ELC Conference 2027 · Prague · 22 April
Off the Record.
The stories leaders tell after the talk is over.
Pitch the story you'd tell over a beer, not the one on your LinkedIn. Heading for 500+ engineering leaders. Last edition drew 400+, with speakers from Netflix, Stripe and Meta.
Main stage talk, hands-on workshop, or 1:1 mentoring sessions with you as the mentor. Pick your format in the form.
Topics our audience is hungry for
The 2027 day runs as one story in four acts: get there, run it, survive it, and life beyond the paycheck. AI runs through it as a thread in three chapters. Every slot wants your real story, with your numbers and your mistakes.
A starting list, not a fence. If your best story lives outside it, pitch that instead: the form has a field for exactly that. Still not sure? The 2026 agenda shows what made the cut.
Act 1
Get there
- How I got the CTO job: the moves that worked and the ones I'd skipBook this topic for me
- Staff, manager or product builder? Pick your fork in 2027Book this topic for me
- 20 years of leadership, zero interviews: job hunting as a senior leader in 2027Book this topic for me
- The invisible leader tax: personal brand for people who hate LinkedInBook this topic for me
Workshops, 70 min
- Interview questions for product builders in 2027: build your loopBook this topic for me
- Visibility in 70 minutes: your 90-day personal brand planBook this topic for me
- Ready for director? Map your gap to the next roleBook this topic for me
Act 2
Run it
- My HRBP and I: how we stopped fighting and fixed career paths togetherBook this topic for me
- Faster and cheaper without layoffs: what we cut first in engineeringBook this topic for me
- I ran the layoff. Here is the day after.Book this topic for me
- Three bosses, three definitions of success: managing up when they disagreeBook this topic for me
- Working with junior talent in 2027: who grows your next seniors when agents do the junior workBook this topic for me
Workshops, 70 min
- Bring your HRBP: design a career path engineers believe inBook this topic for me
- Engineering cost in CFO language: 5 metrics you can defendBook this topic for me
- Find the leak: why your sprint plan slips every weekBook this topic for me
- Managing people you don't like: jerks, politicians, underperformersBook this topic for me
The AI thread
People and agents
- Chapter 1, 2024 to 2026: one engineering org, the honest AI timelineBook this topic for me
- Chapter 2, 2027: the path to 80% AI-written code, and what brokeBook this topic for me
- Chapter 3, 2028: one developer with agents equals a full team? What is left for the EMBook this topic for me
Workshops, 70 min
- Onboard your first AI agent like a new hire: role, scope, reviewBook this topic for me
Act 3
Survive it
- 10-hour days, kids, a partner: the calendar that keeps it workingBook this topic for me
- Fit, disciplined, and burned out anywayBook this topic for me
- Self-management is the job now: my day from first coffee to last SlackBook this topic for me
Workshops, 70 min
- Build your self-management OS: focus, calendar, automationsBook this topic for me
- Burnout early warning: an energy audit for you and your teamBook this topic for me
Act 4
Beyond the paycheck
- CTO and rentier at the same time: building wealth next to a full-time jobBook this topic for me
- Founder, fractional, or back to a payroll: the exits leaders rarely planBook this topic for me
Workshops, 70 min
- Name your number: salary, bonus, ESOP and your market valueBook this topic for me
- Pick your coach or mentor: the criteriaBook this topic for me
What wins the big stage
Actionable over generic
A Monday-morning toolkit beats another framework slide.
War stories over success theater
What broke, and what you would do differently.
Connection over lecture
Polls, questions, energy. We want a room, not an audience.
English delivery, with pro support
We provide professional speaker coaches to refine your narrative and delivery before the big day.
Context, not sales
No vendor pitches. No product demos wearing a talk as a costume.
Our speakers come from
See the room you would stand in
The ELC 26 aftermovie. Prefer last year? Watch the 2025 one: 25 speakers, 330 engineering leaders.
Why this stage is different
Two ways onto the stage
Most talks come through this CFP and the program team picks them on content. Partners can also book a speaker slot. Either way, ELC works with you on the topic and your public-speaking skills.
The refund bar
If the conference does not deliver, we refund tickets. That is the bar we hold ourselves, and every speaker, to.
Who sits in the room
Leaders of people, AI agents and technology, from team leads up to CTOs. Plus senior engineers, product engineers and product builders. People who can act on what you share the same week.
No filler, no fluff
We curate for practical aha moments. If your talk would not change how someone works next Monday, it is not ready for this stage.
Engaged, not passive
Attendees build their own path through talks, workshops, 1:1 mentoring, and networking. People are in your room because they chose it.
Partners add value, not noise
You will not follow a 30-minute product demo. The whole program is designed to keep energy and quality high.
Become an ELC speaker: grow your reach, your network, and your Prague stories
One talk and you are in: the alumni group, the dinner table, and a recording you will reuse for years.
A room of 500+ decision-makers
Heading for 500+ engineering leaders in Prague, heart of Europe. Last edition drew 400+, with speakers from Netflix, Stripe and Meta.
The speakers’ dinner and a boat party on the Vltava
The evening before, you meet the other speakers properly: a private dinner, then a boat on the river. Networks get built here, not in green-room hallways.
The undercover beer tour
Our guided walk through Prague’s historical monuments, which is secretly a tour of the beer spots tourists never find.
Assets you keep
Professional recording and a promo video of your talk, plus the talk published in written form on our blog, linking to you.
You are not on your own
A public speaking coach, slide review, and an optional dry run before you step out to the big stage.
ELC Speakers Club
Your talk makes you a member for good: first call for what comes next, the members’ Slack, and the boat on the Vltava every year.
Meet the club →Speaking at a meetup first is also a path: our monthly 100+ room is where many conference speakers started. Pitch a meetup talk instead.
The company you would keep
The full ELC 26 lineup, and what they spoke about. This is the bar, and the speakers' dinner table you would join.
Aleodor Tabarcea
Engineering Manager
"Smart but Not Wise: Path to AI-Native Engineering Leader"
Michal Matyjek
Sr. Engineering Manager
"The Tech Leader Profile Nobody Wants to Hire in 2026"
Rizwan Iqbal
Director of Engineering
"What am I doing here? - Engineering Management in the age of agents"
Vojta Vondra
Partner Director of Engineering
"From Talent Pool to Product Powerhouse: How Central Europe Won Microsoft's Trust"
Tatiana Stantonian
Principal Engineer
"Building AI Into Critical Systems: Lessons Learned"
Jan Zenisek
VP of Product
"Building a Creator Ecosystem - The Art of Letting Go"
Tomas Rehor
Head of Engineering
"High Agency Is the New IQ"
Michal Poczwardowski
Founder
"Decide Like a Senior Leader: Live Lessons on Building Strong Decision-Making Habits"
Natalia Nazaruk
Engineering Squad Lead
"Debugging Self-Doubt: A Framework for Building Confidence"
David Teodorescu
Senior Product Designer
"The Collapse of the Product Trio"
Cate Huston
CTO
"What's my job again? Developing self-management."
Marian Kamenistak
Founder
Ladislav Novak
CEO
"Most 1:1s are just surviving. Let's change that!"
Nithin SS
Head of QA
"From Doing OK to Doing Great: A 180-Day Playbook for building High Performing Team"
Jan Cerny
CEO
"Confessions of a Teal CEO: What Engineering Managers Can Steal From a Company With No Hierarchy"
Krzysztof Ras
Head of Engineering
"I’ve Built 3 Large Technology hubs in CE: A full guide"
Viktor Didenchuk
Lead Technical Program Manager
"The $$$ Behind the Code: How Technical Leaders Win Budget Conversations"
Petr Krebs
Head of Engineering
"Stop Apologizing for Your Codebase: Taking Radical Ownership of Tech Debt."
Limor Bergman Gross
Former Director of Engineering
LBG Consulting Services
"What Your Manager Evaluates Before Promoting You: IC → Manager → Director."
Jiri Brunclik
VP Engineering
"Platform/DevEx/DevOps"
Jiří Helmich
Founder
"Product Management"
Jan Sovka
Product & Strategy Advisor
"Becoming the Villain: Manipulation and Politics in the Corporate Environment"
Moustafa Aboelnaga
Engineering Leader
"Same Code, Different Cultures: Managing Engineers Across Continents"
Anna Kurylo
Senior Software Engineering Manager
"From "we're fine" to "here's the plan": how to write status updates your leadership actually reads"
Jan Vrtiska
Engineering leadership guru
"Engineering leadership"
Goran Hielscher
Leadership Communication Trainer
THE INSPIRACY GROUP
"Why the Conversation You're Not Having Is having you!"
Ivo Klimša
Director of Engineering
"AI development"
Jan Bleha
Employer Branding Manager
"Employer Branding"
Jan Fried
Director of Product - Strategic Planning
"Strategy/OKRs"
Alex Ponomarev
Founder & CEO
Volt
"The AI Talent Gap Nobody's Talking About"
Daniel Ondruj
Senior Engineering Manager
"Burn Your Playbook: Context is Your Leadership Strategy"
Nilesh Kulkarni
Sr Engineering manager
"Complexity Is a Feature. Now What?"
Michal Licko
CEO
"Build & Lead Your First Agentic Product Team — Wake Up, Brew Coffee, Deploy Three Teams"
Mariana Ecegiova
TA Partner
"People/HR"
Vojta Kopal
Head of Data
"Data"
Karin Van Hoecke
Board Member, Digitalization & Innovation
Carol Palombini
Tech Leadership Coach & Consultant
"Build an Elevator Pitch That Works For Networking and Job Interviews"
Shaun Dudley
Host & Speaking coach
"x"
Michal Donát
Organizational Designer
"Value Delivery and Agility"
Ready to pitch?
About 3 minutes, 9 short steps, and your answers are saved in your browser as you go, so you can leave and come back. Once we confirm your slot, our team takes over the logistics: scheduling, tech checks, optional speaker coaching.
Submit your talkSpeakers apply here and the program team picks the talks. Partners can also book a speaker slot. Either way, ELC helps with the topic and the delivery.
Doubts? Our public speaking coach is here for you. You will shine on stage.