Deepen your software design practice at an immersive event for the people who shape software for complex domains.
Explore is not your typical conference. Two days of pre-conference workshops (Sept 21-22), then three days of expert talks alongside hands-on workshops across up to five parallel tracks, capped by the Design Storm: two days where you and a cohort take one real problem from a messy domain to working code together.
Denver, Colorado. September 23-25, 2026, with optional pre-conference workshops September 21-22. Group rates available for teams of 5+.
Five Days, Two Formats
Pre-conference workshops Monday and Tuesday. Conference Wednesday through Friday. Click any day for the full schedule.
- Two days hands-on with the practitioners shaping DDD, microservices, and AI
- Direct access to the instructor with your questions and your team's problems
- Four workshops to choose from
- Eric Evans opening keynote
- 6 talks in Confluence
- 12 hands-on sessions across 4 tracks
- Design Storm Kickoff
- 10 talks + 6 hands-on sessions
- AI + DDD panel hosted by Eric Evans
- Design Storm working sessions
- Cohorts self-assigned by experience
- Surfacing demos + close at 3pm
The Design Storm
This is the part people talk about afterward. For the last two days of the conference, you join a small cohort and take on one real problem together: model a slice of water management, discover how it actually works, and bring it to life in working code with AI agents alongside you. No lectures, no watching from the back row. You're doing the work, next to people right at your level, and it clicks in a way no talk can teach.
The venue, Hydro at CSU Spur, is built around water stewardship; the breakout rooms are named for Colorado rivers.
You'll join one of four cohorts, calibrated to where you are with modeling and agentic coding today.
Headwaters
Where the river starts. For attendees newer to both modeling and agentic coding, looking for a gentle entry into the Design Storm.
Watershed
Where streams converge. For attendees comfortable with modeling OR agentic coding (not both yet), looking to bring their strengths and stretch into the other.
Rapids
Fast-moving water. For attendees confident in both modeling and agentic coding, ready to move fast on harder challenges.
Uncharted Waters
Beyond the map. For experts in both modeling and agentic coding, ready to invent new patterns alongside other experts.
New to DDD?
This is one of the fastest ways to learn it. You'll be in a cohort built for exactly where you are (Headwaters is made for first-timers), figuring it out beside peers doing the same. You don't need to be the strongest coder or modeler in the room. Curiosity is the only entry requirement.
Deep in DDD already?
The pull is different but just as strong. Agentic coding is reshaping how we model, and the Design Storm is room to work that edge with other seasoned practitioners on a domain none of you has touched before. Rapids and Uncharted Waters are built for exactly that.
Why water management?
It's chosen with care. Everyone depends on water, and it's one of the most actively contested resources anywhere, with real stakes for millions of people, so you're working on something that genuinely matters. It's also deliberately unfamiliar, so no one can lean on expertise they already have. Everyone discovers it together and works through its real ambiguity and competing needs side by side.
Why "Design Storm"?
Civil engineers use the term for a calibrated event, something like the 100-year, 24-hour rainfall: real enough that what you build holds up in the wild, bounded enough that you can actually build for it. The slice we picked works the same way, tractable enough for two days, rich enough that the modeling is real work.
How does it end?
Friday afternoon is the payoff. Every cohort sets up science-fair style, and you wander between them seeing how differently people solved the same problem. It's relaxed, a bit show-and-tell, and it's where half the learning happens.
Each cohort is self-directed and decides its own approach. Most will bring agents into the loop, that's part of why the format is interesting now. A cohort can also stay in discovery and modeling, or write a minimal code probe to express the model. The goal is the modeling, not a mandated output.
You leave having actually done domain-driven design on a real problem, not just heard about it, plus a cohort of people you'll still be talking to long after the conference closes.
Kickoff Thursday 9am · Working sessions Thursday 3pm + Friday morning · Surfacing & demos Friday 1:45pm
Featured Speakers
Eric Evans
Author of Domain-Driven Design
Opening Keynote
Indu Alagarsamy
Principal Engineer, CircleCI
Pre-Conference Workshop
Paul Rayner
Consultant, Virtual Genius
Javiera Laso
Lead Engineer Consultant at Thoughtworks
Sonya Natanzon
Architect, team leader, decomplexifier
Joseph Yoder
The Refactory - MetaYoda
Tina Thomas
Senior Software Developer at Thoughtworks
Kyle Brown
IBM Fellow
Registration
Registration is open. Book by July 31 to lock in the $1,495 conference rate before it rises to $1,795.
Attendance is limited to 225 to keep the experience intimate and interactive.
Conference 3 days: September 23-25
Expert talks, experiential workshops, and a dedicated open space day.
| Tier | Price | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Early Bird | $1,295 | Sold Out |
| Regular | $1,495 | April 1 through July 31 |
| Procrastinator | $1,795 | August 1 through September 14 |
| Eternal Postponer | $1,995 | September 15 through event |
Pre-Conference Workshops 2 days: September 21-22
Hands-on workshops with expert instructors. Workshop lineup announced soon.
| Tier | Price | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Early Bird | $1,895 | Sold Out |
| Regular | $2,095 | Until sold out |
Group Discounts Conference + workshop tickets combined
Bring your team and save on every ticket. Discounts apply to all ticket types.
| Total Tickets | Discount | |
|---|---|---|
| 5-9 tickets | $100 off | per ticket |
| 10-19 tickets | $150 off | per ticket |
| 20+ tickets | $200 off | per ticket |
How it works: Email contact@exploreddd.com with your company name and the number of tickets you expect to purchase. We'll send you a discount code that automatically applies the discount at checkout.
Conference and workshop tickets combine toward your group total. Tickets can be purchased in a single bulk order or individually using the same code, as long as your group meets the minimum ticket count. For example, 5 conference tickets plus 5 workshop tickets qualifies as 10 tickets for the $150 off tier.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Explore DDD for?
Anyone whose work shapes software for complex domains: software architects, engineers, technical leaders, product managers, designers, testers, domain experts, and platform engineers. You'll find people new to DDD looking for foundations, seasoned practitioners pushing strategic design, and folks exploring what AI-assisted development changes about how we model.
Do I need to know how to code to attend?
No. AI-assisted development has changed who can build software, and our programming meets people across that spectrum. Whether you're shipping production code or shaping the design and product strategy behind it, you'll find sessions and Design Storm cohorts built for you.
Can I attend without engaging much with AI content?
Yes. Plenty of talks and hands-on sessions across all three days are not AI-focused. You can build a path through the conference that emphasizes DDD fundamentals, strategic design, and team practices.
Are sessions recorded?
Yes. Keynotes and select talks from past Explore DDD conferences are available free on our YouTube channel. Workshops and Design Storm working sessions are reserved for in-person attendees, the value of those sessions comes from doing the work alongside others, which doesn't translate to video.
I'm a vendor or solution provider. Can I attend?
Explore DDD isn't a vendor showcase, there are no sales pitches, and our programming is built for practitioners. That said, if your company is interested in supporting the work as a sponsor or partner, we'd love to talk. See the partnership page or reach out at contact@exploreddd.com.