Schedule
ALE 2026 · Leuven · 26–28 August
A conference without an agenda?
For 16 years now, the ALE unconference gathers around 200 people for a three-day unconference in a different European city each year.
Unlike most conferences where speakers are announced in advance and the schedule is revealed bit by bit, we make the agenda on the spot, with the participants.
A typical day at ALE
Time to re-connect with old friends and new participants, figure out what they have been up to since last time.
Opening of the Marketplace is the key feature of conferences based on Open Space Technology (OST). We start the day with an empty agenda. Anyone can bring a topic to the marketplace, pitch it to the participants and then put it on the agenda. This ensures that topics at ALE are relevant, to the point, and of interest to the participants!
While on Day 1 we often see people who have done this several times already, on Day 2 and Day 3, we often see people who start their pitch with "This is the first time I'm doing this, but I had great conversations yesterday and I thought that this topic would be a great continuation of it: ____".
Once the marketplace is filled, the rest of the day continues with the Open Space sessions. People can go to whichever session they want.
A moment to reflect and debrief on what happened during the day. Perhaps you learned something new, perhaps you got a new perspective on something, perhaps someone offered you tips and tricks on something that's been bothering you for months… This is a moment to share some of your highlights with the community.
Open Space Technology? What's that?
Open Space Technology (OST) is a method for organizing and running a meeting or multi-day conference where participants are invited to focus on a specific, important task or purpose. The agenda and schedule of presentations are partly or mostly unknown until people begin arriving. [Wikipedia]
It is based on four (or five) key principles and one law, which are reminded to the participants at the start of each gathering. These principles ensure that the conference's success is shared by the participants' contributions:
- Whoever comes is the right people
- Whenever it starts is the right time
- (Wherever it happens is the right place)
- Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened
- When it's over it's over
Previously called the "Law of Two Feet", this law encourages people to make the most of their time in a session. If they cannot contribute in a meaningful way or if the session doesn't bring value to them, they are encouraged to move to another session.
And this is ALE
For sixteen years now, ALE has continued to apply these principles at each gathering, ensuring that each ALE is unique and remains relevant for all the participants. We may have started as "Agile Lean Europe" — hence the acronym. Over the past few years we've had people from so many different backgrounds that come together that the initial spark has grown much broader and could be covered perhaps by "how do we work together?".
Since ALE is a nomad conference, we encourage participants who'd like to host ALE in their own country or city to prepare their pitch. On the last day of the conference, there's an opportunity to present why you'd like to bring ALE to your city. After the pitches, participants vote and the next city is announced. This ensures that ALE remains an event owned by the community.