrating that knowledge into your daily life. We’ve also listened to your feedback on each conference session, and made sure that this year’s STPCon presentations will be even better than the last.

Don’t miss test-industry legend James Bach, who will deliver our opening keynote, explaining his pioneering “exploratory boundary testing” concept. This inspiring talk will give you a sense of the industry today and what’s in store for the future. And you’ll have more opportunities to meet the faculty and your test-industry colleagues at the after-hours sessions and other informal gatherings that we’ve arranged for you in the exhibit hall and at other locations around the conference center.

At our Spring conference in California, we introduced a new event — LIGHTNING TALKS — to STPCon. Lightning Talks give you a chance to hear a number of short, targeted talks from multiple speakers in a single hour. If the speaker goes too long, you’re invited to let them know in not-so-subtle ways. The pressure will be on — Wednesday at 5:00 pm.

Also returning is the Hands-On Tool Showcase, a popular event that lets you get up-close and personal with a number of testing tools and solutions. Be sure to bring your laptop and your appetite… there will be lots of food and drink, beginning at 6:00 pm Wednesday, right after Lightning Talks. And don’t miss more free libations at the Attendee Reception on Thursday starting at 5:00 pm.

The Software Test & Performance Conference in Boston promises to be the best STPCon ever. So browse the course catalog and be sure to take advantage of our early-bird discounts. Why not sign up today?

See you in September.

Best regards,
Edward J. Correia
Conference Chairman