SoCraTes UK 2024

Sept 19th-22nd

International Software Craft and Testing Unconference UK

Milton Hill House, Abingdon, OX13 6AF


Photo by Chris Jenkins

What is SoCraTes?

SoCraTes UK is a non-profit, international Software Crafters retreat for open-minded crafters who want to improve their craft and the software industry as a whole. Organised by a group of volunteers from the Software Crafters Community, the conference attracts thought leaders and software crafters from all over the world.

SoCraTes UK is totally community-focused. It's a great opportunity to speak to and code with many curious and talented people in a very relaxed and beautiful setting.

What happens at SoCraTes?

The gathering runs from Thursday morning to Sunday afternoon, with optional parts.

We expect some people will arrive on Wednesday evening, ahead of the training day. The evening will be very informal :)

The training day will run Thursday daytime, with two tracks of world class/excellent/talented professionals providing hands on Software Crafting tuition.

We'll kick off the unconference on Thursday evening with introductions, then we'll run a group discussion, talking about an issue relevant to all of us. After that, we'll have dinner together to either continue the conversation or talk about whatever you want.

On Friday and Saturday, we'll run an open space, in which every attendee is welcome and encouraged to propose talks, discussions, workshops or whatever else they choose to further every attendee's knowledge and understanding of creating and maintaining software.

On Friday and Saturday evenings, attendees are encouraged to run social activities, from pair-programming to board games and everything in between.

On Sunday, weather allowing, we will have a nice long walk around the beautiful English countryside, or a code retreat, followed by lunch and informal activities until people head home.

PS: If you have good pics to share, let us know!

Why should I attend?

SoCraTes UK is designed to encourage the participation of all attendees via coding activities, group discussions, presentations, informal conversations, and whatever else the participants decide to do.

SoCraTes UK is run in an unconference style. Organised sessions start at 9am and finish at 6pm. However, since this is an unconference, attendees are free to carry on until whenever they like, and run or attend whichever sessions they choose. Expect workshops, talks, group discussions and demonstrations from morning 'til night.

As it's an unconference, it's you and people like you who will be organising the sessions. You won't just learn, you'll also teach. Anyone who is passionate about software, aware or involved in Software Craft, and who wants to share their knowledge, experience, expertise, but is also willing and keen to learn from others, should come.

Besides talking about software and writing code, we also have evening events (organised by the participants), ranging from pair-programming sessions and workshops to more social events, such as gaming, music and drinks. Bring along your guitars and saxophones, your board games and packs of cards, and bone up on the rules to Werewolf. And expect to have philosophical discussions about the software industry as you play.

Since we are all in the same hotel, we have a lot of time to spend together. Conversations and coding activities can go for as long as you want Sessions will take place in proper rooms with projectors, tables, and chairs, but also wherever people congregate—last year, people spent a lot of time outside in the garden, enjoying the weather and the beautiful landscape as they discussed the intricacies of software development.

SoCraTes UK is a true Software Crafters gathering. Don't miss out.

Our Amazing Sponsors

scrumconnect logo
Redgate Software logo
Cyber Dojo logo

Our Talkative Media Partners

Where is it taking place?

The retreat will be hosted at Milton Hill House, which is surrounded by 22 acres of landscaped grounds and forest, delivering tranquil setting and backdrop for SoCraTes UK 2024.

Milton Hill House
Steventon
Abingdon
Oxford
OX13 6AF England, United Kingdom T: +44 (0) 1235 831 474

You can find all information about the location here.

Photo by Milton Hill House and Seb Rose

Where can I get a ticket?

You can find all information about tickets here.

The cost to attend is £600, which includes your accommodation and meals from Thursday diner til Sunday breakfast.

For those who wish to participate in the training day on Thursday, an additional fee of £350 applies.

If you would like to arrive at the venue on Wednesday, the day before the event starts, you can pay an extra £110 for your Wednesday night accommodation, dinner, and breakfast.

We are constantly searching for sponsorships that could lower the cost of tickets. If successful, we will distribute the savings evenly among all attendees by issuing a refund for the difference as soon as we get the sponsor(s) confirmed. We'd love suggestions, here are our packages and how to get in touch.

If you want to receive updates via email, feel free to subscribe to our newsletter below.

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SoCraTes UK is organised by a group of volunteers from the Software Crafters Community.

You can interact with the global community via Slack!

To join, visit slack.softwarecrafters.org

#SoCraTesUK

Make sure to follow us on Mastodon!

Are there any other SoCraTes?

https://www.softwarecrafters.org/

SoCraTes UK comes from a community which hosts many other great events.