QA: Challenge Accepted 2024: The Anniversary

An international technical conference for software testing and quality assurance

About The Event

QA: Challenge Accepted is an international full-day single-track conference targeted towards enthusiasts, specialists and managers participating in software testing and software quality assurance. The event is initiated by the QA community in Bulgaria - for professionals from professionals. After nine consecutive years, we would like to welcome you to our anniversary edition on September 28th 2024 in Sofia Tech Park. The conference will feature a diverse range of sessions, and you will learn about a variety of topics for QA professionals from all levels. Expect a lot of surprises and a big 10 year anniversary party. Do not miss QA: Challenge Accepted 2024!


Where

John Atanasoff Forum
Sofia Tech Park
Sofia, Bulgaria


When

September 28th 2024
Saturday
Day 272 of Year 2024

What is it like? Check it out:

Currently available: LAST MINUTE TICKETS ONLY!

QA: Challenge Accepted Full Ticket
299 BGN
(~155 EUR)
QA: Challenge Accepted only onsite ticket

Combined tickets for both QA: Challenge Accepted and DEV: Challenge Accepted
399 BGN
(~206 EUR)
Combined ticket for
DEV: Challenge Accepted and QA: Challenge Accepted



By buying a ticket, you get:

  • Full onsite and online access to the conference.
  • Unlimited networking opportunities to connect with like-minded tech enthusiasts
  • Unlimited coffee to keep your energy high throughout the day
  • Cold beer available in the afternoon during breaks to relax and unwind
  • A tasty lunch to fuel your learning and networking sessions
  • Entry to a fun-packed afterparty - the perfect place to mingle and make memories
  • Access to sponsor booths, offering insights into cutting-edge tech solutions
  • An opportunity to interact directly with speakers in the Speakers Corner
  • Chance to win exciting prizes from sponsor raffles
  • All the fun of meeting old buddies and making new friends in the tech community

Haven't decided yet?

Register for news and get online access to the conference absolutely free of charge.

Not sure about coming over?

Come on - the combined cost of your flights, accommodation, and a full-access conference ticket here is often less than just a basic entry pass at some other events. Thanks to our sponsors, it is not only a budget-friendly event, but you also get the complete experience - comprehensive learning, extensive networking, and the chance to explore the vibrant culture of a charming EU country - Bulgaria. Reach us if you need any help for visas, travel, and accommodation - we will be happy to help.

Event Schedule

27 Sep 2024 (Friday)

Workshop Day

We have very limited seats (max ~18 people per workshop) for three unique workshops that will happen before the conference days, lead by conference speakers:

Practical Usage of ChatGPT in Software Development (entirely in Bulgarian)

Radoslav Georgiev

Radoslav Georgiev

💼  Co-founder @ HackSoft
✈️  Sofia, Bulgaria

Gain hands-on experience with ChatGPT, learn best practices in software development, and apply them through practical exercises. Don't miss this chance to enhance your skills with direct guidance from an expert—secure your spot today! This workshop will teach you how to utilize ChatGPT effectively in your development process. You'll explore the best practices in software development and gain practical insights through interactive exercises. With an emphasis on more practice, less theory, and real-world applications, this is a unique opportunity presented by the partnership between Hack Bulgaria and Challenge Accepted Events, entirely in the comfort of Bulgarian language. With limited seats available, ensure you sign up early to take advantage of this opportunity.

People signed: 5/18

👤👤👤👤👤🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑

Think Like a Software Architect: Live Problem-Solving Workshop

Martin Chaov

Martin Chaov

💼  Lead Software Architect @ DraftKings
✈️  Sofia, Bulgaria

The unique aspect of this workshop is that the audience is given an opportunity to interact with the architects and bring their different perspectives and limitations to the table. A dynamic and collaborative environment in which the architects can work to overcome the various challenges and limitations is presented to them. Participants will need to tackle a business request live, in a dynamic and collaborative setting. Then they will gain insights into the architect's role within a team, their technical responsibilities, and how they bring innovative ideas to life. Through interactive problem-solving rounds, Q&A sessions, and role-playing activities, attendees will explore the SDLC process, problem-solving techniques, and real-world challenges architects face. This workshop is ideal for aspiring architects, tech enthusiasts, and senior developers looking to enhance their skills.

People signed: 2/18

👤👤🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑🪑



Fee for one workshop*: 299 BGN  approx. 153 EUR

* Final price. VAT, lunch, and coffee breaks included. Discounts are not applicable for workshops.



28 Sep 2024 (Saturday)

08:30-09:30

🢂 Login

Come on time, get your badge, and start the day with a tasty morning coffee. We've especially extended the registration so morning enthusiasts can network and check out our sponsor booths first.

09:30-09:50

👏 Opening ceremony

An official opening with our well-known hosts: Vladislav Violinov and Toni Karabashev.

09:50-10:20

🎤 QA vs AI: Friends or Foes?

Hashtags: #Technical #AI #Automation #Tools #Manual

Suitability: Junior Regular Senior Management

Everyone talks about AI, and that is why we will start the day with this hot topic. Victor will explore if AI can help us advance faster on our test cases and whether it might eliminate low-level work, enabling QA professionals to focus on the creative side of testing. Furthermore, he will share concrete examples of how AI can improve the test cases quality, a when and where it requires human validation, highlighting the potential and limitations of AI in testing.

Victor Ionascu

Victor Ionascu

💼  R&D Director @ Axway
✈️  Bucharest, Romania

Victor has 15+ years of extensive experience in experimenting, learning from failures, and helping others think outside the box. Currently, he works on integrating multiple products into high-quality solutions at Axway. He has spoken at many international conferences (including QA: Challenge Accepted), sharing his love for eliminating unnecessary tasks and focusing on what truly adds value. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, motorbiking, climbing mountains, and spending time with his three kids.

10:20-10:40

☕ Coffee Break sponsored by

10:40-11:10

🎤 Artificial Intelligence in Analysis of Automation Tests Results

Hashtags: #Technical #AI #Automation #Tools #TestAnalysis #ReportPortal

Suitability: Regular Senior

We already know many use cases of the AI in software testing. But can it also be used for analysis of automation test results? Comparing failures from the previous and current day, checking error consistency, and analyzing new failures manually can be challenging and inefficient. Maroš will share his personal journey with ReportPortal.io, a tool that uses AI to automate the analysis of test results. His talk will cover why daily analysis is crucial, the benefits of ReportPortal, demonstration and practical examples of its integration with various frameworks.

Maroš Kutschy

Maroš Kutschy

💼  Technical Lead QA @ Ness
✈️  Košice, Slovakia

Maroš is a passionate automation tests developer, and a proud creator of the Jasecu Automation Framework. Specializing in Java, Selenium and Cucumber, he loves guiding colleagues and newcomers into the world of testing. Maroš has spoken at numerous international conferences (such as Testing United in Czech Republic, Nordic Testing Days in Estonia, and HUSTEF in Hungary), sharing his expertise on automation testing, stoicism, and more. Outside work, he enjoys self-improvement books, stoic philosophy, and gym workouts.

11:10-11:40

🎤 Self-Healing or Self-Killing?

Hashtags: #Automation #Technical #Tools #SelfHealing #Challenges

Suitability: Regular Senior Management

Automation can feel like magic… until it breaks. In this talk, Niki dives into the world of self-healing mechanisms in test automation—spoiler alert, it’s not always smooth sailing. Self-healing test automation is an intelligent solution designed to automatically detect and fix issues in tests that arise from changes in an application's UI or web elements. Typically, test cases rely on locators (like name, ID, XPath, or type) to identify elements, but when the UI changes, these locators can break, causing tests to fail. Niki shares real-world insights after 18 months of integrating self-healing into automation frameworks, explaining how it should work, the challenges his team faced, and how they overcame them. With practical tips on making self-healing automation actually effective, and the ultimate question: Is it worth the effort or is it more self-sabotage? Buckle up for some automation truths!

Nikolay Stanoev

Nikolay Stanoev

💼  QA Architect @ Merkle Bulgaria
✈️  Sofia, Bulgaria

Nikolay Stanoev has 15+ years of experience in the IT sector. Starting as an intern in 2009, his passion for quality propelled him to the role of QA Architect, where he’s built test automation for major brands like Adidas, Disney, and Shiseido in the eCommerce sector. Niki has also mastered various types of non-functional testing. His influence extends beyond his projects—he’s spoken at renowned conferences like Automation Guild, ISTA, and TestCon Europe, and won the prestigious "QA of the Year" award at QA Challenge Accepted last year. While balancing his love for football (CSKA Sofia) and board games, Niki is recognized as a top Selenium expert, constantly supporting the local QA community. This talk marks his sixth appearance on our stage, a testament to the value and insight he brings every time.

11:40-12:00

☕ Coffee Break sponsored by

12:00-12:30

🎤 Old Tools, New Tricks: Unleashing the Power of Time-Tested Testing Tools

Hashtags: #technical #Java #Selenium #Karate #CleanCode #Magic

Suitability: Regular Senior Management

In the ever-evolving world of software testing and development, it's easy to get swept up in the allure of shiny new tools and technologies. But what if some of the most effective solutions have been around for decades? Join Benjamin as he dives into the enduring value of timeless testing tools. He'll explore how venerable tools like Selenium, GNU Make, Maven, and Bash continue to be essential assets in modern software development and testing toolkits, demonstrating their adaptability, versatility, and reliability.

Benjamin Bischoff

Benjamin Bischoff

💼  Test Automation Engineer @ trivago N.V.
✈️  Düsseldorf, Germany

Benjamin Bischoff is a Test Automation Engineer (SDET) at trivago N.V. in Düsseldorf, Germany. After spending the first 15 years of his career as a software developer and trainer, he transitioned to test automation in 2016. He focuses on backend and API testing and is the author of "Writing API Tests with Karate". Benjamin maintains open-source projects for Cucumber BDD parallel test execution and reporting. He's a well-known conference speaker and blogger at www.softwaretester.blog. Outside of work, Benjamin enjoys close-up magic, making computer games, and reminiscing about his first PC, an 80286 with 20MB of hard disk space, where he began his coding journey.

12:30-13:00

🎤 Road to Selenium 5

Hashtags: #technical #Selenium #Rust #WebDriver #Automation

Suitability: Regular Senior Management

Selenium is an open-source project dedicated to web browser automation, primarily used for end-to-end tests for web applications. Boni García will discuss the upcoming Selenium 5, highlighting features such as Selenium Manager for automated driver and browser management, and the WebDriver bidirectional (BiDi) protocol. He will explain the importance of these features and the role of Selenium in the ecosystem of testing tools and frameworks.

Boni García

Boni García

💼  Associate Professor @ Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
✈️  Madrid, Spain

Boni García is an Associate Professor (with tenure) at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) in Spain. His main research interest is software engineering, focusing on automated testing and open source. Boni is a committer at Selenium and the creator and maintainer of several projects in its ecosystem, such as WebDriverManager, Selenium-Jupiter, and BrowserWatcher. He is the author of "Mastering Software Testing with JUnit 5" and "Hands-On Selenium WebDriver with Java". Boni has published over 50 research papers and frequently speaks at international events. His first computer was a second-hand Amstrad PC-1512, where he began coding in QBasic. You can find more about him at [bonigarcia.dev](https://bonigarcia.dev/).

13:00-13:50

🍔 Lunch with

13:50-14:20

🎤 QA and DevOps: A Journey of Growth, Mistakes, and Learning

Hashtags: #social #thereIsNoFormerQA #testTheWorld #deployTheWorld #imHereForTheBeer

Suitability: Regular Senior Management

Are you a QA engineer or a developer eager to explore new horizons in the tech world? Join Nedko Hristov as he shares his journey of growth, integrating QA skills into a DevOps framework. In this session, you'll learn what DevOps truly involves, the motivations behind Nedko's career path, and the valuable lessons he’s gathered along the way. Discover practical insights, essential tools, and strategies to enhance your role in QA or DevOps. This talk is designed for quality assurance engineers, developers, and tech enthusiasts alike, showcasing how QA expertise can significantly contribute to and thrive within DevOps. Nedko's story emphasizes the synergy between QA and DevOps, inspiring you to leverage your skills for broader professional development, and continuous learning, while openly discussing the mistakes made and lessons learned throughout his career.

Nedko Hristov

Nedko Hristov

💼  DevOps Engineer @ TINQIN
✈️  Varna, Bulgaria

Nedko Hristov is passionate about quality in all its forms. He started hundreds of years ago in IT and has plenty of stories to share, like the perils of doing a live performance testing demo or deployments on Fridays. His experience spans from QA and System Administration to Cloud and DevOps engineering. Currently focused on fixing, rebuilding and automating mid to large systems, Nedko draws motivation from success stories that often begin with "Guys, let's see how this works". He loves to share his knowledge and has a "getting things done" attitude. However, he does not enjoy deleting databases in production (been there, done that). Nedko has attended conferences like QA: Challenge Accepted, Dev.BG, ISTA, and numerous local meetups. A full-time father of two, he is also a randonneur and lecturer in his free time. Remembers jiggling around on his first computer - a 80286 with 2 MB of RAM and 40MB of hard drive running MS-DOS 6.22.

14:20-14:50

🎤 Welcome to Management! - Tips & Tricks for Junior Leaders

Hashtags: #Testing #Tea #Tolkien

Suitability: Regular Senior Management

Have you ever asked yourself, ‘Am I ready to master the challenges to come?’ Andrea Jensen will share her journey into management, highlighting the unexpected challenges and valuable lessons she learned along the way. She will provide practical tips and tricks for first-time managers, using real-life examples to illustrate the day-to-day work of a QA Manager. This talk is perfect for tech professionals aspiring to management roles and junior managers seeking guidance.

Andrea Jensen

Andrea Jensen

💼  Tester & QA Manager @ Navis
✈️  Flensburg, Germany

Andrea Jensen began her tech career by chance in 2011 and has worked as a tester ever since. In 2023, she took on a leadership role, embracing the challenges it brought. Known for her dry humor and straightforwardness, Andrea has spoken at numerous conferences like Agile Testing Days, EuroStar, and ExpoQA. She is proud of completing her master's degree in business informatics while working full-time. Outside of work, she enjoys tea and the works of Tolkien. Andrea's career includes roles at Swiss Life Deutschland and tecis Finanzdienstleistungen AG. She is a RiskStorming Online Instructor and has received certifications such as the Enact Emerging Leader Experience.

14:50-15:10

🍺 Beer Break with

15:10-15:50

🎤 Discussion Panel: QA in the Last Decade - Past Lessons and Future Visions

Four leading and well-known QA professionals from Bulgaria will reflect on the past decade of quality assurance - globally and locally. The panelists will share their insights on significant changes, challenges faced, and future trends in the QA sector. Join the discussion and learn from their extensive experience in technical hands-on work, writing books, conducting trainings and courses, managing and growing people...

Aleksandar Karamfilov

Aleksandar Karamfilov

💼  Director of QA @ Kiteworks
💼  Founder/Trainer @ Pragmatic
Anton Angelov

Anton Angelov

💼  Visionary Leader & CTO of Automate The Planet
💼  BELLATRIX Framework Creator
Dimitar Topuzov

Dimitar Topuzov

💼  QA Architect @ Progress
Nikolay Stanoev

Nikolay Stanoev

💼  QA Architect @ Merkle Bulgaria

15:50-16:20

🎤 LIGHTNING TALKS

Lightning talks are a type of presentation format where speakers are given a short amount of time, five minutes or less, to present a topic or idea. If you want to speak from our stage, you will have the opportunity to do so and share your insights and ideas with a larger audience. You will be able to sign up during the event. While we try to leave the format as free as possible, consider short talks (max 5 min), English language and our code of conduct policy.

16:20-16:40

🍺 Beer Break with

16:40-17:10

🎤 Challenges Accepted and Lessons Learned: A 10-Year Retrospective in Organizing QA Conferences

Hashtags: #Storytelling #Retrospective #Events_Organizing #Social #Fun

Suitability: Junior Regular Senior Management

After 10 years of organizing QA: Challenge Accepted, Peter is finally given the chance to speak at his own conference! Don't miss this one and only opportunity to see Peter sharing the funny and crazy stories from the "kitchen of Challenge Accepted" during the past years. From the wild idea that started after several drinks, via bad logo designs, famous rabbit videos, a catchy theme song, to the point how all of these turned into one of the biggest QA conferences on the Balkans. Join us for a fun, beer-filled talk about the challenges, lessons, and victories over the years.

Peter Sabev

Peter Sabev

💼  CEO @ Webbicus Ltd.
💼  Director of Engineering @ Pliant.io
📌️ Sofia, Bulgaria

Peter has been a developer, a tech writer, and a project lead since 2005, but most of his experience is dedicated to QA, where he climbed the entire career ladder from Junior QA to CEO of his own consulting company. He is co-founder of Challenge Accepted Events and often called "the father of QA: Challenge Accepted". Peter has played a crucial role for the QA community in Bulgaria - speaking at many conferences, leading workshops, and training hundreds of people at universities and companies, including a specialized QA course for blind individuals and educating unemployed people during COVID. Currently, Peter is Director of Engineering at Pliant.io, where he manages frontend and backend development, DevOps, and QA teams at this successful startup recently acquired by IBM. He is also happily married, dad of two plus ginger cat, traveler, blogger, photographer, and a junior motorbiker.

17:10-17:40

👏 Closing Ceremony

17:40-18:00

🎂 A Break Before the Afterparty

18:00-20:45

🎉 Afterparty

20:45-21:00

🢀 Logout



29 Sep 2024 (Sunday)

DEV: Challenge Accepted

Roadmap

Here is the an approximate roadmap of important conference dates. Please note that some of these dates may change:


25 Jan
Event officially announced on the website

Call for speakers and sponsors opened.
Tickets on sale.
Nominations for QA of the Year opened.

1 May
Call for speakers closed


Early bug tickets sale ends.
Standard tickets on sale.

7 Jun
Agenda announced

Nominations closed

1 Aug
Call for sponsor ends

 

3 Sep
Standard ticket sale ends

Last minute tickets are on sale

20 Sep
Tickets sale ends

Last chance to buy a ticket

27 Sep
Workshop day


Take advantage of our full day workshops

28 Sep
QA: Challenge Accepted 2024 - The Anniversary


The conference day


Another great conference organized by us.



Sponsors & Partners

Interested in sponsoring the event, or any other kind of partnership?

Write to us at  or call +359887675786 for more information.

Hosts:


Platinum Sponsor:



Gold Sponsors:

Silver Sponsors:


Bronze Sponsors: