Scrum Fest Sapporo 2026
Overview
A scrum and agile conference from Hokkaido hosted by Agile Sapporo. After running as Scrum Fest Niseko, a small overnight retreat, in 2023 and 2024, the 2026 edition returns to its Sapporo roots after a two-year gap in a session-based format with an online track. The programme runs two keynote slots — a panel discussion with three executives from Classmethod, Creationline, and KDDI Agile Development Center, and an invited talk by a Memuro town official who maintains the OSS project MADO.
Program
- Day 1: opening, Keynote 1 (a panel of top executives from Classmethod, Creationline and KDDI Agile Development Center), and a networking party
- Day 2: accepted proposal sessions in the morning, a two-hour Open Space Technology in the afternoon, Keynote 2 (a Memuro Town Office staff member who maintains the OSS project MADO), and closing
- Proposal sessions run only on Day 2 morning with a limited number of slots
- Hybrid: on site at HooK plus Zoom and Discord
Speakers
- Rikitake Ohashi (Director, Classmethod, and Head of the Manufacturing Business Technology Division, 2026 keynote)
- Tadahiro Yasuda (President and CEO, Creationline, 2026 keynote)
- Keiichi Kogure (President and CEO, KDDI Agile Development Center, 2026 keynote)
- Nishiki Saito (Chief of the Resident Services Section, Resident and Tax Affairs Division, Memuro Town Office, and maintainer of the OSS project MADO, 2026 keynote)
Foundation
- Founded
- 2018
- Founder
- Agile Sapporo
Agile Sapporo has organized conference-style events since 2018. From 2023 it moved to Niseko in the off-season as Scrum Fest Niseko, a small overnight retreat designed for deep connections among participants. The 2026 edition returns to a conference format in Sapporo, going back to its original mission of advancing agile in Hokkaido and welcoming a larger audience. It is part of the network of regional scrum fests alongside Osaka, Mikawa, Niigata, and Sendai.
Transition
- 2018 Predecessor event SAPPORO Scrum toGathering 2018 held, drawing 60 attendees
- 2020 Held online, drawing 162 attendees
- 2021 Held online, drawing 161 attendees
- 2022 Held at Sapporo Education and Culture Hall plus online, drawing a record 315 attendees
- 2023 Reformatted as Scrum Fest Niseko, an overnight retreat at Hilton Niseko Village, drawing 45 attendees
- 2024 Second Scrum Fest Niseko held, drawing 42 attendees
- 2026 Held after a two-year gap, returning to a conference format at HooK in Sapporo on November 13-14, with an online track
Voices
The keynote on commitment retraced how the Scrum Guide's translation was carefully unpacked, and the OST sessions sparked exchanges even among first-timers (from Kumagoro's Scrum Fest Niseko 2024 report, in Japanese)
Keynotes and sessions deepened understanding of the essence of agile and new practices, making for a memorable two days complete with Niseko's sea of clouds (from dip Engineer Blog's 2024 report, in Japanese)
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