HUSTEF 2025

The Hungarian Software Testing Forum (HUSTEF) is an independent, non-commercial software testing conference in Budapest that has been held annually since 2011. It is not backed by a company, but by a non-profit organization with professional experts. Over 50 percent of participants come from abroad, most recently from 34 countries. In 2025, the 15th edition will take place from October 14 to 16.

Key Takeaways

• HUSTEF is a non-profit conference without a commercial sponsoring organization, and according to Tamas Stoeckert, this is exactly what makes the difference in quality: professionalism comes before business interests.
• The 36 available sessions attracted over 260 submissions from all over the world, from the USA to Japan to South America, which puts the conference on a par with Eurostar and Agile Testing Days.
• The 15th edition will take place from October 14-16, 2025 in Budapest’s Castle District and will feature keynotes, deep dive sessions and a career clinic format for career guidance.
• Over 50 percent of participants come from abroad, and the DACH region is expressly welcome: German-speaking contact persons are available in the organizing team and on site.

What HUSTEF is and why it stands out in the conference landscape

HUSTEF (Hungarian Software Testing Forum) is an international conference for software testing and software quality that has been held annually in Budapest since 2011. It is considered one of the lesser-known but high-ranking meeting places for the European testing community, especially in German-speaking countries.

What sets the conference apart from many others: It is not backed by any company or business interest, but by an independent non-profit organization with professional experts. It is sponsored by the Hungarian Testing Board, the national ISTQB board of Hungary.

This origin still shapes the character of the organization today. The focus is on professionalism and high standards, not on sales. According to professional evaluations, HUSTEF is one of the top 3 conferences in Europe alongside Eurostar and the Agile Testing Days.

How HUSTEF emerged from a growing community

The idea for HUSTEF was born in 2010, when the Hungarian Testing Board in Hungary was gaining significant momentum. The community was growing, there were targeted training courses and exams, and the calls for networking and knowledge sharing were getting louder.

A dedicated conference on software testing and software quality, especially from a business perspective, did not exist in Hungary until then. This gap was the trigger.

The first conference took place in 2011, with over 100 participants and consistently positive feedback. A successful start, but still without a professional organizing team. With less experience, but with a lot of motivation.

From start-up project to international event

As demand grew, the organization had to become more professional. From 2012 and 2013, more specialists came from abroad and the organizers set up a permanent organization team with project managers for the individual subject areas.

The high point before the pandemic came in 2019, when over 750 participants from 34 countries traveled from various continents. A number that surprised even the organizers.

International diversity is now a hallmark of the conference. Over 50 percent of participants come from abroad. Last year, over 40 percent of participants were women, an unusually high proportion in the industry.

Why a conference is more than its program

The pandemic made it clear what a conference is really about. in 2020, HUSTEF took place online, with good technical quality and internationally renowned speakers, but with a lower number of participants.

The feedback was clear: online has a training character. What is missing is the part that a program alone cannot deliver.

What a conference also does is really the networking opportunity, the personal meeting, the exchange, what else happens in the evening, where you can also talk about other topics and challenges in professional life. Tamas Stoeckert

As soon as presence was possible again, HUSTEF returned to this format. The number of participants quickly grew back to pre-pandemic levels.

The anniversary year 2025: 15th edition in Budapest

in 2025, HUSTEF will be held for the 15th time, from October 14 to 16 in Budapest. The location will be an exclusive venue in the castle district, fully equipped with technical equipment.

The quality of the submissions shows how firmly anchored the conference is in the international calendar. There were over 260 applications for 36 slots, from the USA to Japan, from South America to Scandinavia. Anyone who knows conferences knows that this ratio is exceptional.

The program committee reviewed and evaluated all proposals and had to do without some strong topics because the number of slots is limited. This selection work was carried out on a voluntary basis, supported by the community and individual initiative rather than by a company.

What formats HUSTEF 2025 offers

The conference spans three days and combines several formats. Day 0 is a tutorial day, with parallel tracks with presentations on the following two days.

The program at a glance:

The Deep Dive Sessions provide a space to dive into a topic, build skills and reflect on experiences rather than just listening to a short talk. The Career Clinic helps to classify one’s own position in the field of software quality and software testing and to recognize possible directions.

There is also an evening program and, if desired, recommendations for the remaining days in Budapest and Hungary. If you are there in the fall anyway, you can also take advantage of the city.

Language barrier? English is enough, German helps

HUSTEF is an English-language conference, but if you have any concerns about the language, don’t worry. For German-speaking participants, there will be support in German in several places.

German-speaking colleagues from the organizing team and board are available to help with registration, group arrival, check-in and organizational questions. There will also be an increasing number of German-speaking speakers and board members on site, with whom discussions will be held in German during the breaks or in the evening.

There is a tangible reason for this. Hungary is a popular nearshore location for many large German companies, from Siemens and Bosch to Lufthansa, SAP, Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Accordingly, many Hungarian testing and quality experts speak good German.

Budapest is close, the journey is uncomplicated

A practical advantage: Budapest is not far away for many from the DACH region. The city is well connected via airport and train, and it is only a short hop from Vienna.

The number of participants from Germany, Austria and Switzerland is increasing, and it is precisely this group that the organizers want to continue to address. Apart from the conference, Budapest itself offers enough to extend the stay.

Where the HUSTEF wants to develop

HUSTEF has two goals for the coming years: to continue to grow and to respond even more closely to the wishes of the participants.

The international breadth is to increase, beyond the current 34 countries. In order to better meet the needs, many surveys will be conducted during and immediately after the conference, the results of which will be incorporated into the planning.

What has characterized the conference for 15 years remains the core: an independent, professionally driven format that wants to give something back to the community.