HUSTEF - High Quality Content and Community - Attila Fekete

How HUSTEF Became a Leading International Software Testing Conference

🚨 Are we actually testing too much sometimes? Just because we run a lot of tests doesn’t mean we’ll find a lot of bugs. Here’s how we can solve this: Free Online Workshop

"It's not a business for us. It's a love project." - Attila Fekete

In this episode, I talk with Attila Fekete about HUSTEF 2025 in Budapest. He runs the program and the backstage work. We look at how a small local meet up from 2011 turned into 700 people from many countries. Care for people, high quality talks, and a fun vibe. We discuss new formats like longer talks, a master class track, and a career clinic with coaching and CV tips - and that first time speakers get mentoring too.

Attila Fekete has been passionate about software engineering since the age of 12, when he got his first computer and started programming — and the rest, as they say, is history.

With 27 years of experience in software testing, he has held various roles, including Head of Testing, Technical Test Lead, Quality Manager, Test Automation Engineer, and most recently, Vice President of SDETs.

For a time, Attila was an active public speaker, but during the pandemic he decided to focus his energy on organizing HUSTEF, one of Europe’s leading conferences dedicated to software testing and software quality. This year, he was appointed Program Chair of HUSTEF, a role he considers one of the major highlights of his career.

Outside of software engineering, Attila is passionate about sports — especially swimming and basketball. He also bikes to the office two to three times a week, even when it’s raining.

What’s next? Perhaps a return to public speaking — and new collaborations with other events, whenever time allows.

Highlights:

• HUSTEF grew from 150 to 705 attendees by making it feel like coming home to family.
• First-time speakers receive coaching and slide reviews, breaking the endless rejection loop of inexperience.
• Independent conferences with objective review boards outperform company-driven events in quality and community trust.
• Career progression requires CV optimization for AI screening tools, not just technical skills improvement.
• Building speaker brands locally through mini-events helps sell quality content to unfamiliar markets.

More Links with Insights:

• HUSTEF 2026 6.-8.10.2026
• Hungarian Testing Board on Youtube