Q1. Why are Internal Tech Conferences relevant now?

The books are particularly relevant now because agility means always learning and that means every day, not just once a year at a conference or a training course. Technology comes and goes, it changes so fast that people really need access to the skills and experience of people around them if they're to continue to grow at the rate that they need to as things change around them.

Q1. What is an internal tech conference and why should you run one?

An internal tech conference is an event that is run by and for people within a single organisation. It can have a variety of content types that any conference can - it could be speaks, talks, it could be workshops, discussion panels - you name it. The main outcome of it is that you are seeking to spread knowledge across the organisation, across different teams. 

Zühlke has been running internal tech conferences for several years to accelerate learning across different teams in the ten countries in which Zühlke operates. The event in 2019 was the largest yet, with about 900 participants and dozens of sessions. We asked Steve Freeman (Distinguished Consultant at Zühlke) about the role played by internal tech conferences at Zühlke.

We interviewed Victoria Morgan-Smith at Continuous Lifecycle London conference about her book, Internal Tech Conferences.

Q1. How to get started running an internal tech conference?

If a company is thinking about running an internal tech conference, the first thing I would suggest is that they, of course, buy the book! It is full of all kinds of useful information and advice including a toolkit at the back which will give them a structure for planning the event. That's the first thing.