About HeartConf

HeartConf is an atypical software development conference. No vendor pitches, no hype. It’s a community of practicioners coming together to exchange insights, and to speak openly and candidly about the state of the industry, and how we can improve it.

We like to focus on software as socio-technical systems, including the people who create, run, use, or are impacted by information technology, and centering their experience.

We programme a mix of invited speakers, and CFP submissions, across a wide range of topics. We like to create crosspolination between different communities and fields, both because no field is untouched by software, and because we want to enable a deeper understanding of our own place in the world and the industry. This includes sociology, psychology, history, activism, design, and the creative arts.

The technical talks we schedule tend to be more about fundamentals than about specific products, frameworks, or libraries. We want to hear about new and interesting developments in programming language and database theory. Novel approaches in distributed systems. New and evolving open standards, and interesting approaches to software development that could transfer to other communities.

While talks matter to set the tone, to inspire, spark conversation, and share experiences, the real heart of any conferences are the human connections you make. We try to make ample space for people to meet and mingle, through long breaks, a dedicated community space, and through a variety of fringe activities. In fact, any attendee can set up their own activity and gather people together. In the past we’ve had a guided city tour, book swaps, bouldering, gift shopping, juggling, yoga, emacs and vim user groups, and dinner in small, randomised groups.

HeartConf builds upon the legacy of Heart of Clojure 2019 and 2024. Itself already an atypical Clojure conference, Heart of Clojure was never strictly about Clojure. While it created an opportunity for the European Clojure community to meet, less than half of all talks were strictly about Clojure, and we always tried to be open and appealing to anyone that shares these values with us: intellectial curiosity, a critical perspective on technology, care about their craft, and a willingness to go against the grain of mainstream IT culture. Today HeartConf continues that legacy.