On-Site Testing Conferences: Why Networking Needs Presence - Okan Çakmak

How a risky one-time event in Istanbul grew into a conference that connects Europe and Asia What does it take to turn a risky one-time event into a conference that testers travel across borders for? With Okan Çakmak I talk about how the Istanbul Software Testing Conference grew out of something missing: after the pandemic, the big Turkish testing events stayed online, and people lost the chance to meet, network and hug each other in person. He tells me how the team wondered whether 50 or 100 people would come, then welcomed 200, and how the "light in their eyes" of those first participants convinced them to keep going. "Our main motivation is to see people with the light in their eyes when they leave here." - Okan Çakmak Okan Çakmak is the founder and principal consultant of Padran Information Technologies and a co-founder of the Istanbul Software Testing Conference (ISTC). Based in Istanbul, he has more than 23 years of experience in software testing and quality engineering. He has helped organizations across Europe and the Middle East improve their test processes, test automation, performance testing, and service virtualization, particularly in telecommunications and financial services. As an ISTQB instructor, he enjoys sharing practical knowledge with testing professionals. Through ISTC, he helps connect the international testing community with practitioners in Türkiye. Outside work, he plays the clarinet. Highlights: The Istanbul Software Testing Conference started because Turkey's main testing events stayed online after the pandemic, leaving testers without a physical place to network and exchange ideas. International participants made up 20 percent of the 2026 audience, and that share has grown with each edition since the first year drew 200 attendees. Six program committee members reviewed every one of the more than 120 submissions for the third edition, a workload Okan Çakmak expects to outgrow as international submissions rise. The conference will return from three parallel tracks to two, because participants reported that choosing between three sessions at once was too difficult. Simultaneous translation runs in every track all day, so speakers can present in Turkish or English and no participant feels excluded by language. More Links with Insights: Padran Information Technologies Istanbul Software Testing Conference (ISTC) 📘 Tool migration ahead? Teamscale playbook: migrate only 20% of tests, keep nearly all bug detection. Download for free