Last week, the 14th edition of The Test Automation Days took place in de Doelen ICC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. CKC Seminars, initiator and organizer of this unique conference, looks back on a very successful edition. We are very proud to welcome everyone in the bustling city Rotterdam. Almost 200 attendees on the first day and over 300 attendees on the second day enjoyed the Test Automation Days. We would like to thank all speakers, Founding Partner Squerist, content partners, exhibition partners, attendees and communication partners who made this event possible. Also a big thank you to the members of the Program Committee who once again succeeded in putting together a varied program.

This year’s theme is: Future Proof Test Automation; Finding the Right Balance!? We are in the middle of a storm of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Process Automation. While these innovations are intriguing and challenging, we are grappling with the impact on test automation. Along with this state of emerging technologies, we are also dealing with legacy systems that require significant maintenance and attention.

Where do you stand with your test automation approach? Are you tackling challenges in existing systems that need to remain operational for years? Have you found the right balance in your test automation approach? Many stories are shared about how everyone have integrated AI into their daily work, but also for many other interesting topics was a platform. Such as:

  • How has automation assisted in improving performance, security, and sustainability in your organization?
  • Has automation helped you create test data or other prerequisites to enhance testing?
  • What approaches did you use to make automation successful, maintainable, operational and faster?

The attendees of the first day are challenged through learning by doing from world’s leading test automation experts. A masterclass about Phyton Essentials, Playwright, Github, Implementing Low Code Test Automation and AI-powered are some of the topics who were covered during one of the three hour hands-on masterclasses.

The day ended with a drink where attendees met and talked about fun and leisure but also about their experiences of the first day of Test Automation Days 2025.

The second day was all about exchanging ideas and tips through keynote lectures, talks and presentations, all presented by test automation professionals from their own work experience.

Chairman of the day, Ard Kramer, kicked off with the important message that it’s all about humans, because humans share their experiences and make stories. It’s your intelligence, that we need in test automation.

The first keynote speaker was Fiona Charles. With her talk ‘AI and the Tester’ she underlines Ard’s message and the statement of the day was made. She argues that, despite fears that AI will replace testers, it is not sufficient for testing complex software. AI can generate test ideas and automate processes, but it makes mistakes such as poor-quality code and hallucinated responses. Instead of handing over control to AI, testers should use it as a tool to enhance their skills and strengthen their testing expertise. The key question is how AI can support testers and what true mastery of testing looks like.

The story of second keynote speaker Corina Pip was based on her own experience. With her talk ‘Putting the Quality Back Into QA’ she observes a decline in trust in testing-related roles such as Tester, QA, or QC. The reason may vary, but testers should help improve this perception. While testers focus on the quality of the product, they should also critically assess the quality of their own work. They should ask themselves whether they are contributing to the fullest to improve overall project quality. Quality is a shared responsibility, and testers can inspire others to contribute.

Gil Zilberfeld has the call to action in his talk ‘The Lost Art of Test Design’ to rediscover old methods, skills, and techniques and restore test design to its former glory. Testers sometimes modify, copy, and stitch tests together quickly to increase coverage, even using tools like Copilot. However, this results in tests that are difficult to read, debug, and maintain, reducing confidence in them. In the past, more thought was put into test design before making hasty modifications.

During the closing keynote, the stage was for Andrew Knight. With his energetic keynote, it was almost a speech about BDD and DFA. He highlighted that BDD has been highly influential in the software industry for over a decade, but not everyone embraces it, especially when misused. He suggested that BDD could be redefined as a new movement that goes beyond the traditional Gherkin and Cucumber. BDD tends to be either loved or hated, with little middle ground. It is time to rethink what it means to adopt a “behavior-driven mindset,” focusing on delivering value rather than clever coding.

During the parallel sessions best practices and insights are shared and topics like for example Parallel Testing, AI, Performance Engineering, Playwright, API and Sustainability. Also some attendees worked together during one of the two workshops.

During the breaks there was an opportunity to meet other ‘peers’ and taste real Dutch delicacies such as ‘Poffertjes’ ‘Broodje Kroket’ and ‘Bitterballen’.

We look forward to welcome you during the next edition on March 11 and 12, 2026!

Impression
Do you want to relive the atmosphere of the day? Or did you miss this edition of the conference and would you still like to get an impression? You will find an extensive impression here:

Do you have suggestions or ideas for next year (theme, speakers, etc.) or do you also want to be present as a partner? Please send an email to Joyca van Essen, joyca@ckc-seminars.nl or contact us on +31 (0) 40-2146200.