Software Development

Home » Software Development

Success by code

03.10.25

About the conference

DiSH MCR, Heron HouSE
8:30am - 5pm & Evening Social

Sponsored by AO.com, this full-day conference is designed specifically for those working in the engine room of tech — software developers, engineers, architects, and technical leaders.

We dive deep into what truly makes software succeed — from technical choices and architectural strategies to team dynamics, tooling, and process. We’ll also examine the common pitfalls that slow teams down or cause projects to fail. Whether you’re shipping code at a startup or managing systems at scale, this is your space to uncover the patterns, practices, and principles that build better software.

What to expect

Our software development conference includes:

Topical Talks & Panels

You’ll hear from AO’s engineering leaders on how they build platforms at scale — systems that power everything from internal logistics to seamless customer experience. Expect honest, practical stories from software teams across the spectrum — from nimble startups to massive multinationals — all tackling the same tough question:

How do you build software that actually works and scales?

Workshops

Our breakout workshops are built for real devs solving real problems. Get your hands on code in guided sessions exploring new frameworks, performance tuning, emerging tools, and better development practices.

These smaller sessions offer the chance to ask deep questions, experiment with solutions, and learn shoulder-to-shoulder with peers facing the same challenges.

Evening Social

Wrap up the day — and the festival — with our final evening social. A relaxed gathering where developers, speakers, and tech enthusiasts connect, share insights, ask the hard questions, and build lasting connections. Whether you want to unpack a talk over a drink or find your next collaborator, this is the space to do it.

Event App

New for 2025! The MTF event app is a virtual environment which puts you in the centre of the festival! Log on, explore sessions and choose your own agenda. Plus! Interact with other guests, access pre-conference content, pose questions to our speakers and more! The best part? You get access to the app for upto 6 months after the festival where all of our talks will be posted so you don’t need to worry about missing a thing!

SPEAKERS

Discover this years speaker bio’s by clicking the images below!

Woah there! We’re still firming up the lineup for this years festival! Make sure you join our newsletter to be the first in the know as we announce our speakers!

If you are an expert on AI and feel you have something to say – why not apply to speak at this years event? There’s still time to get your application down – just visit our speaking page – go on you know you want to!

AGENDA

We’re still busy pulling together this year’s agenda, so check out the talks below and sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear when new talks go live!

The House Of AI-Generated Cards

Kendrick Curtis
VP Technology
Codacy

SESSION OVERVIEW: Dozens of tools from product-led ones like Lovable, Replit, v0 to developer adjuncts (VSCode + GHCP Agent mode) to developer _replacements_ (GH Software Engineering Agent) now offer to create code for you but anyone who has worked with them for any length of time has experienced the sudden moment where the AI agent is no longer able to continue in a meaningful way. Let’s explore what is driving this “house of cards” phenomenon and how we can stop it.

Are we all doing too much? The significance of Cognitive Load

Cristan Massey
Head of Service Management
Pearson Education

SESSION OVERVIEW:

In today’s Tech landscape, we as professionals wear many hats. From managing incidents and changes to leading innovation and supporting users, we’re constantly switching contexts. Add personal responsibilities, continuous learning, health and wellbeing, we’re faced with an overwhelming mental load. This presentation explores how Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) can support this & how IT Service Management (ITSM) professionals may not be able to solve your personal problems, but they can support with workload, and you should let them….

Our working memory has a limited capacity. When we exceed this limit, our performance, decision-making, and well-being suffer. In tech roles, we’re often so inundated with tasks that all three loads (Intrinsic, Extraneous & Germane) will pile up. This results in stress, errors, and burnout. Understanding these loads can help us create strategies to better prioritise, delegate, and simplify our work.

Purchase your pass

Tickets for our Software Development Conference are £26 each and include admission to the day conference at DiSH MCR and the evening social. Ticket prices also includes refreshments & lunch plus access to the MTF event app for 2 months prior to the festival and 6 months after.

AFTER PARTY

DiSH MCR, Heron House

Our evening social offers the perfect setting to forge new connections, exchange insights, and build valuable relationships within the tech community.

With a vibrant atmosphere, delicious refreshments, and opportunities to engage with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and like-minded enthusiasts, this evening social is the ideal platform to relax, unwind, and expand your professional network.

I’ve never seen a conference with such a high level of visible diversity and inclusion, and I’ve never seem so many delegates that were positively BUZZING from all of the inspirational talks and stories. What a brilliant, brilliant day.

Thank you to all the organisers, I can’t wait for next year!

Paul O'Donnell

Attendee

So many ‘WIT’ events focus on how women need to lean in. They are all focused on how women need to change. My biggest takeaway from today is that we need to talk more about changing the system. Not about changing women in under-represented groups. Honestly the best conference I’ve been to for a long time.

Holly Donohue

Attendee

The unfiltered requirement did not miss. Each speaker brought their authentic selves to that stage and very moving stories. Thank you all for your honesty and openness. Thank you for the most inclusive agenda I’ve seen.

You understood that representation would matter, and rose to the challenge!

Natalie Navickas

Attendee