Here is what past attendees have said about Construx’s Software Executive Summit: Register Now!

Mike Ashley, VP Software Platforms, Beckman Coulter, Inc. “The keynote speakers were what got me to sign up, but the small-group discussions were way more valuable. I was able to validate what I’m doing right, identify where my organization is weak, and in some cases get ideas for improvement. The outside perspective and ability to compare notes with others was outstanding.”

Casey Chamberlain, Director of Product Development, Meridian Systems. “It has truly been an honor to be in the presence of so many great minds in the field of software. This includes both the “famous” authors as well as the peers. Thank you!”

Christopher Washington, Sr. Director, Engineering, RSA Security. “Most relevant conference I’ve attended that touched on topics I live daily as an engineering leader.”

Roger Retke, VP Application Development, ProQuest. “Great opportunity to meet and share ideas with others who have encountered similar problems.”

Dan DeLapp, VP Software Development, TecPlot. “Most Valuable: The discussion groups! Having the opportunity to discuss issues and concerns with my peers from different companies was very insightful.”

John Colton, VP Engineering, Squarespace. “As always, the best conference I know of!”

Santanu Banerjee, Software Development Manager, Famous Software. Continue to love the conference. For me it is like annual maintenance and wheel alignment. Leaving the conference with sizable wisdom and energy. I will be looking forward to attending the next year’s Summit.

David Halpin, VP Engineering, Quickoffice. “I can’t even begin to express how happy I am with the conference! I came with high expectations and you blew me away! Honestly I was worried my expectations were going to be too high. Now I know they were not high enough!”

Bruce Kenny, EVP, Technology & Hosted Ops, Webtrends, Inc. “Most valuable: All of it. Peers, speakers, topics, very good. Money well spent.”

Danny Miles, VP Engineering, International Game Technology. “The format and schedule of the conference really works well for creating interesting dilemmas and allowing us to debate and analyze their practicality. Great content and outstanding delivery. Well structured and well run from end to end.”

Heather Brown, VP, Technology Management, Heartflow. “I am returning home with so much information to reflect upon. I will be driving an improvement plan for my department. The entire experience was valuable for me to identify the spectrum of practices, techniques and tools that work for various organizations. I am intrigued by some of the differences between small and large organizations. Even when others’ scenarios were not applicable to my situation (in many cases), I continued to find value in hearing the collective.”

Desh Sharma, Director, Software Engineering, McKesson Technology Solutions. “Most definitely the best conference I have attended (ever)! Best return on investment, and I took back knowledge and information that I can apply to my organization in short order.”

Michelle Cole, COO, Envisage Technologies. “Most valuable: The amazingly thoughtful people who have shared their experiences.”

John Belbute, Sr. Director Operations & Quality Engineering, eBay. “As always the summit was awesome. It is by far the most educational and rejuvenating professional event of the year for me. The discussions with peers are invaluable.”

Jean-Pierre Dacher, Chief Operations Officer, MUREX. “The whole combination of keynotes and group discussions and networking time is pretty unique and valuable.”

Tom Dalpiaz, Senior Manager, Software Engineering, Rockwell Automation. “Just a great event. This just can’t be replicated anywhere. Collection of some of the best minds in software development that goes beyond theory to practice.”

Dana Richmond, Director, Quality, Rockwell Automation. “I established a great network of peers — I gained many valuable insights.”

Ivan Todorov, Director, Software Engineering, Rockwell Automation. “Most valuable: I like the big picture view on the problems we face.”

Tim Lister, Principal, Atlantic Systems Guild. “The format is the best I’ve encountered. Meeting with each discussion group three times allows the group to find a balance and to steer itself with just a bit of expert facilitation.”

Tom DeMarco, Principal, Atlantic Systems Guild. “The discussion groups give a fascinating gestalt view of our industry.”

Bohumir Zoubek, Head of Software Development, Profinit. “Excellent Summit!”

Aaron Henley, VP Engineering, Sandvine. “Problem Solving during the working group has given me insight to some different activities to try and led to deep dialogs during the breaks.”

Jiunn Lim, VP Engineering, Equilar. “Discussions are very practical. Learned a lot from peer experiences.”

Linda Eckl McCormick, AVP, MetLife. “Another excellent Summit. Most definitely worth the trip from New Jersey to Seattle. Great job by the Construx team and all the participants.”

Natalie Gainer, VP Software, Diebold. “Great Conference–Thought provoking and great attendees. Thanks!”

Philip Peterson, Senior Director of Information Systems, Lifetime Fitness. “The discussion groups were especially engaging and useful for me this year. Every session was informative and worthwhile.”

Tomas Kratky, Director of Products and Services, Profinit. “Great event, lot of interesting people, important topics.”

Tracie Hlavka, Director, Software Engineering, Blue Nile. “Thank you so much for the conference. As a newly minted director, it was invaluable to hear from so many more experienced executives. Moderators were fantastic, really knowledgeable.”

Don Walker, VP, Office of the CTO, Yahoo! “The group discussions were awesome! Most valuable: Actually everything was useful.”

Jim Owen, COO, Front Porch. “I’m looking forward to attending the Summit this year. The discussions I had with your staff and other attendees [at last year’s Summit] as well as the ECSE meeting notes definitely had an impact on me and our company. We are better this year than we were last year.” 

David Beitel, Chief Technology Officer, Expedia. “This has been a great use of my time. Thanks for arranging this and bringing the people together (speakers and participants).”

Rodney E. Conrad, Sr. Vice President, FEI Systems. “This far exceeded my expectations! Most valuable: The networking with my peers, and discussing topics that we all deal with.”

Rob Vance, Vice President, Software Development, Rosetta Stone. “Most valuable: intensely interesting topics and insights, great speakers.”

Alexander Frumkin, Director, Software Development, SunPower. “Most valuable: Discussion groups. It looks like everybody is suffering from more or less the same problems. Overall, it is a great event. It is a privilege to be a part of it.”

Gareth Jones, Director, Video and Device Development, msnbc.com. “The most valuable three days I have spent out of the office for a very long time. This was the best logistically organized conference I have ever been to. Bravo!”

Michelle K. Cole, VP Operations, Envisage Technologies. “The personal contact with industry leaders (both talks and groups) was great. … The talks were exceptional.”

Mark H. Waldron, General Manager MSIT, Microsoft. “Most valuable: The keynotes — what a fabulous group of speakers. An amazing opportunity to hear directly from some of the most pre-eminent names in software development.”

Lisa Forsyth, Director of Application Engineering, msnbc.com. “Excellent experience that provided a lot of valuable information and left me re-energized.”

M. Alex Hoffman, Director of Engineering, Quickoffice. “This is the most valuable professional event I have ever attended. The caliber of the Summit participants was impressive, and that was reflected in both the keynotes and the discussion groups.”

Matt Warner, Director of Technology, RedGear Technologies. “This has been by far the best conference I’ve been to! Well done Construx! The organization, keynotes, group assignments were all of top quality and value.”

Nick Munday, CTO, FDM Software. “Most valuable: the discussion groups. Having the ability to listen to peers and how they handle similar issues.”

Peter Wolfe, Vice President, Software Development, Ventyx, an ABB Company. “Great conference. Worth the time investment.”

Philip Petersen, Director of Information Systems, Life Time Fitness. “A stellar event. I couldn’t have expected to get more out of the experience. The talks were all informative, thought provoking and inspirational.”

Matt Warner, Director of Technology, RedGear Technologies. “I came for the keynotes. I’ll be back for the discussions .. and the keynotes!”

Rob Vance, VP, Software Development, Rosetta Stone. “Great location. Perfect group size — not too small, yet felt intimate/personal. Best professional event I’ve ever attended!”

Santanu Banerjee, Software Development Manager, Famous Software. “The conference was a refreshing, re-energizing as well as a learning event. A nice break from the walls of the workplace to breathe fresh air. Will wait for next year’s Summit.”

Tom Dalpiaz, Senior Manager, Software Engineering, Rockwell Automation. “The Summit is a wonderful opportunity to level set with my peers in the industry and with my organization’s capability relative to other organizations doing large scale software development. The breakout session topics pretty much nailed our most significant challenges in large scale software development. Great to hear other perspectives and approaches.”

Lawrence J. Cox, PhD, Scientist, Los Alamos National Laboratory. “Plenary talks and informal interactions were the best, but the smaller discussion groups were also refreshing and stimulating.”

Andrew Levine, Manager of Applications Division, East Bay Municipal Utility District. “Keynotes were great, but probably discussion groups were more valuable.”

Derek Chaves, Program Manager, Nordstrom. “Keynotes and breakouts were both great. Networking opportunities — unmatched.”

Bob Webber, CEO, Transenda. “A great perspective on the state of the industry.”

Jaime Jofre, Head of Development, Liquidnet. “Most valuable: Sharing ideas and experiences with peers outside my company’s sector brings a refreshing dimension to the current issues we face as an industry. A fantastic gathering. I found myself very focused on the discussions and presentations. The proof is that I can’t believe it is already Wednesday. It went by very quickly.”

John Belbute, Sr. Director, Quality Assurance, WebMD. “The ability to spend real quality time discussing relevant issues with peers is something that only this conference offers. There is great value in the fact that lots of people return year after year. It really helps open up communications in the discussion groups and also fosters post-conference networking.”

Rick Logue, Vice President, Information Technology, ADP. “Both my discussion groups were really good. Just a very good group of people who were very respectful of one another, very smart, insightful, and fun. If you are an IT Senior Manager/Exec, this conference should definitely be on your ‘must attend’ list. There is no other event that will give you this level of interaction with other IT Execs in a very productive environment.”

Andrew Lavers, Manager, Architecture/Engineering, INTTRA. “Returning to my second Summit after a few years, the idea and execution are just as fresh and invigorating as in the beginning.”

Paul Kearney, Director Platform Engineering, MSNBC.com. “Most valuable: Meeting new people, sharing experiences. Getting out of the weeds to hear how others solve the problems we all struggle with.”

Lawrence Chan, VP/COO, DTL Corporation. “I’ve learned a lot from other attendees about their visions, company directions, and challenges. This event gave me a broader perspective on how to be a better executive.”

Peter Scott, VP of Engineering, GeoMagic. “Terrific conference. Great networking event. Being able to meet and learn from all the other software execs is a great opportunity. I’ve really enjoyed the conference. It’s one of the few that I reserve a year in advance.”

Melvin Brandman, CTO, Watson Wyatt Worldwide. “Gained very valuable insights. Great group of people.”

Anthony Letts, SVP, IT Head of Research Development, Calamos Investments. “Tremendous value from the networking. The speakers were excellent as well.”

Travis McElfresh, VP of Technology, MSNBC. “Most valuable: Talking with peers about their problems with recruiting, retention, leadership, org structure, etc.”

Aaryn Flynn, Director of Programming, BioWare Corp. “Fantastic experience. It exceeded my high expectations.”

Randal Childers, VP, Product Development and Quality, McKesson. “Most valuable: interaction & networking with what amounts to a peer group. Understanding the approaches and experiences of other companies in similar circumstances.”

Pete Paznokos, Director Software Development & Support, PACCAR. “Overall an excellent Summit. Well worth the time.”

Philip Petersen, Director Information Systems, Lifetime Fitness. “The keynote speeches were relevant and informative. The speakers touched on many issues of interest to me. I will share many of their thoughts with my teams when I return to work. Overall the Summit was very beneficial for me. It was interesting to hear different perspectives on problems that we all face. I got some answers to specific questions. I heard many good ideas, along with more questions for later thought.”

Daryl Rusch, Sr. Director of Quality Assurance, Front Porch, Inc. “Excellent opportunity to see other in similar positions facing similar issues and talking through options. Great Summit.”

Sylvain Prud’Homme, Director IT Operations, Johnson & Johnson. “Really impressed with the quality of the participants. Lectures offered main education while breakouts offered more confirmation. Got to spend time with Steve McConnell, Martin Fowler, Ken Schwaber.”

David Ulloa, Director of Technology, E-Commerce, Walt Disney Internet Group. “Everything was great. Most valuable: Interactions with other executives.”

Bob Cymbalski, Director, Engineering, Motricity. “Speakers were world class. I kept saying to myself, ‘Wow … this is something I need to bring back and teach my team.”

David Spokane, Director, Software Engineering Office, EMC. Construx continues to provide a unique, relevant opportunity to interact as a peer group. Absolutely best conference, hands down.”

Jim Sartain, Senior Director, Software Quality and Engineering Process, Intuit. “I highly recommend participation in the conference to senior executives involved with software development. This is a unique opportunity to network with some key thought leaders in software development.”

Frank Goovaerts, Director of Software Engineering, Tektronix. “Greatly impressed by the expertise of the other participants — Great forum to exchange ideas and concepts.”

Patrick Jenny, Vice President, Product Development, F5 Networks. “The interactions in the group breakouts were very good. The ideas I got were backed up by real world experience. Logistics were great and really allowed the exchange of ideas to flow well.”

Linda Eckl McCormick, AVP, MetLife. “Fabulous conference! Most valuable: Interaction with other conference participants and insights gained from them.”

Peter Wolfe, Director Software Development, Ventyx Software, Inc. “Most valuable: Time spent with development leaders. Summit was consistent with my high expectations of Construx. You delivered a high value event.”

Richard Bracken, BOWMAN Programme Manager, General Dynamics Canada. “The conference was outstanding. Again, I have some excellent ideas to take back.”

Jim Rutherford, VP–Information Systems, Costco. “Very informative Summit. Hearing from peers and informal discussions were most valuable.”

Ken Whitaker, Sr. Vice President, Product Development, Solucient. “Absolutely motivating to be with peers–wonderful learning experience. First class coordination, communication, accommodations, comfort. First class all the way.”

John Colton, VP Engineering, Application Security, Inc. “The Summit is the only conference of its kind. It is a unique blend of presentations and small group discussions with high caliber attendees. Many tools, ideas, and useful practices were discussed at a rapid pace. Every software exec should attend every year.”

Robert Gazda, Director of Software Engineering, InterDigital Communications. “Most valuable: interactions with peers, brainstorming of ideas, and sharing of perspectives. Great program. Very glad I attended.”

Mark Ronan, Vice President. “Exceeded expectations. Most productive three days I’ve spent offsite in 10 years!”

John Santamaria, Director of Quality Assurance and Quality Control, Meridian Systems. “A great time sharing ideas with industry peers. Keynotes were AWESOME!”

Garth Hermanson, Director, Interwoven, Inc.. “All parts of the Summit had tremendous value.”

Charles Seybold, Vice President, Project Management Office, Expedia. “It was all quite valuable. The open discussion with such high caliber classmates was probably top value.”

Dewey Hou, Director Product Development, Techsmith. “Every aspect of the conference was great! Most valuable: Contact with others with similar problems doing software development.”

Ian Duffield, Director of Software Development, Famous Software. “It was helpful to have execs from large and small companies, from a variety of industries.”

Tim Lister, Principal, Atlantic Systems Guild. “Our core discussion group was a wonderful combination of people, and Erik was a great moderator–finding convergence, causing an occasional stir and full of great references.”

Bruce Henry, Sr. Director of Quality Management, Expedia. “I have found this to be an energizing and stimulating conference. The feedback, advice, and experience of my peers at other companies is invaluable.”

Ming Zhang, Director of Product Development, Meridian Systems. “Excellent conference. It’s unique because of the experience level of the attendees and because of the discussions.”

Mike J. Berry, VP Software Development & Support, Select Portfolio Servicing. “Thank you. Another excellent conference!”