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Peter Siwon looks back at the early years of an event that has developed into Europe's largest congress for embedded software in ten years.
How time flies! This phrase, heard from parents, grandparents, and other more mature contemporaries, always annoyed me when I was young and the time until I reached adulthood seemed to crawl by.
Now I'll say it myself. Firstly, because the Sturm und Drang period is long gone. And secondly, because I can hardly believe that the ESE Congress has already been running for ten years. A period that, applied to a person, spans the time from birth to starting secondary school. A lot of things happen in ten years, which naturally fade into the mists of time.
I thought I'd take a step back in time and recall some interesting and entertaining dates, figures, facts, episodes, milestones, and highlights. But as is often the case with memories, they frequently present a distorted or even idealized picture of the past. Therefore, perhaps I'll begin in the way that's customary with stories that blend myth and reality:
A hot iron that needs to be forged
Once upon a time, there were two guys: Hans Wiesböck from ELEKTRONIKPRAXIS and myself (Peter Siwon from MicroConsult). Back in 2007, we had a wonderful dream: our own congress for embedded software engineering. Encouraged by the success of the one-day practical forums that MicroConsult and EP had been jointly organizing for several years, we weren't exactly aiming for something bigger, but definitely something more ambitious.
But those who strive for greater things need bright and dedicated minds. Okay, the two of us were already bright – but not bright enough. And in terms of diversity, there were many arguments in favor of concentrated female power as a counterweight to our macho power. So Martina Hafner from ELEKTRONIKPRAXIS and Sabine Pagler from MicroConsult joined the core team. Concepts were hatched and plans forged. The newly forged, hot iron of a congress was glowing: It was to be a German-language congress in the Stuttgart area. The target group was the numerous software developers, project managers, and technical executives from the embedded systems industry in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
All men and women on board
Now all we needed were a few courageous managing directors who dared to tackle the hot potato – that is, to approve the budget. Werner Gringmuth, then managing director of MicroConsult, and Stefan Rühling, then managing director of Vogel Business Media, proved to be risk-tolerant entrepreneurs.
And so it began. The project was meticulously planned, and a mountain of tasks loomed before the team. More creative and energetic supporters joined the crew. Instead of forging, it was now time for strenuous rowing and keeping the course. A website was built from scratch, brochures and flyers were designed (at this point, our special thanks go to our Art Director, Florian Gmach), an advisory board was formed, processes were developed, checklists and guidelines were written, and so on and so forth…
And every now and then, the thought crossed one or two minds: Whoops, this is a lot more work than I feared! Of course, this was also because some things didn't go according to plan. So, the rowboat sometimes became something like a galley, where we pulled to the hard beat of the drum. Unlike the historical galley, however, we masochistically beat out the rhythm ourselves.
Alongside the intensive work below deck to get the boat underway, we were simultaneously busy attracting high-paying passengers to join us. The first guests on board were the companies Axivion and Green Hills, who also booked the luxury suite, i.e., gold sponsorship. At the same time, we began the search for speakers with compelling presentations and seminars. We were able to secure Gunther Dueck, a popular IBM lateral thinker, as our keynote speaker.
Gradually, the cabins filled with sponsors, exhibitors, and speakers. Finally, the program was finalized: three days, one keynote address, twelve seminars, and 63 presentations. In September 2008, the congress set sail, calling at various ports and picking up more participants. The intensive marketing campaign to attract congress attendees began with the first program brochure.
The great trembling
Now things got really exciting! Would the concept work? Would we live up to the trust placed in us by the sponsors, exhibitors, and speakers? Would it be a hit or a flop? The calm before the storm, or would we sink in the doldrums? The fax machine became the focus of our attention.
I still remember how we inwardly begged the fax machine to finally send out the first registration. We impatiently pestered our technicians with questions like, "Are you sure our phone and internet are working?" It was nerve-wracking! How we cheered when it finally arrived – the first registration, ta-da! In total, 553 participants from 274 companies signed up. That was more than we had dared to dream. The galley had transformed into a proud sailing ship with billowing, gleaming white sails.
Hours of truth
Now came the next hurdle: the event itself, held from December 8th to 10th, 2008, in Sindelfingen. We encountered a helpful and highly dedicated team at the Sindelfingen town hall, which we had chosen as our event location. And what can I say? Almost everything went perfectly – and anything that didn't quite go as planned, we were able to easily sort out, because good preparation leaves room for improvisation. Sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, and participants reinforced our confidence with their feedback: we're on the right track. Fortunately, Christmas arrived, because we were all pretty exhausted from all the forging, rowing, and celebrating.
In 2009, despite the dramatic impact of the global financial crisis, we were able to maintain the previous year's strong results and even improve quality. The organization also seemed robust enough to weather economic downturns. Encouraged by this promising start, we set to work on the 2010 ESE Congress. Having gained considerable experience, the focus shifted to optimizing processes and professionalizing the infrastructure, as much had been done rather haphazardly up to that point – a lack of tools had been compensated for by optimism and dedication.
Together with our partner mexperts, we developed a database-driven web portal that efficiently handled all presentation submissions, evaluations by the congress advisory board, and the management of speakers and the program. This was essential for managing the flood of submissions and facilitating the involvement of an increasing number of specialists on the advisory board. The number of participants grew by more than 401,000, and we were able to further enhance the quality thanks to the many dedicated advisory board members who also served as moderators of various tracks.
However, we soon reached the limits of what could be accomplished in three days at the town hall. Therefore, starting in 2011, we decided to expand the congress to five days and a total of 119 individual events to meet the high demand. In the following years, many details, such as the exhibition concept, the timing, and the supporting program, were refined, and a Best Speaker Award was launched. In 2015, the number of participants broke the 1000 mark for the first time, exceeding 1100. At this point, I would like to sincerely thank my colleagues from our service office and the many hard-working helpers and supporters, without whom we would have been completely overwhelmed before, during, and after the congress.
It's the mix that makes it work.
Our goal has always been to provide participants with a well-rounded overview of the diverse aspects of embedded software engineering. On the one hand, we explore ever-evolving facets of perennial topics such as implementation, architecture, real-time capabilities, testing, quality, security, and process design. On the other hand, we continually examine emerging trends like IoT, Industry 4.0, security, machine learning, and artificial intelligence from various perspectives. We also delve into legal and management/leadership topics if they are relevant and beneficial to our target audience.
The seminars, lectures, discussions, and expert talks offer ample opportunity to explore various areas of expertise and broaden one's horizons. The congress provides plenty of impetus for new approaches as well as occasions for thoughtful reflection or reassuring confirmation of chosen paths. The many repeat attendees are a good indication that attending the ESE Congress is worthwhile.
It would be unfair to mention only the names of the most renowned keynote speakers, such as Gunther Dueck, Jochen Ludewig, or Julian Nida-Rümelin, who graced the congress with their presence. They undoubtedly provided many participants with interesting and important insights. However, our particular admiration and gratitude go to the speakers who—although giving presentations is not their primary occupation—are willing to share their knowledge and engage with a professional audience. Some of them have even been recognized as Best Speakers. ESE „Hall of Fame“ done.
And let's not forget our legendary foosball tournaments on Tuesday evening at the developer party, the fantastic entertainment shows on Wednesday evening, and the relaxed conversations over a leisurely beer or a glass of wine after long days at the conference. It's no wonder that ESE, as insiders call the conference, is also known as the "family reunion of the embedded software industry.".
What happens next?
Every year we ask ourselves these questions: What's next? What will we keep? What do we want to change? How will we meet the demands of the future? One thing is certain: Our goal remains to deliver quality and diversity, as well as to provide technological and human impetus. It's also important to us to maintain the relaxed, family-like atmosphere while simultaneously utilizing the opportunities of digitalization to enhance the value of our information and communication services: better, smarter, more human through meaningful digitalization and personal interaction. That sounds like a good motto for the future. Let's see what we come up with.
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Training & coaching on the topic of embedded software engineering
