Venue
Canad Inns Destination Centre Polo Park
1405 St. Matthews Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3G 0K5
Phone: 1-204-775-8791
Below are answers to the most commonly asked questions about attending the conference. If you have a question not covered, please send us an email by clicking the "Email a Question" button below!
On both days of the conference breakfast and the registration table open at 8AM and conference sessions end at 4:30 PM.
Registration is outside the Ambassador ballroom on the main floor of CanadInns Polo Park.
No, just bring a valid form of ID and come to the registration table to get your nametag.
We take a "Vote with your feet" approach to the sessions. Attend whatever sessions you like, no pre-registration is required. Finding a session isn't what you thought it was? No problem, feel free to go to a different session!
Prairie Dev Con is meant to be a live, in person event. As such we don't record sessions for later viewing, but check with our speakers to see if their talks have been recorded elsewhere.
Yes! Both days will feature hot breakfast & lunch buffets and two coffee breaks.
CanadInns Polo Park has free parking on their lot.
There is no set dress code for the conference, wear what you're comfortable in keeping in mind our Code of Conduct.
All conference participants (attendees, speakers, sponsors and volunteers) at our conference are required to agree with the following code of conduct. Organizers will enforce this code throughout the event. We expect cooperation from all participants to help ensure a safe environment for everybody.
Prairie Dev Con is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form.
Additionally sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any conference venue, including talks, workshops, vendor areas, social events, and social media/online ineractions.
Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the conference organizers.
A N M Bazlur Rahman is a Software Engineer, Java Champion, Author, Blogger, and Speaker. He has more than a decade of experience in the software industry, primarily with Java and Java-related technologies.
He enjoys mentoring, writing, delivering talks at conferences, and contributing to open-source projects. He is the founder and current moderator of the Bangladesh Java User Group. Since 2013, he has organized meetups and conferences to share Java-related information with the community. He is an editor for the Java Queue at InfoQ, a leading technology content publisher and conference organizer, and for Foojay.io, a community for OpenJDK enthusiasts. He was also named Most Valuable Blogger (MVP) by DZone, one of the world's most prominent technology publishers. In addition, he has published four Bengali-language books on the Java programming language. They were bestsellers in Bangladesh.
Adam Krieger is a Principal Security Consultant with Online Business Systems. With a background in software development, cloud architecture, and distributed systems, and a certified CISSP, CSSLP, and CISA, he is driven to improve the way we build confidentiality, integrity, availability, and privacy into our applications. He works with teams and organizations of vastly different sizes to design, build, and verify security quality into their products.
Adam L Barrett is a JavaScript Consultant / Developer with a love for front-end and the mobile web. His job is helping developers improve their JavaScript skills and write better front-end code. When he's not discussing prototypal inheritance or which framework is better, Adam is always up for a board game or a talk about movies.
Well-rounded Solution Architect with over 10 years of hands-on experience in all areas of Software Development Lifecycle (Back-end, Cloud, Database, DevOps, Mobile, Desktop, Web)
Passionate about building and leading technical teams to success, by cultivating a highly collaborative and efficient work environment where everyone can learn from each other and grow as a team.
Alex has been working with Azure technologies for over 5 years now, focusing specifically on the Application Development using PaaS services.
Ashleigh is the Leader of the Product Team at Neovation Learning Solutions in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She manages a team of over 30 developers, UX designers and QA analysts who work to maintain and grow two separate products.
Ashleigh is a vocal advocate for accessibility and inclusive design. She has spoken about accessibility to a variety of audiences, including at Prairie Dev Con in Winnipeg, Regina, and Calgary, Confoo Montreal, and at TedxWinnipeg 2019, where she brought the idea and foundations of digital accessibility to an audience of nearly 700 Winnipeggers. Ashleigh has also published articles on digital accessibility in Code Magazine.
In her free time, Ashleigh consumes a truly frightening amount of pop culture media, including movies, TV shows, comic books and novels. You can usually find her with Pokémon Go and Pikmin Bloom open on her phone, no matter where she is or what she's (supposed to be) doing.
Cameron McKay is a Microsoft Azure Integration MVP with a strong background in web, integration, and business analysis. Cameron is a thought leader in Azure integration services and has spoken at numerous conferences on topics related to Microsoft Azure. Cameron has blended his expertise in software development and business analysis to deliver a variety of enterprise web, integrations and cloud applications using the Microsoft technology stack. Cameron spends his off-hours as a tabletop board game enthusiast, cooking up delicious meals, watching anime and playing with his two husky dogs.
Chris is a Senior Site Reliability Engineer on the AzRel team at Microsoft. He has a focus in modern applications built with DevOps, microservices, containers, Single Page Apps, RESTful APIs, and cloud technologies following agile practices. In his free time, Chris is a speaker at numerous meetups, an avid reader and a gamer.
I am a maker. My drive to create change through tech has taken me from programming as a teenager to freelancing, web dev, DevOps, backend software engineering, machine learning, business, physics, and epistemology. I have led and participated in teams solving a broad range of problems including application migrations, platform engineering, and app dev.
I am an IT generalist with a diverse background spanning platform engineering, data engineering, software development, and cybersecurity. Passionate about leveraging technology to drive business value, I thrive at the intersection of innovation and practical solutions.
Dale is a classically trained Sys Admin who has worked through the transition from physical servers, P2V lift and shift virtualization, native virtualization, hosting in private data centers, and delivering applications on the public cloud. He's introduced and led SRE in multiple organizations, has extensive experience on the modern cloud stack, and loves to talk about cost and architecture considerations.
I've been a professional software developer for over twenty years (and an unprofessional one longer than that), and for the last five years I've been working at Conquest Planning developing the next generation of financial planning software. I tend not to write the code that ends up on a product's feature list; instead, I enjoy writing the code that helps the *rest* of the team deliver, and solving the knotty technical roadblocks that are getting in their way.
Dave Rooney is a veteran Agile Coach, Speaker, Manager & Developer who has been at this software thing since the 80's. He has a deep interest in the human factors involved in the effective delivery of software that delights its customers, and in promoting practices that make the work environment more effective, humane and fun. More than 40 years after he solved his first real-world problem on an Apple ][, Dave still enjoys getting his "hands dirty" by writing code!
Dave is a Principal Software Engineer at Microsoft on the Azure DevOps team. Prior to joining Microsoft, he has built up over a decade of experience in developing software for financial, agricultural and energy companies where he has specialized in .NET and web development. He is also the orange member of the ASP.NET monsters (http://aspnetmonsters.com). Dave lives in Calgary where he enjoys exploring the nearby mountains.
David Wesst, otherwise known as Wessty or DW, is a Web Platform developer working as an enterprise software architect, defining technology strategy by day, and building cool web tech by night. When DW isn't live-coding on Twitch or YouTube, working on side project, or being a parent, he's reading about video games and learning everything he can about video game development.
Harold is a Peruvian-born Canadian living in Toronto, working as a **Principal Product Manager** with the **Azure Logic Apps Team**, where he focuses on legacy modernization. Prior the Logic Apps team, Harold had over 15 years of experience as a CTO architect, overseeing many of largest customer solutions built by the Microsoft Industry Solutions organization. Harold has delivered complex programs in more than 30 countries leading large teams for many of the largest Microsoft customers, Outside work, he loves playing Saxophone, lifting weights, and watching old movies.
Heather Ronnebeck is a seasoned project management professional with nearly 18 years of experience helping organizations optimize their workflows and achieve success. Since 2010, she has been making a significant impact in the IT world, specializing in Atlassian tools and methodologies since 2015.
As the founder of Work Wranglers, Heather is dedicated to empowering teams through comprehensive Atlassian training and project management education. She delivers both public courses through her platform and customized on-demand training tailored to organizational needs. Her expertise spans Waterfall project management principles, agile methodologies, and IT infrastructure management.Heather holds multiple industry certifications including Project Management Professional (PMP) since 2017, Certified Scrum Master (CSM) since 2021, and became an Atlassian Certified Expert in 2022. She proudly serves as an Atlassian Community Champion since 2021, actively contributing to the Atlassian community through knowledge sharing and mentorship.
Beyond her professional achievements, Heather volunteers as a Scouts Leader since 2024, where she develops young leaders and teaches valuable life skills, demonstrating her commitment to education and community development.
Through her work at Work Wranglers, Heather continues to help organizations and individuals wrangle their work into something amazing, providing practical insights that create real, measurable results.
Jason Bock is a Staff Software Engineer at Rocket Mortgage and a Microsoft MVP (C#). He has 30 years of experience working on several business applications using a diverse set of frameworks and languages. He is the author of ".NET Development Using the Compiler API", "Metaprogramming in .NET", and "Applied .NET Attributes". He has written numerous articles on software development issues and has presented at a number of conferences and user groups. Jason holds a master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Marquette University. Feel free to [visit his web site](https://www.jasonbock.net).
Jay is a code wrangler, software consultant, and owner of Arana Software. He has been developing on the web since 1995, when the Blink tag lured him away from Visual Basic 3, and has been awarded as a Microsoft Regional Director and Microsoft MVP. Recognizing that the greatest application performance bottleneck is a developer's time, Jay's continuing quest is for frameworks, modules, tools, and practices that make developers stronger, fitter, happier, and more productive.
Jeff is a Coach, Consultant, Change Manager, and College Professor who developed his skills delivering and working with both large and small organizations across a diverse range of industries. He's always looking for ways to disrupt & highlight inefficient processes & systems to enable & empower people's creativity, and maximize outcomes and value to organizations. His default approach to work, and life, is to turn pretty much everything into a game. Jeff loves learning, and is always looking to expand what he knows. About anything and everything. Jeff thinks it's funny to write about himself in the third person.
With 20 years professional experience in software development, Jeff has lead teams in startups and billion dollar businesses, pioneering Scrum methodology with proven results, and is a champion of ASP.NET C# since 2010. Nowadays, he and his team are responsible for all integrations and interfaces into the Student Information System (SIS) and many other systems at the University of Winnipeg. On the side he experiments new technologies on his publicly-available LAN Party Management site https://LanHUB.net, and is a moderator of reddit.com/r/csharp, one of the largest c# communities in the world.
Jeremy Wagner is a Senior Technical Writer for Google Chrome working on content for Baseline. When he's not writing and editing content for web.dev, you can find him nudging and death saving on pinball machines that have done him wrong.
Joel Hebert is the Principal Consultant and Director at Opulent ASP Development Inc. He is passionate about Security , Integration and Software Architecture. He is an 11 time Microsoft MVP and is one of the User Group Leaders in Ottawa. Specializing in Enterprise Application Integration / SOA , he has build large scale distributed systems for various companies and government organizations. Ask him to rap a few verses for you!
Coaching and pairing within and across teams on how to leverage new technologies to drive product learning.
John has over 25 years of experience working in software and technology with professional services consulting firms and product companies in three countries, ranging from large enterprises to small organizations. Throughout his career, he's worked with customers, teams, salespeople, business people, executives, and consultants, and on projects and products large and small, including many in highly regulated enterprises such as telco, insurance, and health.
As a Technical Product Owner, he supports Agile development teams who build and deploy software and figure out how to break down complex work into deliverable increments. Most recently, he has been helping clients with their API governance, API management, and API security problems. Having spent several years as a product owner of an API gateway and management platform for a large telecom client in Canada, John is using hard-learned lessons from the front lines of a high-performance and high-volume API platform to enable clients to improve the way they deal with their API technology.
John is convinced that Agile approaches and Agile thinking are key to solving the complex problems faced by people who have to build actual software solutions to real problems. His learning and success has come as a result of trying lots of different things, including actually using requirements tracking software to solve the problem of delivered software not meeting people's needs (which turns out not to work too well, in case you were wondering).
Kevin Evans is a seasoned cloud-native technologist and the founder of Code to Cloud, a platform dedicated to empowering organizations with cloud-native solutions. With over 25 years in the tech industry, he has established himself as a thought leader in cloud technologies, DevSecOps, and modern application development.
As a Microsoft Cloud Technologist and CNCF Ambassador, Kevin has been instrumental in shaping the cloud-native landscape. He actively engages with the tech community through various initiatives, including organizing the Code to Cloud YYC and Code To Cloud YVR meet-ups, which focuses on fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among tech professionals passionate about cloud-native technologies, cybersecurity, and digital innovation.
In addition to his community efforts, Kevin hosts the Code to Cloud Podcast, where he interviews industry leaders to provide actionable insights on cloud-native technologies, DevSecOps, adaptive cloud, and modern app development.
Kevin is also the author of “Becoming a Cloud Solutions Architect: A Career Roadmap for Absolute Beginners, published by O'Reilly Media in November 2024. This video course offers guidance for aspiring cloud solutions architects, covering essential skills and strategies for success in the field.
Through his work at Code to Cloud, Kevin continues to inspire and mentor the next generation of cloud professionals, helping them navigate the complexities of cloud technologies and achieve success in their careers.
Mike Diehl is the Director of Data Engineering and Business Intelligence at Improving Winnipeg (formerly Imaginet), a Microsoft partner with offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada) and with Improving offices across Canada, United States, South America, and India. Mike has over 25 years of experience using Microsoft database technologies and is an expert in Agile Analytics and Microsoft Azure DevOps.
Mike has spoken many regional, national, and international SQL events over his long career, including the PASS Summit in Seattle Washington, Fabric Community Conference in Las Vegas, SQLBITS in London UK, and at various SQL Saturday events across Canada and the USA, and other development conferences in Canada.
I'm a software developer, currently back in school, studying Computer Science with a Specialization in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Waterloo. Previously I had the privilege of working at The Canada Life Assurance Company as a software developer, as well as at the ag-tech startup TheoryMesh as a junior software developer and as an intern following my completion of a Software Development Diploma from the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology.
In my free time I enjoy exploring new and upcoming technologies including machine learning and blockchain, and am very eager to see what technologies the future has in store for me to play around with. In my free time, I enjoy biking, both mountain and road, as well as playing the occasional game of tennis.
Pablo Listingart is a technology and workforce strategist whose work bridges social impact and economic development. As founder and executive director of ComIT in Canada and Comunidad IT in Argentina, Pablo has led initiatives that provide free tech training to thousands of individuals facing employment barriers, while directly addressing the talent shortages in the digital economy. His programs serve Indigenous communities, immigrants, and visible minorities, connecting them with real job opportunities.
With more than a decade of experience building partnerships with global tech companies, governments, and academic institutions, Pablo designs scalable training models aligned with labor market demands. In 2021, with support from Google Canada, he launched Recoding Futures, a national program that equips Indigenous learners with high-demand digital skills and advancing workforce diversity while helping employers access qualified talent.
Pablo's work goes beyond social advocacy; it delivers measurable economic value. By aligning upskilling efforts with industry needs, his initiatives have contributed to regional economic growth, reduced unemployment, and strengthened the tech talent pipeline across Canada and Latin America. He shares his insights through speaking engagements, industry panels, and public discussions focused on workforce inclusion and technology education. Pablo continues to advocate for a more accessible digital economy, one where companies, communities, and individuals all benefit from broader participation in the tech sector.
Peter Ritchie is in his third decade in the software industry. Peter has a track record of successful platform and solution architecture and delivery. Peter is a book author, open-source author, international speaker, blogger, and Microsoft MVP in .NET Development Technologies.
Peter has spoken internationally on a variety of topics including unit test design and management, asynchronous programming, advanced .NET language features and syntax, concurrent and parallel programming, and distributed programming.
Author of Refactoring with Visual Studio 2010, Visual Studio 2010 Best Practices, and Practical Microsoft Visual Studio 2015.
Peter has also been an advisory board member of Microsoft Patterns and Practice: CQRS Journey guidance on command and query responsibility segregation and Enterprise Library
Rob Richardson is a software craftsman building web properties in ASP.NET and Node, React and Vue. He's a Microsoft MVP, published author, frequent speaker at conferences, user groups, and community events, and a diligent teacher and student of high quality software development.
Sandy Liu is a Certified Scrum Master with almost a decade of experience working with many Toronto startups. She is the author of "Confessions of a Scrum Master" and is currently a Senior Product Manager at one of Canada's largest media and entertainment companies.
I am working in software industry for around 20 Years. I have worked over different geography like Asia, U.S.A and Canada and in different business lines like Auto Insurance, Health, Insurance ,Utility, Retail. I have worked both in private and public organization in my carrier.
I have started as Java developer and then tried my hands with BPM technologies, API integration. Currently I am working as Senior solution architect and lead the Software Engineering Practice in my organization. I would like to share my experience how we are bringing value to organization through tools and technology. How a small change can create a big impact in day-to-day life of a business user.
Principal Consultant @ Improving | Microsoft MVP Alumni - Data Platform | Volunteer Puppy Trainer @ BC and Alberta Guide Dogs
Scott has spend the better part of the last 25 years moving data around, mostly with the help of Microsoft SQL Server, and now Microsoft Fabric & Azure. Scott's "passion work", is supporting the Microsoft Data Community, and being a volunteer for the BC & Alberta Guide Dogs. Scott's a former Microsoft Data Platform MVP, SQLSaturday organizer, and user group leader.
Travis is a Distinguished Software Engineer at SPS Commerce, the world's largest retail network, where he leads innovation, drives meaningful change, and amplifies team productivity. With a passion for technology and a talent for simplifying complex architectures, Travis focuses on creating seamless Developer Experiences and fostering high-performing teams. A seasoned speaker, architect, and blogger, he thrives on sharing insights, exploring emerging technologies, and championing impactful development practices.
Hello, I'm Tyler Doerksen, a local Winnipegger and Lead Solution Architect with Manulife Group Benefits. I work with engineering teams and business leaders to help them understand how technology can provide business value for their organization. I run design sessions or workshops for technical teams and use my Azure solution experience to accelerate time-to-value.
In my technology career I have been recognized as a Microsoft MVP by the Azure group, for my work in teaching about and implementing solutions using Azure services.
I have over six years of experience in full stack web development, with expertise in React, Redux, Vue, Svelte, Node.js, Typescript, Javascript, HTML, and CSS.
I also have worked in a technical product manager role, where I align business needs with technical solutions, and design and build internal tools to elevate our operations.
I have contributed to patentable products for market research, a mobile application for digital identity, and an ICO application for a blockchain startup. I am passionate about building amazing products that solve real-world problems. I am ever curious, inquisitive, and excited to learn the latest web technologies and apply them to build better and more efficient solutions.
I am a driven, dependable, and passionate designer and entrepreneur. With a career spanning product design and entrepreneurship, I am dedicated to creating real positive change through technology and simplifying complex user experiences.
Jayme is a newly minted Lead Developer who has held numerous roles throughout the Winnipeg technology sector until he landed at Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries. With a 15-year career primarily focused on API development, he has also gained experience in web development, DevOps, data analysis, and architecture.
A staunch advocate of improving technology and business processes, Jayme is passionate about automating tedious tasks so that his colleagues can focus on more important and fulfilling work.
