Three days of tech in the heart ❤️ of Norwich

The Schedule

1. Day #1: Thursday, 26th Feb

2. 11:00

3. Registration

   Registration

   X

   In the Main Auditorium on Thu, 26th Feb 11:00am

4. 11:45

5. Welcome & Introductions

   Welcome & Introductions

   X

   In the Main Auditorium on Thu, 26th Feb 11:45am

6. 12:15

7. Learning Go by becoming a drone pilot

   Learning Go by becoming a drone pilot

   X

   Take flight and follow the journey from being a Go novice to using advanced language techniques to write programs for controlling an RC drone.
   
   This talk is a love letter to fun side projects and how they can help accelerate the journey of learning a new language, concept or technique through real-world applications. What started as a simple CLI tool quickly evolved into a TUI and then a full-stack web application, all in a language that I'd only used a handful of times previously.
   
   Oh, and did I mention there will be live demos?

   In the Main Auditorium on Thu, 26th Feb 12:15pm

   

   Andrew Haine Senior Software Engineer at Attractions.io

   Andrew Haine

8. 12:45

9. Lunch

   Lunch

   X

   In the Main Auditorium on Thu, 26th Feb 12:45pm

10. 13:45

11. Session #1 - Technical

    Session #1 - Technical

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Thu, 26th Feb 1:45pm

12. Beyond the Code: Designing Services That Stand the Test of Time

    Beyond the Code: Designing Services That Stand the Test of Time

    X

    As software engineers, it’s easy to get lost in the excitement of implementing clever business logic: the algorithms, the workflows, the elegant domain models. But the success (or failure) of a service rarely hinges on its core logic alone. What really separates a fragile prototype from a resilient, scalable system is everything that happens around that logic: the invisible scaffolding that shapes how a service behaves, communicates, and recovers when things go wrong.
    
    In this session I’ll explore the often-overlooked aspects of building robust services. The decisions that make the difference between smooth operations and painful refactors months down the line. I’ll unpack how thoughtful design choices early on can pay dividends in maintainability, observability, and security later. Whether you’re building your first microservice or managing an ecosystem of services, you’ll leave with practical ideas for designing services.
    
    Key Takeaways:
    
    - Why the non-domain aspects of a service are often what determine its long-term success
    - How to think holistically about design, structure, and reliability
    - Strategies for evolving your services without introducing chaos
    

    In the Conference Room 1 on Thu, 26th Feb 1:45pm

    

    Paul Grenyer Engineering Team Lead at Haven

    Paul Grenyer

13. Session #3 - Technical

    Session #3 - Technical

    X

    In the Conference Room 2 on Thu, 26th Feb 1:45pm

14. 14:30

15. Angular Reimagined: Signals, Standalone Components, and the Zoneless Future

    Angular Reimagined: Signals, Standalone Components, and the Zoneless Future

    X

    Angular has had a reputation for being heavy, verbose, and a little intimidating. But in 2025, it’s a completely different story. Modern Angular is fast, lean, and enjoyable to work with, packed with features that make building complex apps simpler and more predictable.
    
    In this talk, I’ll guide you through the Angular renaissance and show why it’s thriving today:
    
    Standalone components that cut clutter and make onboarding effortless
    
    Signals- for fast, predictable state updates
    
    The zoneless future, moving away from Zone.js to make change detection smarter and more explicit
    
    Server-side rendering and hydration, with modern CLI tooling powered by esbuild/Vite for near-instant builds
    
    I’ll also compare Angular with React and Vue, debunk common Angular myths. By the end, you’ll see Angular in a whole new light - and maybe even get excited to build with it again.

    In the Main Auditorium on Thu, 26th Feb 2:30pm

    

    Vickie Allen-Collier Senior Engineer at Exclaimer and Founder of DevelopHER Awards

    Vickie Allen-Collier

16. Learning Python to buy shoes: A tale of studying, selectors and sneakers

    Learning Python to buy shoes: A tale of studying, selectors and sneakers

    X

    TLDR
    Retelling my journey learning Python and computers by attempting to write a bot to purchase a nice pair of “sneakers”
    
    Description
    My friends always ask me: “how do I learn programming?” And my answer is always the same: “it depends”. I then tell them how I learnt:
    I took a course to learn the basics and then I identified a fun problem in my life and built a project to solve it - googling and learning along the way.
    
    I gradually iterated the project to try and improve it, learning more about a wide range of areas. This talk is a retelling of everything I learnt whilst building one of those projects.
    
    The TLDR version:
    1. PyAutoGUI to control the mouse and keyboard
    2. Selenium to control a browser - learning HTML & CSS Selectors
    3. requests - learning about APIs, BeautifulSoup and HTTP requests
    4. Scaling - learning AsyncIO
    5. “UI” - Using Discord WebHooks and eventually a Flask app
    
    If learning Python sounds daunting then come along and learn from all the mistakes I made as a novice!
    

    In the Conference Room 1 on Thu, 26th Feb 2:30pm

    

    Isaac Oldwood Technical Lead - Canopy Specialty Insurance

    Isaac Oldwood

17. Stop Testing! (my patience)

    Stop Testing! (my patience)

    X

    
    Slow feedback is killing your productivity in more ways than you think.
    
    As humans, feedback systems are at the very core of our existence. It tells us if we’re in pain, if we are hungry, if we are tired. Our software gives us feedback too. We write some code and something happens, the information we get back to us is that feedback.
    
    As developers, we build feedback systems around our software to tell us everything is working as it should. From automated testing, production monitoring all the way down to compile errors or even that little red squiggly line that tells us we’ve made a typo.
    
    Feedback is great at telling us that we have done something wrong, but we need to know quickly. And I mean quickly.
    
    In this talk, I will explore why slow feedback is dangerous, how it kills your productivity, how it wastes your time and how it makes your life pretty miserable.
    
    But it’s not all doom and gloom, I will also tell you what you can do to make it better. I will give you some tools and tricks you can use to help make your feedback so much smoother. Finally, I will urge you to be impatient in your work (with your feedback cycles, not your colleagues) because it will pay off for yourself and everyone around you.
    

    In the Conference Room 2 on Thu, 26th Feb 2:30pm

    

    Ryan Healey Senior Software Developer @ LMAX Group

    Ryan Healey

18. 15:15

19. Conversations with Eliza: AI chatbots from 60 years BC (Before ChatGPT)

    Conversations with Eliza: AI chatbots from 60 years BC (Before ChatGPT)

    X

    When the Eliza psychotherapist chatbot was released by Joseph Weizenbaum, in 1966, people believed it real. Even the secretary of its creator thought the machine had feelings, as they discussed relationships and personal issues. But why? How could a simple computer text interface act so human?
    
    In this session our speaker, a computer historian and associate at the Centre for Computer History, uncovers the workings of Eliza, the Eliza effect, and its impact in the modern world, and in films like "THX 1138" and "Her." From the computer hardware to the programming language, and the scripts used to simulate the human traits of empathy and comprehension, he looks at how 233 lines of code was convincing enough to change the world.
    
    

    In the Main Auditorium on Thu, 26th Feb 3:15pm

    

    Steven Goodwin Unemployable general-purpose computer geek

    Steven Goodwin

20. Debug Like a Scientist!

    Debug Like a Scientist!

    X

    Debugging: being wrong, chasing your own tail, venting off. You know it, right?
    
    Don't despair. We can leverage centuries-old practices used by scientists. Observation, hypothesis, experiment - rinse and repeat. This method worked for me in real cases. I'll tell about a non-deterministic test, a nasty production issue, and malfunctioning CI infrastructure.
    
    This talk will show you how to debug without frustration. You'll see practices hardening you for a fight against complex bugs. Finally, you'll know how to scale debugging to the entire team.

    In the Conference Room 1 on Thu, 26th Feb 3:15pm

    

    Maciej Rząsa Senior Software Engineer at Chattermill

    Maciej Rząsa

21. Deep Dive into a SQL Query

    Deep Dive into a SQL Query

    X

    At first glance, a SQL query might look simple. A few SELECTs, JOINs, and WHERE clauses. But under the hood, every query tells a complex story: how the database interprets it, the order of execution, the performance trade-offs, and the sometimes-surprising results it produces.
    
    In this session, we’ll take a single SQL query and dissect it layer by layer. We’ll explore:
    - The logical vs. physical order of query execution
    - How the query planner decides the best execution path
    - The role of indexes, joins, and aggregations in shaping performance
    - Common pitfalls that lead to unexpected results or slowdowns
    - Practical techniques for tuning queries in real-world scenarios
    
    By the end, attendees will not just “write” SQL queries. They’ll think like the database. The session blends theory with practical insights to help developers and analysts move beyond syntax into mastery.

    In the Conference Room 2 on Thu, 26th Feb 3:15pm

    

    Chinaza Chukwunweike Software Engineer

    Chinaza Chukwunweike

22. 16:00

23. Break

    Break

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Thu, 26th Feb 4:00pm

24. 16:15

25. Keynote

    Keynote

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Thu, 26th Feb 4:15pm

26. 16:45

27. How a new Calendar API can shape the upcoming settlement on Mars

    How a new Calendar API can shape the upcoming settlement on Mars

    X

    Working with calendar logic is one of the least favourite parts of being a developer. We have to deal with time zones, leap years, summer time and just the overly complex design in general. There isn’t any Calendar API that efficiently solves this problem. Or is there?
    
    In this talk, we will follow Krall the Caveman as he looked up at the night sky more than 5000 years ago and we will see how his insights are changing the way we look at calendars today. By turning a scientific thought experiment into reality, the Lukashian Calendar Project gives us a calendar with unrivalled elegance, simplicity and accuracy.
    
    Even better, the universal mechanism of the Lukashian Calendar doesn't just work on Earth! At the 2025 Convention of the Mars Society, the Lukashian Calendar was officially proposed for the upcoming human settlement on Mars!
    
    During this session, you will learn about the Java API of the Lukashian Calendar, supported with live code examples. You will find out how this Open Source project is going to contribute to the human exploration of the Solar System and how it actually makes calendar logic fun again!
    
    
    [Note to NorDevCon organization: last year, I did the Quantum Computing talk and it was one of the best conference experiences I've ever had <3 I'd be honoured to come speak again!]

    In the Main Auditorium on Thu, 26th Feb 4:45pm

    

    GJ Schouten Team Rockstars IT

    GJ Schouten

28. 17:15

29. Guten Tag

    Guten Tag

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Thu, 26th Feb 5:15pm

30. 17:30

31. Conference Social

    Conference Social

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Thu, 26th Feb 5:30pm

32. Day #2: Friday, 27th Feb

33. 08:30

34. Registration

    Registration

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 8:30am

35. 09:00

36. Welcome & Introductions

    Welcome & Introductions

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 9:00am

37. 09:30

38. Debugging your imposter syndrome

    Debugging your imposter syndrome

    X

    Ever felt like you don’t belong in tech - like everyone else knows something you don’t? You’re not alone. In this session, Vickie shares her personal journey navigating self-doubt as a developer and explores why imposter syndrome is a natural part of growth.
    
    You’ll learn:
    
    How imposter syndrome shows up in everyday tech work, from code reviews to presentations.
    
    Why highly competent developers often feel less confident than they should, explained through the Dunning-Kruger effect.
    
    Practical strategies to “debug” self-doubt and take confident action, even when it feels uncomfortable.
    
    Through personal stories, relatable metaphors, and actionable tips, this talk will leave you with tools to reframe self-doubt, embrace learning, and step into your full potential - because growth happens outside your comfort zone.
    
    Target Audience: Developers at all experience levels, tech professionals struggling with self-doubt, or anyone interested in the psychology of growth and confidence in technical careers.

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 9:30am

    

    Vickie Allen-Collier Senior Engineer at Exclaimer and Founder of DevelopHER Awards

    Vickie Allen-Collier

39. 10:00

40. Break

    Break

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 10:00am

41. 10:15

42. Parse, Don’t Validate: Writing Safer Python Code

    Parse, Don’t Validate: Writing Safer Python Code

    X

    "Parse, Don’t Validate" is a well known article by Alexis King. It uses Haskell to highlight the principle of Type Driven Design. This talk will explore how you can apply this maxim to Python using type hinting, specific design patterns and third party libraries like Pydantic.
    
    Tips from this talk will be applicable to other dynamic programming languages with optional static typing features.

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 10:15am

    

    Ben Askew-Gale Python Software Developer at NatWest

    Ben Askew-Gale

43. [Panel] The A & the I

    [Panel] The A & the I

    X

    Is AI a helpful tool for your development belt or is it here to replace us? Join our panel as we consider the latest technical advances and how they change our daily workflows and pipelines. We will look at where the industry is heading and what it means for everyone, from students to seasoned professionals.
    
    Furthermore, we want to dive into the practical side: how are people actually using these tools today? nor(DEV): con is all about genuine connection, so bring your questions and your curiosity. Come along for some good vibes and learning together as we explore the future of tech.

    In the Conference Room 1 on Fri, 27th Feb 10:15am

    

    David Masters Nerd

    Dave Rant AI Engineering Lead

    David Masters, Dave Rant

44. Session #11 - Humans

    Session #11 - Humans

    X

    In the Conference Room 2 on Fri, 27th Feb 10:15am

45. 11:00

46. You Might Not Need an Effect

    You Might Not Need an Effect

    X

    useEffect is a very easy to reach for escape hatch from the React paradigm to help (what you think) may solve problems in your applications. However, it is often a footgun that can lead to very easy to implement, but hard to find bugs. In this talk we will go through some of the examples of where you might not need an effect to achieve the functionality you want.

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 11:00am

    

    Jake Saterlay Software Developer at The AST Group

    Jake Saterlay

47. How I Sidestepped 'Being Glue'

    How I Sidestepped 'Being Glue'

    X

    Abstract:
    We all do things in our day-to-day work that are deemed ‘non-promotable’ - these are tasks crucial for project success but might not get you promoted. This is commonly known as glue work, a term coined by Tanya O’Reilly. Your first instinct might be to drop these tasks immediately, but this isn’t always the best approach. Being glue doesn’t have to mean the end of your career, nor is it something you can’t recover from. During this talk, I will use a personal experience to illustrate how I narrowly avoided being permanently stuck with glue work and how to salvage a situation where you might find yourself in a similar predicament.
    
    Outline:
    1. Introduce the concept of glue work:
    - Define glue work and explain its importance in keeping teams and projects running smoothly.
    
    - Provide examples of glue work:
    Organizing team meetings and creating agendas.
    Documenting decisions and maintaining project documentation.
    Mediating conflicts or coordinating between teams.
    Ensuring deadlines are met by following up with others.
    
    - Highlight why glue work is often undervalued in terms of career progression.
    
    2. My personal experience with glue work:
    Describe the specific tasks I was doing and why I started getting concerned:
    - These tasks were essential for the project but weren’t seen as promotable.
    
    - I recognized that certain demographics might be more likely to be associated with this kind of work (e.g., perceived as being more suited to administrative or coordinating roles).
    
    - Explain the moment I realized this could impact my career trajectory and how I decided to address it thoughtfully instead of reacting impulsively.
    
    3. How I dealt with it:
    Steps I took to address the issue proactively:
    
    - Talking to my manager:
    I sought to understand how they perceived the work I was doing and whether it aligned with my long-term goals.
    
    - Consulting a mentor:
    A senior engineer helped me identify key insights: a. If the work isn’t being reflected in your performance evaluations, that’s a red flag. b. Consider why you’re constantly doing this work. For example, are roles poorly defined on your team?
    
    This conversation helped me realize that the project lead role was loosely defined in my team, which was why I ended up taking on these responsibilities.
    
    4. Long-term fixes:
    Strategies I implemented to ensure a balance between glue work and promotable work:
    
    - Investing in technical work: I made sure to participate heavily in the implementation stages of projects, which required technical skills and showcased my expertise.
    
    - Knowledge sharing and mentoring: I began mentoring teammates to share the load of glue work, transitioning it into a rotational responsibility across the team.
    
    - Defining roles more clearly: By advocating for better-defined roles, I helped prevent others from falling into the same trap.
    
    Key Takeaways:
    1. Recognize the characteristics of glue work and why it might be undervalued in terms of career progression.
    2. Reflect on your current responsibilities to determine if glue work is negatively impacting your career growth.
    3. Develop strategies, such as role clarification and task delegation, to balance glue work with promotable contributions.
    

    In the Conference Room 2 on Fri, 27th Feb 11:00am

    

    Fatima Taj Senior Software Engineer @ Yelp

    Fatima Taj

48. 11:45

49. Lunch

    Lunch

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 11:45am

50. 12:45

51. Sponsor Session #2

    Sponsor Session #2

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 12:45pm

52. 13:15

53. Information Theory in the Age of AI

    Information Theory in the Age of AI

    X

    Every day, you work with bits and bytes. You transmit data, compress files, and store massive datasets. But have you ever stopped to consider what all that "information" actually is?
    
    Developed in the 1940s, information theory was created to solve a simple problem: How much data can we fit through a communication channel? The answers gave us the building blocks of the modern internet—from compression algorithms that let you stream Netflix and Spotify to error-correcting codes that ensure your emails arrive intact. Its core ideas have since permeated deep into fields like physics, statistics, and artificial intelligence.
    
    In this talk, I'll walk you through the intruiging origins of information theory and show how it fundamentally explains why compression algorithms work. I'll then use it to offer a viewpoint on modern AI that goes beyond the mainstream - specifically what it really means for a model to be 'generative', why thinking about LLMs as just 'next-token predictors' can be misleading and why information theory is guiding AI applications well beyond text and images.

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 1:15pm

    

    Chris Joyner Data Scientist, Artlist

    Chris Joyner

54. [Panel] DevOps

    [Panel] DevOps

    X

    DevOps in 2026 feels like it is all over the show. Join our panel as we consider the current landscape, from shifting opinions to the reality of daily usage. We will dive into where the industry is heading, including the rise of agentic AI deployments and what this means for your technical workflows.

    In the Conference Room 1 on Fri, 27th Feb 1:15pm

    

    Chris O'Dell Senior Platform Engineer at Stack Overflow

    Andy Knox

    Chris O'Dell, Andy Knox

55. Project Managers, what are they good for?

    Project Managers, what are they good for?

    X

    You’ve seen us in your stand-ups, your inbox, and your nightmares. But before you write us off as meeting schedulers, let’s talk about why good PMs are secretly your best friend.
    
    Join a PM’s quest to prove we’re more than calendar jockeys and meeting magicians.

    In the Conference Room 2 on Fri, 27th Feb 1:15pm

    

    Emily Delva Operations Manager and Permanently Exhausted Pigeon

    Emily Delva

56. 14:00

57. WTF is an RFC

    WTF is an RFC

    X

    Discussing what Request for Comments (RFCs) are and how they create standards which most of the internet is built upon. This talk will highlight some common RFCs which we likely use on a daily basis as well as highlighting how you can use them to understand specs first hand instead of second hand (and more) interpretations.

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 2:00pm

    

    Tom Alabaster Mobile App Tech Lead - Naked Wines

    Tom Alabaster

58. How to recognise and resist a toxic manager

    How to recognise and resist a toxic manager

    X

    How can you spot the traits of a lead that is not on your side? How do you distinguish between "just the way things are done here" and genuine bullying? (Especially when you have trouble reading social cues.)
    
    In this forthright talk, the speaker gives personal examples of how social events, PIPs, and the role of HR don't work as advertised and are used as subtle coercion techniques. It covers the methods of quiet firing, structuring teams, and closed communication loops that will be used against you.
    
    But, more importantly, it will give you the tools to recognise the behaviours early on, and how to best defend yourself against such attacks. Sure, you might still have to quit, but at least you have the chance to do so on your terms.

    In the Conference Room 2 on Fri, 27th Feb 2:00pm

    

    Steven Goodwin Unemployable general-purpose computer geek

    Steven Goodwin

59. 14:45

60. Break

    Break

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 2:45pm

61. 15:00

62. Session #12 - Technical

    Session #12 - Technical

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 3:00pm

63. [Panel] Leadership: Carrots, Sticks, and Slack

    [Panel] Leadership: Carrots, Sticks, and Slack

    X

    What truly separates a ‘good’ leader from a ‘great’ one? Join our panel as we consider the realities of leading modern software teams in a world that has gone hybrid. We will talk about the technical and cultural hurdles of managing remote developers and how to keep your team happy when high-salary remote roles are just a click away.
    
    ⁠Furthermore, we want to get practical about the human side of the job: how do you challenge someone to grow while making sure they feel valued? Whether you are just stepping into management or you have been leading for years, come along for some honest conversation and good vibes. Let’s consider how we build loyal, high-performing teams together.
    

    In the Conference Room 1 on Fri, 27th Feb 3:00pm

    

    Paul Grenyer

    Kenny Vaughan Software Engineering Team Lead at Gearset

    Kevlin Henney Thought Provoker

    Paul Grenyer, Kenny Vaughan, Kevlin Henney

64. Session #19 - Humans

    Session #19 - Humans

    X

    In the Conference Room 2 on Fri, 27th Feb 3:00pm

65. 15:45

66. How we support deploying multi-cloud apps at Stack Overflow

    How we support deploying multi-cloud apps at Stack Overflow

    X

    Stack Overflow recently shifted to the cloud, hosting Teams and Enterprise on Azure and our public sites on GCP. This meant our services had to run seamlessly in both environments.
    
    In this talk, I’ll share how our Platform Engineering team built the abstractions that make multi-cloud support easy for developers. Using Kubernetes as a common runtime, we standardised infrastructure metadata, created a Stack-specific flavour of the CNAB spec, and built Go-based CLI tools to simplify deployment. Our approach provides a layer between infrastructure and execution, minimising multi-cloud complexity for engineers.
    
    I’ll cover both our philosophy and the technical details—highlighting what worked, what didn’t, and what we learned along the way.

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 3:45pm

    

    Chris O'Dell Senior Platform Engineer at Stack Overflow

    Chris O'Dell

67. Session #21 - Humans

    Session #21 - Humans

    X

    In the Conference Room 2 on Fri, 27th Feb 3:45pm

68. 16:30

69. Break

    Break

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 4:30pm

70. 16:45

71. Keynote

    Keynote

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 4:45pm

72. 17:15

73. Thanks & Prize Announcements!

    Thanks & Prize Announcements!

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 5:15pm

74. 17:25

75. Guten Tag

    Guten Tag

    X

    In the Main Auditorium on Fri, 27th Feb 5:25pm