# PSConfEU 2026 — Ten Years of PowerShell Conference Europe [PowerShell Conference Europe 2026](https://psconf.eu/) was the tenth edition — from Hannover in 2016 to Wiesbaden this year. Four days at the Dorint Pallas, with around 300 attendees, about 40 speakers and some 70 sessions. And another genuinely great time. > **Update (August 2026):** the recordings are online now — see [PSConfEU 2026 Session Videos Now Available on YouTube](/2026-08-20-psconfeu-2026-videos-online/). It's my favourite time of the year again... no no, not Christmas, but PSConfEU! For some reason the vibe at PSConfEU always feels special and welcoming. It's a place where you can catch up with old friends, meet new people, and immerse yourself in the PowerShell community. Lots of laughter, interesting conversations, and most of all: a lot of like-minded people — that's what makes PSConfEU so special. And of course, the sessions themselves are always top-notch, with speakers bringing their A-game and sharing valuable insights with the community. And this year was no different, so let's share my experience! ## Day 0 - Arrival and Pre-Conference fun Since this year the conference took place in Wiesbaden, Germany, I was able to travel by car, which gave me the opportunity to enjoy the scenic route and have some time to mentally prepare for the exciting days ahead. While you can travel and arrive on day 1, I personally like to get there a bit earlier to settle in and meet up with friends from the community before the official start of the conference. Also, travelling by car allows me to bring more speaker-room-snacks! ![My PSConfEU 2026 Snack supply](snacks.jpg "My PSConfEU 2026 Snack supply") This is also the day where you can already get your conference badge, explore the venue but also the surrounding area, and enjoy some informal networking with fellow attendees before the official sessions kick off. ![Exploring the city](exploring-city.jpg "Exploring the city") Of course we had to also check if they brought our fan-favourite table tennis table 🏓, and I'm happy to report that it was there, ready for some friendly matches and networking over a game of round-the-table! ## Day 1 - Conference Kickoff Time to start! As usual the conference kicked off with a talk by [Gael](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaelcolas/), [Rob](https://www.linkedin.com/in/robmsewell/) and [Barbara](https://www.linkedin.com/in/baforbes/), looking back at the last 10 years of PSConfEU and looking forward to the future of the PowerShell community in their own unique styles. ![PSConfEU opening note](opening-note.jpg "PSConfEU opening note") Followed by the Keynote, presented by none other than [Jeffrey Snover](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreysnover/), the creator of PowerShell, on the topic of **Navigating the AI Revolution**. While I always like sessions by Jeffrey, this one kind of had a big impact on me personally, as it made me think about how I use AI in my own work and how I can use engineering skills to work around the limitations and challenges that come with working with AI. Must watch when it becomes available online! ![Navigating the AI Revolution](snover-keynote.jpg "Navigating the AI Revolution") After the keynote, [Steven Bucher](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenabucher/) gave his 'usual' "State of the Shell" talk, providing updates on the PowerShell ecosystem, work done by the PowerShell team, and upcoming features. As you might expect, a lot of AI centered discussions came up during his talk, highlighting how AI is increasingly influencing the way we work with PowerShell and the broader ecosystem. ![State of the Shell](state-of-the-shell.jpg "State of the Shell") From there on, the conference split up into separate tracks, allowing attendees to choose sessions that best matched their interests and expertise. This format provided a more personalized experience, catering to both newcomers and seasoned PowerShell professionals. ![Conference Tracks](tracks.png "Conference Tracks") While I won't be covering every session in detail, I will share the sessions I've attended as well as some pictures. * **It works on my machine...So we will ship your machine. Devcontainers!** - by [Justin Grote](https://github.com/JustinGrote) ![It works on my machine...So we will ship your machine. Devcontainers!](justin-containers.jpg "It works on my machine...So we will ship your machine. Devcontainers!") * **The return of the Cookie Monster. I'm in your Teams, hijacking your identity** - by [Miriam Wiesner](https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriamwiesner/) ![The return of the Cookie Monster. I'm in your Teams, hijacking your identity](miriam.jpg "The return of the Cookie Monster. I'm in your Teams, hijacking your identity") * **Argument completers, Dynamic parameters, and more: Building better PowerShell functions** - by [Ben Reader](https://powers-hell.com/) ![Argument completers, Dynamic parameters, and more: Building better PowerShell functions](ben-in-hell.jpg "Argument completers, Dynamic parameters, and more: Building better PowerShell functions") After the sessions, there was "Ask the Hivemind" — an open Q&A session where attendees could ask questions to a panel of experts, fostering interactive discussions and knowledge sharing. Several tables, each with their own subject, were set up to facilitate focused discussions and networking among attendees with similar interests. A great way for people to just mingle and exchange ideas in a more informal setting while winding down after the intense sessions of the day. And we were only just getting started! ## Day 2 - Community Dinner As is customary for the conference, the second day would conclude with a Community Evening — a social event where attendees could relax, network, and continue discussions from the day's sessions in a more informal setting. But before it got this far, a full day of sessions needed to be completed first! I started the day with a morning session watching PowerShell royalty in action: watching [Bruce Payette](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-payette-5a27b71/) give a session on **Designing PowerShell** while sitting behind Jeffrey Snover, [Dr Tobias Weltner](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiasweltner/), [Friedrich Weinmann](https://www.linkedin.com/in/friedrich-weinmann-1986ab102/) (yes, even if you can only see his shoulder, everyone still needs a Fred!) and many more! ![Watching Bruce Payette give a session on Designing PowerShell](pwsh-royalty.jpg "Watching Bruce Payette give a session on Designing PowerShell") The Tuesday schedule also includes a block of 90 minute deep dives besides the "normal" 45 minute sessions, where speakers can really delve into their topics in depth. Who better to take us for a dive but Justin Grote with his **Optimizing Visual Studio Code for PowerShell, 2026 Edition** session. Here Justin really opened the hood of Visual Studio code, showing us how the PowerShell Extension works and how to optimize configuration for a smoother development experience. ![Justin Grote giving a deep dive session on Optimizing Visual Studio Code for PowerShell](justin-extension.jpg "Justin Grote giving a deep dive session on Optimizing Visual Studio Code for PowerShell") After this I focussed on something else for a while: networking and preparing my own sessions for the upcoming days. I've learnt over the years that these moments of informal interaction are just as valuable as the formal sessions, providing opportunities to exchange ideas, get feedback, and build connections within the community. Not to mention, sometimes you just need some rest, grab some fresh air and recharge before diving back into the sessions. Up next, two more sessions before the community event: * **Pester - deep dive into mocking** by [Jakub](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jares/) [Jareš](https://pester.dev) - Mr Pester himself, diving into the intricacies of mocking in Pester tests. ![Jakub Jareš giving a deep dive session on Pester mocking](jakub-mocking.jpg "Jakub Jareš giving a deep dive session on Pester mocking") * **Beyond Scripts: Extending Azure SRE Agent with PowerShell automation** - by [Jan Egil Ring](https://www.linkedin.com/in/janegilring) ![Jan Egil Ring giving a session on extending Azure SRE Agent with PowerShell automation](jer-sre.jpg "Jan Egil Ring giving a session on extending Azure SRE Agent with PowerShell automation") ### Community Dinner After all the Tuesday sessions, it was time for the community dinner at Brauhaus Castel. It was a great opportunity to unwind, enjoy some local cuisine, and continue conversations with fellow attendees in a more relaxed setting. The atmosphere was lively, and it was wonderful to see the community come together outside of the conference sessions. ![Community dinner at Brauhaus Castel](community.jpg "Community dinner at Brauhaus Castel") ## Day 3 - Workshops Day 3 started with workshops, where attendees could dive deeper into specific topics and get hands-on experience with the latest PowerShell tools and techniques. Instead of the normal 45 minute sessions, the workshops were extended to 105 minutes, giving attendees more time to engage with the material and ask questions. One of the workshops being the **Beyond the Basics: Advanced Pester Testing** workshop, which I co-presented with Jakub Jareš. It was a hands-on session where attendees could learn advanced techniques for mocking in Pester tests, building on the foundational knowledge from previous sessions. It's a continuation from [last year's session on Pester basics](/2025-08-01-psconfeu-2025-videos-online/), allowing attendees to build on what they had previously learned and take their Pester testing skills to the next level. Unfortunately I always forget to take photos during my own sessions, so I don't have any pictures from the workshop itself 😢 After the workshops, it was time for some well-earned table tennis 🏓! ![A relaxing game of table tennis after the workshops](pingpong.jpg "A relaxing game of table tennis after the workshops") Some prep for my next session on Thursday and before you know it we're already on the back-end of day 3! But not before another interesting session by Jeffrey Snover **PowerShell: Designed for a Messy World**. It's always interesting to hear how things evolved in PowerShell's design and the challenges that were faced along the way... mostly not even technical but also political. After the session ended, I got him to sign my copy of [*Shell of an Idea*](https://www.amazon.com/Shell-Idea-Untold-History-PowerShell/dp/1953645038), Don Jones' book about how PowerShell came to be (I had asked him to do so earlier, didn't want to last-minute stalk him with it). ![Jeffrey Snover on PowerShell: Designed for a Messy World](snover-messy.jpg "Jeffrey Snover on PowerShell: Designed for a Messy World") Once this session was done, all 'normal' sessions were done for the day, but at PSConfEU, we also have some special formats! ### PoShaKucha PoShaKucha is a special session format at PSConfEU where speakers present 20 slides for 20 seconds each, resulting in a fast-paced and engaging experience. Various speakers, experienced or not, get to take the stage and present their subjects in a concise format... adding perhaps even more stress than normal talks due to the constraints. Some people also had some issues getting the display to work properly, which I think provided the most expensive tech support experience ever: ![PoShaKucha display issues](most-expensive-techsupport.jpg "PoShaKucha display issues") ### Speaker Dinner And after a day full of sessions with only one more day to go, the speakers gathered for the traditional speaker dinner. A relaxed evening together, sharing stories and experiences from the conference. You come to find out that the speakers are actual people as well 😉 It's 'fun' to see that some people may be great on stage, but behind the scenes experience the same challenges and awkward moments as everyone else. Perhaps it's just me, but that makes the whole experience feel more human and relatable. Of course, what happens at the speakers dinner stays at the speakers dinner, so no pictures 😉 ## Day 4 - Time to say goodbye Day 4 is always the bittersweet day — the final day of the conference, when everyone starts to wrap up and prepare to say their goodbyes. But not before we had a few more sessions to attend and enjoy, not to mention give! We started early with Jeff Hicks talking about **PowerShell Scripting Hidden secrets**, a room packed so full that people were standing along the walls, eager to catch every tip and trick he shared... at 9 am!! ![Jeff Hicks talking about PowerShell Scripting Hidden Secrets](jeff-hicks.jpg "Jeff Hicks talking about PowerShell Scripting Hidden Secrets") After this it was time for me to prep some more for my talk and take a walk around the venue a bit, so I unfortunately missed 2 slots of sessions being a perfectionist. But luckily I was well prepared for my own session, so I could focus on delivering it without any last-minute stress. **Building better PowerShell code using GitHub's Spec Kit** — a session about spec-driven development: giving an AI assistant the context it needs to produce consistent PowerShell code, instead of managing what my abstract called *"a forgetful intern"*. I was very happy with the result, good questions, good engagement and all in all another great experience! Jakub was even nice enough to make a picture because as usual I had forgotten again 😕 ![Me presenting Building better PowerShell code using GitHub's Spec Kit](me.jpg "Me presenting Building better PowerShell code using GitHub's Spec Kit") ### Community Demos Again, all the 'normal' sessions had come to an end, but it's tradition that at the final day of the conference, the community demos take place — a chance for attendees to showcase interesting projects, tools, and ideas in a more informal setting. While I can't remember all of the demos in detail, let's just say I can't wait for the conference videos to be released, because let's just say it was HILARIOUS! 🤣🤣 ### Closing Ceremony The conference wrapped up with the closing ceremony, where the organizers thanked everyone for attending, highlighted memorable moments from the week, and shared plans for next year's event. Only this year was a bit different... for the first time, they were not yet able to announce 2027's location! So I guess we'll just have to wait a bit longer to find out where next year's conference will be held! > **Update (October 2026):** it's Kraków, Poland — PSConfEU 2027 runs from June 21 to 24, 2027, and the [call for speakers](https://sessionize.com/powershell-conference-europe-2027) is open until December 13. And Jeffrey's keynote stuck with me long enough to turn into a post of its own: [Navigating My Own AI Revolution](/2026-07-19-navigating-my-own-ai-revolution/). ## Wrapping up All in all, PSConfEU 2026 was another fantastic experience — full of learning, networking, and fun. Meeting new people, talking about tech but also personal experiences is just the highlight of the year for me. I always leave PSConfEU feeling inspired, energized, and grateful for being part of such an amazing community. I can't wait to see what's in store for 2027! Happy scripting! 😊