LAST Conference is becoming Signal Not Noise.

A message from LAST co-founder
Ed Wong to LAST stalwarts

Note - this page is specifically for close allies/stalwarts of LAST. For the public-facing information, please see the "About" and "LAST to SNN" links in the page's menu.

November 2025

You've been part of the LAST Conference community over the years - as a participant, session leader, or supporter. You are a stalwart and have helped make LAST what it is and I want you to hear this directly from me:

LAST is becoming Signal Not Noise

Why I'm telling you now

You deserve to know before we make this more widely known. The LAST community has always been built on practitioners supporting practitioners, and you've been central to that. This change is about staying true to those values while opening the door wider.

I've been thinking about this for the whole year and have discussed it with Craig Brown (LAST co-founder) and many others. Having explored multiple different concepts, none of which quite hit the spot, I'm very excited about Signal Not Noise and its potential for our community's future.

The reality check

I heard someone use a phrase once, thanking people for "picking up what we've been putting down". For LAST, there have been fewer people submitting, sponsoring and registering, and I need to change that. We need to send a message that we're not only catering for what people wanted in 2015. I hope that Signal Not Noise opens the door.

Not everyone will love this change. Some of you might feel like we're abandoning something important. I know we can't please everyone, but we need to adapt, survive and grow.

A lot has changed since LAST started in 2012, particularly in the last 5-6 years. We've been doing great work in welcoming a wide variety of subject matter, but we need to reach more people outside the core community, as that core is not as strong as before, even if its principles are still valid and valuable.

What's changing

The name. Signal Not Noise…making it clear we deliver valuable and practical insights that seek to filter out the noise. (We may occasionally shorten this to SNN Conference, but Signal Not Noise is the primary brand.)

Positioning. A bigger effort to appeal across more digital disciplines and communities (Product, Design, Data, Engineering, and more)

What's staying the same:

• Same team, same values, same commitment to substance
• Same approach: practitioners sharing real work, cross-functional learning, community-driven
• Practitioner-focused content from people doing the work
• Affordable, accessible, community-driven
• Maintaining connection to lean, agile, and systems thinking roots…they remain great and valuable
• All the things that made LAST worth building and brought you back year after year

The timeline

Melbourne (21 November 2025): We'll announce the rebrand at LAST Melbourne as a "this is where we've been, here's where we're going" moment. The domains signal-not-noise.com & .com.au have been bought. Info will appear there in the near future.

Adelaide (May 2026): First conference under the Signal Not Noise name

Other cities: Will follow their own timelines through 2026

What this means for you

At future conferences:

• You'll be taking part in Signal Not Noise Conference [City]
• It will remain practitioner and community focused 
• Same type of content and connections you've valued
• Broader range of practitioners across more disciplines
• Same community spirit, wider tent

Topics will vary by event, but typically could include:

Engineering & Data
Software architecture, ML/AI implementation, development practices, technical leadership

Product & Strategy
Product discovery and validation, roadmapping, AI-assisted decision making, building product teams

Design & Research
User research that influences decisions, design systems, accessibility, service design

Leadership & Teams
Building high-performing cross-functional teams, scaling organisations, engineering management

Delivery, Agility & Ways of Working
Modern delivery practices, remote team effectiveness, process improvement, organisational transformation

For LAST Club Members:

• Right now, we are carrying on as is, we still intend to schedule sessions and give you access to the content library (Free or Full)

Right now:

• Process this information
• Think about how it lands for you
• Consider what questions you might have

Your feedback matters

I want to hear from you - concerns, questions, reactions, whatever is on your mind. You've been part of building this community, and your perspective matters.

Questions you might have:

• Is this still "my conference"?
• Will the content still be relevant to my work?
• What about the lean, agile, and systems thinking focus?
• How can I stay involved?

The short answer: Yes to all of those questions. This is still your conference. We're signalling that we are expanding who we welcome, not changing who we are.

What happens next

Before Melbourne (21 November):

• We'll share more about the visual identity and messaging
• You'll see teasers at signal-not-noise.com & .com.au
• You can reach out with any concerns or questions

At Melbourne (21 November):

• Official announcement and celebration of where we've been
• Introduction to where we're going
• Opportunity to discuss with organisers and other community members

After Melbourne:

• Each city will transition at their own pace
• You'll start seeing Signal Not Noise branding

I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it was necessary.

LAST has been an incredible community-driven effort, and you've been part of that journey. Signal Not Noise is us staying true to those practitioner-focused values while opening the door to people who need what we offer but currently don't see themselves in our audience.

Whether you've been with us since 2012 or joined more recently, thank you for being part of this community. I hope you'll continue with us as Signal Not Noise.

As mentioned, please let me know your thoughts - concerns, questions, reactions, whatever.

Thank you!
Ed

P.S. Signal Not Noise will also open up opportunities for different types of events or activities. If there's anything you want to see us doing, I am always keen to hear your ideas and to collaborate.