What Are Scrum Alliance Regional Scrum Gatherings?

Whether you are a business owner who has recently transitioned to Agile and Scrum or are thinking about it or an employee of a company who has or is making the change to the Scrum product development and project management framework, there is no shortage of learning you can do.

Even if you feel confident that you have the basics and foundational elements of Scrum and Agile down to a fine art, and that your team are well-versed in those starting blocks, there is always more you can learn.

The best people to learn about Scrum and making a success of Agile frameworks are the people who have proven success in practice with real-life implementations. That is why it was important, if you are past that stage, to invest in Scrum Alliance-backed training from trainers who are experienced and fully qualified.

Aside from the various training programmes run by some of the training providers known to be the best in Australia and New Zealand, there are other ways you can expand your Agile and Scrum knowledge and skills – with something known as Scrum Gatherings and Regional Scrum Gatherings.

What are Regional Scrum Gatherings – that is what we are going to look at in the following post, and we will also discuss what many of the most popular entail, where they are located and how you can benefit from them.

First things first.

What Are Regional Scrum Gatherings?

Regional Scrum Gatherings are special events that normally last 2 to 3 days. They are normally organised, curated and hosted by regional and local agilists and designed to be a meeting place for all like-minded scrum and agile enthusiasts, practitioners, coaches, and trainers.

Like other types of business conferences and industry-related conventions, there are lots of amazing keynote speakers delivering interesting, informative, and riveting talks and discussions on scrum and agile principles, frameworks, and other important aspects.

Additionally, there are interactive open space sessions where you are encouraged to participate and are devised to help you deepen and intensify your scum and agile knowledge and understanding so you can better apply what you learn in your workplace or industry.

Every Regional Scrum Gathering Has a Slightly Different Flavour

Although they are all about bringing together a collection of people from various backgrounds who share a common interest – the practice and principles of Scrum and Agile, they are run and curated by regional and local agilists. This means that each Regional Scrum Gathering, while still about Scrum and Agile, has a slightly different flavour to it. You will always learn a variety of things at these gatherings and different things at each one you attend.

Hosting Regional Scrum Gatherings

People who practice Scrum and Agile are part of a large, connected community. With that community in mind, you may feel you want to give back. One of the best and most important ways you can give back to the Agile and Scrum community is by hosting one of the Regional Scrum Gatherings.

Scrum Alliance believes in the community spirit that exists among Scrum and Agile practitioners and anyone else connected to it and offers to sponsor for Regional Scrum Gatherings. They do not expect fees or charge for their help but offering funding for the organisers of these local events to help create the best and most insightful experiences for all in attendance.

There are two application time windows, with one opening in June for those wishing to book events taking place between January and June during the following year, and a second one during December that is for any events being booked for the following year between July and December.

Examples of Regional Scrum Gatherings Taking Place in 2021

As the application for booking Regional Scrum Gatherings has passed for 2021, we thought it might be a great way to introduce them by discussing some of the great events taking place later in the year.

Regional Scrum Gatherings Nigeria 2021

The Theme of the Regional Scrum Gathering in Nigeria in 2021 is Ignite Change – Transform Your Organization Culture. This is being held at the beautiful Eco Hotel & Suites in Lagos, Nigeria and is the very first of its kind to be held in Western Africa. It has been devised as a platform for more than 250 people from the Sub-Saharan region of Africa, as well as many international attendees and Africans in the diaspora.

There are more than 40 different speakers, including some world-renowned experts delivering keynote addresses and 32 different sessions.

Scrum Gathering Rio 2021

Held at the Sulamerica Convention Center in Rio de Janeiro, the 2021 Scrum Gathering in Rio is the 7th year of this huge Agile conference and is one of the biggest events of its kind in all Latin America. Over the course of 3 days, with an expected attendance of over 1000 attendees, there will be amazing speakers, sessions and lots of attractions and activities that can help all there learn and improve their Scrum and Agile use.

Regional Scrum Gathering in Belgrade

Held on the 3rd and 4th of June at the Belexpocentar in Belgrade, Serbia, the Regional Scrum Gathering in 2021 is the first time it has happened in that part of Europe. Like the other events being held around the world, this Regional Scrum Gathering promises a variety of different speakers and talks, sessions, and activities, divided into four main stages – Main, Agile, Development and Workshops. There are also lots of open space sessions, a fun corner, Business corner and Agile Coaching Corner.

Why You Should Attend Regional Scrum Gatherings

If you are only just hearing about regional scrum gatherings now or have been on the fence about them for some time, you may wonder why you should bother attending them. Understandably, you should want to give this a lot of thought, as your time is very precious.

However, if you are looking to learn more deeply about Scrum and Agile, have actual meetups and a chance to network with other practitioners or to benefit from the experience of some of the most noted experts in the world, attending one of the many Regional Scrum Gatherings will be time and money well-spent.

As well as helping you to improve your place and strengthen your position within your own company or the one you work for, it will also position you better when it comes to entering the job market again. And if all the above was not reason enough to attend, you should consider it because you can earn SEUs or Scrum Education Units, just from being in attendance. Those are necessary for your ongoing progression in Scrum understanding and can help when you want to obtain further certifications and accreditations.