EuroSTAR returns to Nordic region with first Oslo event

After the huge success of their flagship software testing conference in Stockholm in 2024, EuroSTAR are returning to the Nordic region to stage an event in the Norwegian capital Oslo for the first time, and some big Scandinavian names have already booked their spots. 

Since holding their first event for software testers in 1993, EuroSTAR has become a can’t-miss conference in the industry, providing a space for those involved to work collaboratively by bringing them together with test leads, test managers, CTOs, developers and representatives from dozens of countries.

Though they attract visitors from all over the globe, the Nordic region has always been particularly well-represented among the delegates and companies choosing to attend EuroSTAR’s conferences, and this has led to the event being staged there on several occasions. 

“We love being in Scandinavia. We’ve done events in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Copenhagen, and this will be our first time in Oslo. If you look at the pattern, we move around a lot of European cities, but the Nordic region is one we seem to return to regularly,” says Lorraine Banks, General Manager at EuroSTAR.

“The reason we keep coming back is a simple one; there is an audience there who really appreciate the best in tech and who are leading the field in many ways.”

Already onboard for the Oslo event, which takes place from June 15-18, are the likes of global technology and consulting powerhouse Accenture, life insurance company Storebrand Livsforsikring and state broadcaster NRK, as well as several other major corporation across the region.

One of the cornerstones of EuroSTAR’s success is the carefully-curated programme at each of their events. 

“We appoint a well-known person in the software testing community as programme chairperson every year, and they appoint a committee,” Lorraine explains. 

“Together, they pick a theme and write a call for papers and submissions around what is important – what do people want to learn? Where is technology going? What are the insights, and how is AI influencing the decisions we are making?”

The theme for the 2026 event in Oslo is “Testing at its Best” and the programme committee received more than 500 submissions on the subject. 

“We look at all the submissions as they tell us what is of interest to the software testing community and what they want to hear about, as well as offering us expertise and knowledge and a way of thinking about things that maybe the community hasn’t considered before,” Lorraine says. 

“If we see a particular topic come up several times over, then we know it’s something we have to include in the programme in some way. The level of software testing and quality in software engineering is really sharp in Scandinavia and there is an appetite for attending events, networking with the global experts and contributing to the community space, and it happens in a really fantastic way in the region.”

The subject of artificial intelligence is one that will feature in many of the presentations and tutorials at the 2026 conference, and there will also be talks on everything from automated testing to diversity and inclusion in a packed programme. 

On top of that, the Oslo event will offer the opportunity for networking and conversations about software testing that have made EuroSTAR’s events a must for everyone involved in the industry. 

“What we are seeing for this year is a huge increase in whole teams, rather than individuals, attending the conference, and we’ve had bookings from small teams of three to as many as 40 people from one company,” Lorraine says. 

“The reason for this is that there are many different things going on in parallel at the conference and an individual can’t be in two places at once, so teams are delegating people to go and listen to the discussions and have the conversations they need to have with the experts on hand.” 

Many of EuroSTAR’s attendees work in areas where software testing is paramount to their business, and failure is not an option. 

“Many of those who come to our events work in financial services, hospitals and air travel – these are mission-critical areas where the software simply cannot go wrong, and the only way to ensure that it doesn’t is through the kind of comprehensive testing that we focus on at our conferences,” Lorraine says. 

For EuroSTAR, Enterprise Ireland provides a vital point of contact when it comes to both the practicalities of staging their events and taking the pulse of the local market. 

“We’ve had a huge amount of help, support and guidance from Enterprise Ireland. They have been hugely helpful in terms of keeping us informed of the changes that are happening in the software industry and connecting us with people who are doing interesting things there,” Lorraine says. 

With Oslo more or less an hour’s flight from all of the other major Nordic cities, EuroSTAR is likely to have more than its fair share of attendees from the Nordic region. 

“Booking from all over Europe has been brisk and we’ve already had some bookings from further afield, but with Oslo being so easy to reach from the other Scandinavian nations, we’re expecting a lot of visitors from there too,” Lorraine says. 

“The Nordic software testing community is very keen to be well-connected and at the cutting edge of what is happening, and EuroSTAR represents a great opportunity for them to make those connections and to hear about the very latest innovations that are happening in the industry.”

If you would like to explore opportunities within IT Services, Enterprise Software & Digital Entertainment, understand market entry pathways, or discuss how your company can engage with partners in the Nordic region, feel free to contact: cian.nolan@enterprise-ireland.com