20 things about TestBash

I took this photo of SpaceSeagull and it seemed like a great writing prompt to say 20 things about TestBash.

1. It was started because I was jealous of design conferences having all the fun, I thought we deserved some of that
2. The first TestBash was held in Cambridge because that was where I was living at the time
3. I then moved back to Brighton and that's where it started to grow up
4. In our busiest year, right before COVID, we held 9 TestBash-es across the world
5. Since then we have gone back to one conference per year, currently in Brighton
6. Our biggest TestBash was last year, with 550 people
7. We don't do sponsored talks and have lost out financially because of this
8. Whilst it's more common practice now, we've never sold user data
9. I've personally never stood up on the TestBash stage, I always invest in others
10. The queues for 99 seconds are always long!
11. Many people have gone on to doing full blown talks after doing a 99 second talk
12. Many well-known testing professionals got their first opportunity at TestBash
13. We started offering temporary tattoos as swag, people soon started getting real ones
14. I currently have no tattoos, but I'm contemplating an MoT or Bug one.
15. I don't know why I do events because I get so stressed out by them, but I never regret doing them in the aftermath
16. I've made friends for life
17. I care more about giving people their first opportunity than being obsessed with the most popular names
18. TestBash has been the turning point for people's lives
19. We don't do keynotes, everyone is a keynote, I understand this is scary, but the community has got your back
20. TestBash is just one point in our calendar of building community 24/7/365, no one else is doing that.