Become a speaker!

Do you want to share your knowledge, experience, or innovative ideas with an international audience?

We invite you to submit your talks for MakeIT 2026 and JCON OpenBlend Slovenia 2026!

MakeIT 2026 / JCON OpenBlend Slovenia 2026 is an Oracle, open-source, and engineering-focused in-person tech community event, held at the Convention Centre Portus in Portorož, Slovenia.

The schedule is as follows:

• Wednesday, May 27th, 10:00h - 18:00h: Workshop Day + Pizza & Beer party
• Thursday, May 28th, 09:00h - 18:00h: Conference Day + Gala dinner
• Friday, May 29st, 09:00h - 17:00h: Conference Day + Olive oil tasting & dinner

What we are looking for

We accept submissions for 25–30 minute conference talks, 45-minute technical sessions (please set some time aside for Q&A and interaction within your slot), lightning talks (5–6 minutes), and 2–4 hour hands-on workshops (breaks are determined by the speaker).

You are welcome to submit several proposals on different topics.

Submit relevant and broadly applicable topics

We are looking for content that participants will find useful today and in the future.

Whether technical, architectural, process-oriented, or strategic, your topic should appeal to a wide engineering audience.

In addition to language specific content, we explicitly welcome talks that address broader engineering challenges, such as:

• Software architecture & system design
• Backend systems & distributed services
• DevOps, cloud, and platform engineering
• Developer tooling and productivity
• AI in software engineering
• Security (strongly encouraged), including CRA, AI Act, DevSecOps, secure coding, and cybersecurity practices
• UX, communication skills, and cross-functional engineering topics

We look for practical applicability

We value sessions that not only describe tools or concepts but also share experience, lessons learned, pitfalls, and actionable takeaways that attendees can apply immediately.

Clarity, focus, and audience value

Great submissions provide:

• A clear problem statement or learning goal
• A structured, well-paced session
• Insights supported by examples or case studies
• Practical value for engineers, architects, and technical leaders

We especially welcome fresh voices, new topics, and experience-based talks that help the community grow.

What you get

Speakers can look forward to the following benefits:

• Conference Pass: All accepted speakers receive a complimentary three-day pass to the conference, including access to the May 28th workshop day. The pass is not transferable.
• Hotel contingent: Book one of our close by conference hotels at our fixed rate. First come, First serve. Limited availability. 
• Olive oil tasting & dinner: All speakers are invited and encouraged to attend a VIP dinner on the evening of Friday, May 29th, 2026. This special event offers an excellent opportunity to network with fellow speakers and with fellow speakers and community leaders. Don't miss it!
• Social Media Visibility: We also increase your visibility and offer you the opportunity to send us a video teaser, which we will distribute via our social media channels in advance.

Travel support

We understand that not everyone may be able to travel and participate in conferences. As a community-driven event, MakeIT / JCON remains dedicated to keeping ticket prices accessible for as many participants as possible. However, due to budget limitations, we are unable to provide additional travel support (airplane tickets) or accommodations.

Need help

If you have any questions, shoot us an email at urban.zaletel@makeit.si; we are happy to help :) 

Please check out our Code of Conduct before submitting.