For years, I was fascinated by TED Talks, which I always found creative and energizing. As both an attendee and a member of several organizing teams, I had the opportunity to meet interesting people, learn about a wide range of topics, and attend exclusive receptions. It was, by far, my favorite type of event.
In 2016, I heard about Agile Coach Camp for the first time. Dante Vilardi, a very experienced Agile Coach whom I admire and respect, told me about an upcoming camp in Canada.
Since I am curious by nature, and I love all things Agile, I did my research. A few words immediately caught my attention: unconference, no speakers, no agenda, no sponsored content, opening circle, marketplace, news wall, four principles, two laws.
Although I didn’t fully understand the mechanics, those words were intriguing enough to make me register, travel to Vancouver for a weekend, and attend the event. By the following Monday, TED Talks had fallen from the top of my list. Since then, Agile Coach Camps have remained in first place.
For two days, I had the pleasure of having conversations with extremely smart people in the field, many of whom I had never met in person, even though some had greatly influenced my Agile journey through their ideas, writings, or talks. Diana Larsen, Woody Zuill, Johanna Rothman, Bob Galen, Ellen Grove, Cheryl Hammond, Gillian Lee, Olaf Lewitz, and many others.
Hearing their ideas, exchanging thoughts, and reflecting on their experiences was a blast. Having the opportunity to ask the group anything—from theoretical concepts to practical situations, from personal journeys to professional experiences—was mind‑blowing. And seeing how others explored new approaches, tested techniques with the group, and gathered feedback from all of us was truly eye‑opening.
The fact that topics emerged from the attendees’ needs and curiosity made a significant difference: it added depth to the learning experience and made every hour worth it. Very quickly, each topic became richer and the discussions more meaningful. I remember proposing a topic: “What would be some effective actions to increase psychological safety in a highly regulated environment?” I walked away with five pages of notes, thoughts, and ideas I could implement with my teams immediately. It felt like reading five books on the topic in one hour.
Over time, I realized that all that “magic” was the result of a well‑structured, carefully designed event:
From the Opening Circle to the Retrospective at the end, a Coach Camp is a safe environment, ideal for learning, exploring ideas, connecting dots, and building lasting relationships.
When I invite colleagues and friends to Agile Coach Camps, I’ve noticed that the words themselves can sound a bit intimidating. Their immediate responses are usually, “I’m not such an experienced coach,” or “It seems like a very exclusive event for the elite community.”
The truth is that attendees do not need to be expert coaches or experienced in Agile. The audience is wonderfully diverse. From team facilitators and trainers to developers and managers, basically anyone interested in learning or exploring new ideas and approaches for working with people, teams, and organizations.
Some people come as explorers looking to create new ideas; others come as shoppers searching for techniques; and some come simply to network, reconnect with old friends, and meet new ones. We also see participants from related fields in academia and consulting: sociologists, designers, UX specialists, entrepreneurs, students, organizational design consultants, change management experts, and learning‑game developers. Many of them are just curious about how Agilists approach teams and organizations.
Sometimes arriving with one simple question or topic to explore is more than enough. In fact, those spontaneous questions often spark the most powerful sessions, as people dive into answers and related themes. Other times, bringing a handful of questions is useful as you’ll likely have time to pitch all of them and attract interest from others. And sometimes, showing up with nothing more than curiosity about the theme and a few prompt questions is all you need to have an unforgettable, enriching, and worthwhile experience.
Although finding yourself at a conference with no auditoriums, no agenda, and no speakers can create some skepticism, unexpected feelings of surprise and excitement will emerge very quickly with each activity: populating the Marketplace, negotiating time slots, choosing what sessions to attend, hallway conversations, checking the news wall, and many more.
When a camp is held right before a large conference, it makes the standard event far more meaningful. We already know other attendees, have topics to talk about, and approach the sessions with a different mindset: now we’re looking to have conversations and share experiences, not just listen to talks or participate in workshops. And, of course, now we’ve learned the importance of the Law of Two Feet: anytime we feel a topic isn’t meeting our needs, we can move to another one that is.
If you want to learn more about the upcoming Camp in July, visit the website. It will take place right before the PMI Agile 2026 conference in the Washington, DC area, and its theme is quite inspiring and energizing: “How do we bring agility to the spots in organizations that lack it?”
I’m confident that the topics you’ll learn, the conversations you’ll have, and the connections you’ll make will leave a lasting mark on your professional practice. You’ll leave the camp with tips to use, approaches to implement, and stories to tell.
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