HANDS-ON 2026

The conference for developer adoption leaders

Join Instruqt for new research, practical conversations, and a first look at what’s next for hands-on product adoption in the AI era.

VIRTUAL EVENT
SEPTEMBER 29, 2026
11:00 AM ET

Developer adoption is changing.
Are you ready?

AI is rewriting how developers discover, evaluate, and adopt software, and the teams who win are the ones turning that shift into hands-on experiences. Hands-On 2026 brings together the marketers, sales engineers, and enablement leaders defining what comes next.

Spend the day with new research, candid conversations, and a first look at where hands-on product adoption is heading. You will leave with practical plays you can put to work the moment you log off.

Why attend Hands-On 2026

One day with the people defining how developers discover, learn, and adopt products in the AI era, plus the hands-on tactics to do it better.

See what’s working now

Skip the theory. Walk away with proven plays for driving adoption: the demos, POCs, onboarding flows, and enablement programs teams are using to win developers

Understand the AI shift

AI is rewriting how developers find, evaluate, and adopt products. Get a clear-eyed look at what's actually changing and how leading teams are reshaping their go-to-market and education motions to stay ahead.

Learn from practical conversations

No keynote fluff. Real talks and candid Q&A with the marketers, sales engineers, and enablement leaders solving the exact adoption challenges you're facing.

Get hands-on, not hand-wavy

This is a working conference. Dive into live, interactive sessions where you build, test, and pressure-test ideas you can take straight back to your team on Monday.

Connect with your people

Spend the event alongside pre-sales, dev rel, marketing, CS, and education peers who get it. Trade playbooks, compare notes, and leave with a network that outlasts the conference.

Built for your role

Whether you lead marketing, sales, or education, every session maps to the adoption challenges your role owns, so you leave with takeaways you can actually put to work

Speakers

Hear from the practitioners shaping developer adoption at the companies you watch. Real lessons from the people doing the work, not just talking about it.

Kelsey Hightower
Instruqt
Kelsey Hightower
Former Google Cloud Distinguished Engineer
Igor Racic
Infoblox
Igor Racic
Senior Staff Technical Marketing Engineer
Keith Mansville
Google
Keith Mansville
Customer Engineer, Security Operations
Adam Close
Octopus Deploy
Adam Close
Senior Solutions Engineer
Chris Clarkson
Illumio
Chris Clarkson
Senior Director, Global Partner Engineering
Dave Ahr
Coder
Dave Ahr
Product Marketing Manager
Alexander Pierce
Instruqt
Alexander Pierce
Head of Product
Adé Mochtar
Instruqt
Adé Mochtar
CTO / Co-Founder
Raphaël Pinson, smiling headshot in a navy t-shirt and blue rectangular glasses against a neutral background.
Isovalent at Cisco
Raphaël Pinson
Senior Technical Marketing Engineer

Agenda at a Glance

Four sessions, no slideware. Product, proof, and the practitioners building hands-on programs at scale. All times ET.

11:00 – 11:40 AM ET

Opening Keynote: Building for the Hands-On Era

Ade Mochtar and Alex Pierce open the day with Instruqt's view of developer adoption — what's changed in how technical buyers and users learn, and what we're building for it.

Speaker/s
Adé Mochtar
Adé Mochtar
Alexander Pierce
Alexander Pierce
11:45 AM – 12:25 PM ET

Proof or It Didn't Happen: Selling When the Demo Is No Longer Enough

Four solutions leaders on what replaced the demo: buyers who arrive with a ranked shortlist and one question — can you prove this works in our environment? Live Q&A and poll.

Speaker/s
Igor Racic
Igor Racic
Keith Mansville
Keith Mansville
Adam Close
Adam Close
Chris Clarkson
Chris Clarkson
Thomas Kula
Thomas Kula
12:30 – 1:10 PM ET

Day 90 vs. Year Five: The Lab-Led Growth Conversation

Two practitioners, same playbook, five years apart. Dave Ahr is 90 days into Coder's hands-on motion; Raphaël Pinson is five years and tens of thousands of lab plays in.

Speaker/s
Dave Ahr
Dave Ahr
Raphaël Pinson, smiling headshot in a navy t-shirt and blue rectangular glasses against a neutral background.
Raphaël Pinson
Thomas Kula
Thomas Kula
1:15 – 1:55 PM ET

Nobody Learns Software by Watching It

Developers have never had more ways to watch. Kelsey Hightower on what still requires hands on a keyboard and what that means for how technology gets adopted and sold.

Speaker/s
Kelsey Hightower
Kelsey Hightower
Stay tuned for the full agenda
Industry experts, practical insights, and exclusive sessions are coming soon. Register now to receive the agenda before the public release.
Register now
ANNOUNCEMENT

Be the first to see what’s next from Instruqt

We’re pulling back the curtain on what’s next for hands-on product adoption, and Hands-On 2026 attendees see it first. Get an early look at the research, product direction, and ideas shaping where Instruqt is heading, before anyone else. Register now to be in the room when we share it.

First reactions to what’s next

Early feedback from customers and practitioners who have seen where Instruqt is heading next.

"I want to call out its very nice that all these 2.0 improvements work really shows that instruqt listens to their customers."

Ryan Wallner, Senior Technical Marketing Engineer,  Portworx by PureStorage

"We are gladly surprised when you announced about Instruqt 2.0 and the new modular architecture. I think it's the right move. It's something that I love seeing."

Sysdig — Paul Hodgetts

"This is a massive improvement worthy of the 2.0 designation!"

Joe Titra, Global Head of Technical Enablement @ Wiz
SAVE YOUR SEAT

Join Hands-on 2026

Save your seat for new research, practical conversations, and a first look at what’s next for hands-on product adoption.