If getting together in a room with a small group of software professionals and having deep discussions about design and testing sounds like your idea of a good time, and you'll be in the Northeast next weekend, I've got the perfect conference for you: The Simple Design and Testing Conference.

OK, that may have sounded like a silly introduction, but I'm one of those people who think it sounds like a good time, and if you're still reading this, chances are you are too. Here's the scoop:

The Simple Design and Testing Conference 2009 (or SDT Conf 2009 for short) is an open space conference being held at the University of Pittsburgh from October 9th through the 11th. From the conference FAQ, the focus of the conference is:

"…to learn/explore more about the XP Value: Simplicity. We will also focus on how this translates into the XP Practice: Simple Design & Testing. […]

Some of us have tried simple design & testing on our projects. In some case it has worked well and in some case it has not. This conference tries to get a group of people together in order for them to share their stories and tricks. […]

The conference aims to provide the platform for participants to have discussions and share learnings. The open space format of the conference allows the participants to collectively drive the direction of the conference in a way that would benefit the collective whole."

Admission is nearly free: there's no financial cost of admission, but all attendees must submit a short position paper describing their experiences with simple design and testing, why they want to attend, and what they hope to get out of the conference. While it may sound intimidating, it's not a complex essay by any means, and I found it a useful exercise to help me focus on what I wanted to learn at the conference.

I attended SDT Conf last year when it was in Chicago and really enjoyed the experience. I liked the open space format, which fostered some very intense and thoughtful discussions. And I met some very smart, friendly, and interesting folks with a similar set of values.

I regret I won't be able to attend this year, and I'm sad to miss it. If you're in the area, and you've got the time, I highly recommend it!