A barcamp is an open conference format in which the participants themselves introduce and determine the topics. Instead of fixed speakers, there is a marketplace where anyone can suggest a slot. The QS Barcamp Hamburg is the only German-speaking barcamp for software testing and quality assurance and is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.
Key Takeaways
- A barcamp structures the informal exchange that takes place at traditional conferences around the coffee machine in a targeted, all-day format with parallel sessions and free choice of topics by the participants.
- The QS Barcamp is the only German-language barcamp in the field of testing and quality assurance and attracts participants from all over the German-speaking world, including developers, testers, HR professionals, university professors and career changers from other industries.
- The community has deliberately limited the number of participants to 80 in order to maintain the informal atmosphere that anonymous large-scale events cannot offer.
- The law of the feet explicitly allows participants to leave an ongoing session and switch sessions, because knowledge brought along from one slot enriches the discussion in the next slot.
- Since the first Barcamp, the entry price has been 49 euros; students pay nothing because the event is deliberately intended to remain accessible to everyone as a community event.
What is a barcamp and how does it differ from a traditional conference?
A barcamp is a format in which the participants design the program themselves. There is no fixed presentation schedule and no speaker who broadcasts from the front while everyone else listens. Instead, the attendees bring their own topics and the sessions are created from this.
The idea is based on a simple observation: the most valuable conversations at conferences often happen at the coffee machine, not in the lecture hall. A barcamp reverses this relationship. It makes the exchange the main thing and organizes it.
You can think of it as a long, well-organized conference break. Because you always have the most interesting conversations during the conference breaks.”
- Georg Haupt
The QS Barcamp in Hamburg describes itself as the only largely German-speaking barcamp in the field of testing and quality assurance. it celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2024. It originated from the Software User Group Hamburg, which still supports the format today.
How a Barcamp day actually works
The day starts with the marketplace. Everyone who wants to contribute a topic writes it down on a piece of paper, briefly introduces it and looks for a free slot in the schedule. Anyone who wants to talk about test automation on the surface at 11 a.m. announces this, and all those interested come along.
There are two types of sessions. In push sessions, someone distributes knowledge that they bring with them. In pull sessions, someone asks an open question in the room, such as how to automate sensibly via the interface, and collects the answers from others.
Four slots run in parallel at the QS Barcamp. Each slot lasts 45 minutes, followed by a 15-minute break. The program is embedded in a joint breakfast, a lunch break at the large buffet and catering throughout the day.
One unwritten rule characterizes the format: the law of the feet. Anyone who feels they have nothing more to contribute or take away gets up and moves on to another session. This is expressly encouraged, not an affront.
Changing topics in the middle of a session is a feature, not a mistake
“Whatever happens, happens” is one of the guiding rules. A session that starts with a question about exploratory testing can end with the question of how to set up a room as a functioning test environment. This is not considered a digression, but a successful progression.
Switching between parallel slots also creates added value. Anyone who moves from slot A to slot B carries the thoughts from the first discussion into the second. In this way, knowledge moves between the rooms instead of remaining locked up in individual sessions.
A second rule limits the length of slots as required: a slot lasts as long as it needs to. Anyone who is not finished with their topic releases the room for the next group and moves on to a sofa corner with the other interested parties.
Why Friday evening makes Saturday strong
The QS Barcamp does not start with the Open Space on Saturday morning, but on Friday evening. It starts with a presentation on a selected topic, accompanied by a barbecue on the roof terrace. This is followed by a long barbecue evening, which can go on until half past one in the morning.
The effect the next morning is clear: many participants already know each other, have had conversations and collected ideas. These ideas flow directly into the session proposals on the marketplace.
The presentation topics on Friday are deliberately chosen so that they leave questions open. A closed topic does not provide any points for discussion. Open ends, on the other hand, carry over into the following day’s sessions.
The mix of participants makes the difference
At the QS Barcamp, roles come together that otherwise rarely exchange ideas. Testers, test managers, developers, students, university professors and people from HR sit at the same table. One participant came from the food industry and does quality assurance for food.
There is also a wide range of expertise. There are professionals with real deep-dive topics and newcomers who want to know what skills they need to get started. Classic context meets agile, banking software meets forklift control software.
It is precisely this friction that generates the exciting discussions. Someone who works in the embedded area tests differently than someone with a web application behind them. The exchange across these boundaries brings perspectives that you don’t find in your own environment.
Two examples show what happens. An HR employee was asked to advertise a testing role without knowing the task and submitted the session “Describe the ideal tester”. In another session, a collection of the most important testing tools began on the wall. Over the course of several sessions, this grew into a sorted knowledge database, from automation and test analysis to data tools.
Staying small is a conscious decision
The QS Barcamp has 60 to 80 participants. This limit was set by the community itself, although places are quickly booked out. More people would destroy the family atmosphere.
A solid core of 40 to 45 people come regularly, some for the tenth time. There are also first-time visitors every year. Those who don’t know don’t notice the difference because the integration of new participants works smoothly.
The size protects the format from anonymity. With 500 or 5000 participants, the atmosphere becomes impersonal. With 80, people know each other, it’s easier to start conversations and make connections more quickly. The Hamburg community expressly does not want to exceed this scale.
The QS Barcamp as a launch pad for methods
The format repeatedly serves as the first public stage for methods and tools in German-speaking countries. Some things already exist, but are brought to the community for the first time here.
Riskstorming made its first real appearance in this bubble and then stuck around. Quality Storming was also played out publicly for the first time here. Participants often experience premieres without knowing at the time that they are taking part. Only afterwards do they realize that they were part of something new.
Practical key data on the QS Barcamp
The event is traditionally held on the first full weekend in September. It starts on Friday evening with an evening quilott and barbecue event, followed on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. by breakfast together, then the marketplace and sessions.
| point | detail |
|---|---|
| Number of participants | 60 to 80, deliberately limited |
| Parallel slots | 4, 45 minutes each plus 15-minute break |
| Ticket price | 49 euros, unchanged since the first day |
| Students | free of charge |
| Catering | breakfast, large lunch buffet, drinks, barbecue |
The price of 49 euros essentially covers the food, the lunch buffet costs rather more. It should not be higher, as the Barcamp sees itself as an accessible community event. Participation is free of charge for students.
When it comes to food, the team makes sure there is a full vegan option. Instead of referring vegans to side dishes, there is a separate main component and all side dishes are also purely plant-based.
The event is supported by people from four different companies, not a single company. OSE provides the premises because renting suitable rooms would otherwise be too expensive. Without sponsors, it would not be possible to maintain the format at the current price; no one makes money from it. Anyone who would like to support the anniversary with an idea or as a sponsor can contact the organization team.
