Conference Description
Key Takeaways
- STARWEST 2026 runs September 20–25 in Anaheim, California, with virtual attendance options available
- The conference addresses test automation, quality engineering, and the integration of artificial intelligence into testing workflows
- Attendees include software testers, QA engineers, test managers, DevOps professionals, and technology executives
- Specialised programmes include Women Who Test and the Testing and Quality Leadership Summit
- The event features keynotes, pre-conference training, tutorials, concurrent sessions, and an exhibition floor showcasing testing tools and platforms
Introduction
STARWEST 2026 brings together software testing and quality assurance professionals for a week of technical education, leadership development, and peer networking. Organised by TechWell and Coveros, the conference takes place September 20–25 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California, with a parallel virtual programme for remote participants. The event arrives at a pivotal moment for the testing discipline, as teams across industries grapple with accelerating release cycles, expanding test surface areas, and the rapid emergence of machine learning capabilities within testing toolchains.
About STARWEST
STARWEST has established itself as one of the longest-running conferences dedicated to software testing and quality engineering. The 2026 programme comprises more than 75 sessions spanning keynote presentations, hands-on training classes, half-day tutorials, and concurrent breakout sessions. The hybrid format allows in-person attendees to engage directly with speakers and exhibitors while virtual participants access live and recorded content from their own locations.
The conference schedule is structured to accommodate varying levels of experience and responsibility. Pre-conference training days offer intensive, instructor-led courses on specific technologies and methodologies, while tutorials provide focused deep dives into topics selected by attendees. Concurrent sessions run throughout the main conference days, enabling participants to tailor their schedules around the subjects most relevant to their current projects and career objectives.
Artificial Intelligence and the Evolving Role of the Tester
A central theme at STARWEST 2026 is the changing relationship between human testers and automated systems, particularly those augmented by artificial intelligence. Filip Hric of Qodo delivers a keynote titled Tester 2.0—Becoming Indispensable in the Age of AI, which examines how testing professionals can adapt their skills and responsibilities as intelligent automation handles an increasing share of routine verification tasks. The session reflects broader industry conversations about the future of manual testing roles and the competencies that will remain uniquely human.
Alison Wade of Coveros moderates a panel discussion on The Future of Test Automation: Trends, Challenges, and Your Burning Questions, bringing together practitioners to debate the trajectory of automation frameworks, the practical limitations of current tooling, and the organisational changes required to realise the benefits of continuous testing. These sessions acknowledge that while automation coverage continues to expand, many teams still struggle with flaky tests, maintenance overhead, and the challenge of achieving meaningful coverage across complex distributed systems.
Quality Engineering Mindset and Career Development
Beyond technical content, STARWEST 2026 dedicates significant attention to professional growth and leadership within quality organisations. Kulas Angeles of Sun Life presents The Quality Engineering Mindset: High-Performance Frameworks for Career and Personal Growth, addressing the behavioural and strategic dimensions of building a successful career in quality assurance. The session recognises that technical proficiency alone is insufficient for advancement; testers must also develop communication skills, business acumen, and the ability to influence product decisions.
Chris Loder of Privacy Analytics offers a more unconventional perspective with Cartoon Logic, Real Automation: What We Learned from Saturday Morning Cartoons, using familiar cultural references to illustrate principles of test design and automation strategy. Such sessions demonstrate the conference’s willingness to explore creative approaches to knowledge transfer and audience engagement.
Leadership Summit and Women Who Test
The Testing and Quality Leadership Summit provides a dedicated track for managers, directors, and executives responsible for quality strategy within their organisations. Sessions address the challenges of setting strategic vision for quality engineering, fostering ethical practices as automation capabilities mature, and building test organisations that can scale alongside product complexity. The summit format encourages peer-to-peer dialogue, allowing leaders to share experiences and compare approaches across different industries and organisational structures.
Women Who Test offers a programme specifically designed to support women working in software testing. The initiative addresses the persistent gender imbalance in technology roles, where women remain significantly underrepresented. Sessions cover both technical topics and career development, with content aimed at helping participants grow their professional brands and navigate the particular challenges women face in male-dominated workplaces. The programme creates space for networking and mentorship among women at various career stages, from individual contributors to senior executives.
Exhibition and Solution Providers
The STARWEST Expo floor brings together vendors offering testing tools, platforms, and services. Premier sponsor Tricentis anchors the exhibition, joined by platinum sponsors including BrowserStack, LogiGear, OpenText, Perforce, Q-Pros, Qase, TestMu AI, and UiPath. Gold-level exhibitors include Applitools, CloudBees, Coveros, Inflectra, Leapwork, mabl, Panaya, Prolifics, SmartBear, Softtek, Test IO (an EPAM company), TestRail, and Xray. Additional sponsors at silver and bronze levels include digital.ai, Checkpoint Technologies, Parasoft, PractiTest, Qt Group, testkube, and testsigma.
The vendor presence reflects the breadth of the modern testing ecosystem, spanning test management platforms, browser and device clouds, visual testing tools, robotic process automation, continuous integration systems, and specialised solutions for API testing, performance testing, and test data management. For attendees evaluating new tools or seeking to consolidate their testing infrastructure, the exhibition provides an opportunity to compare offerings and speak directly with product teams.
Who Should Attend
STARWEST 2026 is designed for professionals across the software quality spectrum. Software testers and QA engineers will find technical sessions addressing current automation frameworks, testing methodologies, and emerging practices. Test managers and quality leads can benefit from leadership content and peer networking opportunities. DevOps engineers and developers involved in continuous integration and deployment pipelines will encounter sessions on shifting testing left and integrating quality gates into automated workflows. Technology executives and CTOs seeking to understand the strategic implications of quality engineering investments will find relevant content in the Leadership Summit track.
The conference serves attendees from organisations of all sizes, from startups building their first test automation suites to enterprises managing complex, multi-platform testing operations. The hybrid format accommodates both those who can travel to Anaheim and those who prefer to participate remotely, ensuring broad accessibility regardless of geography or travel constraints.
Industry Context
The software testing profession continues to evolve in response to shifting development practices and technological capabilities. The widespread adoption of agile and DevOps methodologies has compressed release cycles and increased pressure on testing teams to deliver faster feedback. Simultaneously, the proliferation of microservices architectures, cloud-native deployments, and mobile platforms has expanded the scope of what must be tested, often without proportional increases in testing resources.
Artificial intelligence introduces both opportunities and uncertainties. Machine learning models can assist with test case generation, defect prediction, and the identification of high-risk code changes, but they also introduce new categories of testing challenges, including the validation of non-deterministic systems and the detection of bias in algorithmic outputs. STARWEST 2026 addresses these dynamics directly, providing practitioners with frameworks for navigating a discipline in transition.