FAQs

For 2026, the event will be held at the ICC Wales, and is four days long, from Wednesday 22nd – Saturday 25th April.

Check out our Travel & Accommodation page. Please note we will be providing buses from Newport Train Station to the ICC daily, as well as our partner hotels.

Why not book your hotel via SQLBits? We have a range of fantastic options to suit every taste and budget.

Head to the session room where your chosen session is taking place. Alternatively if your session is busy, find a beanbag or seat in our exhibition hall where we stream some of the most popular sessions on a gigantic video wall. Don’t forget to bring your headphones so you can listen in on the app. 

We are currently investigating options for virtual delivery of general sessions.

Training Days will not be available virtually.

In the years that we offer virtual attendance, you can seamlessly switch between virtual and in-person on any day you have a pass for. If you decide to switch completely from in-person attendance to virtual participation (or vice versa), let us know at contactus@sqlbits.com, and we’ll make the transition smooth.

If you make the switch more than 30 days before the event, you’ll be in for a refund of the difference. Our refund policy has all the nitty-gritty details if you’re curious.

SQLBits is renowned for our array of fun extra networking events. Take a look on our extra events page for more info; as we get closer to the event, more will appear.

Regrettably, we’re unable to generate certificates of attendance since we don’t maintain a record of your specific session attendance throughout the event. Our focus is on delivering an exceptional experience for all attendees.

We sure do. Head here for more info.

We haven’t yet announced the theme for 2026. If you’d like more details as to why we have a theme at SQLBits, please take a read of this blog which explains all! 

If you are a speaker and need a VISA letter, you should’ve already been contacted about how to access this, please contact your given speaker contact. If you are an attendee, you can get this letter by sharing your SQLBits confirmation email.  

There are lots of food choices included in your ticket price throughout SQLBits, including breakfast and lunch. Dinner is provided at our evening events as well as snacks throughout the day, which include tea/coffee/juice/water. Here’s the menu for SQLBits 2025.

Pricing will be detailed on our Pricing page where you can also find all discounts. As ever, on SQLBits Saturday you can attend absolutely free of charge.

Absolutely! Head to our User Group Leaders page to find out how much and how to make it happen.

Our primary method of payment is via credit card. We’ve made this choice to reduce admin and ultimately keep ticket costs down. If you would like to use invoices for your payment, we can accommodate this for large groups, although please note that there will be a processing fee associated with this option.

If you have problems paying then please contact us.

To complete your payment, please use the online credit card option available on our registration platform through our website.

We accept Visa, Mastercard, and Amex. Your account and confirmation email will offer the option to download an invoice if needed. Regrettably, we do not facilitate in-person payments at the event venue or accept payments via cheque.

For a seamless experience, it’s essential to settle your registration payment in full at least 24 hours before the event’s commencement. This ensures your registration’s validity and grants you access to the event.

A quick and very important tip: Any time-sensitive discounts are tied to your payment date, not your registration date. So make sure to finalize your payment promptly.

Yes, we are a VAT-registered company providing services within the UK so we have to charge VAT at UK rates.

All fees are subject to UK VAT at 20%, even if you are registered for VAT within the EU, but outside of the UK.

Attending a SQLBits conference is classed as a supply of services, and the supply takes place within the UK, therefore UK VAT is chargeable for all attendees, regardless of their location.

You can save your registration and return to it at a later date using the ‘Save and pay later’ option. Any time-sensitive discounts are tied to your payment date, not your registration date. So, to enjoy these perks, make sure to finalize your payment promptly. 

You can now pay for your SQLBits booking over two payments. Please send us a message at contactus@sqlbits.com for more details and how to action this.

You only need to pre-book session selections for Training Days, where you spend the whole day learning about a single topic in detail. These must be pre-booked once they become available on the system, and now take place daily from Wednesday-Friday.

For General Sessions you can choose which session you want to go to as and when you choose. Check our Agenda page for more information. Be sure to watch out for the popular sessions as room capacity is fixed and seats are taken on a first come, first served basis, however we will be live streaming footage of these busy sessions onto the wall in the main expo hall and providing headsets for you to listen in (just one of our Inclusivity initiatives.)

To swap/change training day sessions, please head to your confirmation email and click the link to modify your booking.

Training Day spots are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so securing your spot early is a smart move. When we reach capacity, we will then operate a wait list which you can be added to by emailing contactus@sqlbits.com.

Registered Address:

SQLBits Limited, Vaughan Chambers, Vaughan Road, Harpenden AL5 4EE

VAT GB 944056228

SQLBits Limited is a private limited company, registered in England. Company Number 0636436

Please see the Contact page for more details!

You’ll need to contact us to swap your days of attendance if you decide you want to switch it up!

The Customer may cancel a registration and receive a full refund if cancelled up to 90 days before the Event start date, or for cancellations up to 30 days before the Event start date with an administration fee of 40% of the cost.

For registrations cancelled 30 days or less before the Event SQLBits offers no refund. Group discounts will be re-calculated following cancellations, and any refund due will be less the group discount monies if no longer applicable.

Hotel nights booked through SQLBits may be cancelled up to 90 days before the Event start date, minus an 10% administration fee. After this, name changes on the booking may be requested up to 30 days before the Event start date,  subject to approval by the organiser.

As SQLBits is a community event, the process of calling for papers, selecting sessions and confirming speakers takes time and the agenda is release usually around four months in advance of SQLBits. If you’d like an idea of the content we show at SQLBits, you can watch past sessions here.

Absolutely – there’s a comprehensive overview here.

As detailed above, we will be providing transport from Newport Train Station and all hotels we are partnering with to get to the ICC. We are currently gathering accessibility information and will provide that as soon as we get it.

SQLBits will take over the whole of the ICC, meaning lots of quiet corners to escape to to take a minute to reset. Why not check out the Ponder Pods in the woodland, just a short walk from the main building, the perfect place to unwind.

SQLBits has a multifaith prayer room which welcomes those from all cultures and religions who would like a quiet place to worship. This will be accessible during opening hours and is indicated on the floor plan.

At SQLBits, inclusivity is at the heart of what we do. We understand that various circumstances, whether that’s being a student, a parent, a caregiver, or anything else, might make attending financially challenging; that’s why we provide free attendance on the Saturday. You can come along and access all the fantastic learning, networking and knowledge sharing completely free – there’s even breakfast and lunch!

We have had childcare at SQLBits for the last few years, provided on site and completely free, courtesy of professional childcare partners. If you need childcare for SQLBits 2026, or have questions about the options, drop us a line on contactus@sqlbits.com.

We certainly should be able to. If you have any allergies/intolerances, you can share this with us during booking your ticket! 

There is a mix of single sex and accessible unisex bathrooms at the ICC. The toilets on the ground floor near meeting room 7 have also been designated as unisex.

We are committed to making sure everyone feels comfortable at SQLBits, wherever they go on site.  A reminder of the code of conduct that all attendees have agreed to in order to attend SQLBits can be found here and should be followed at all times. We welcome everyone, regardless of background, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender and nationality. If you have any concerns about anyone’s behaviour at SQLBits, please report it to one of the team on the help desk so we can investigate and take action.

Enter stage right The Buddies! This group of volunteers arrange fortnightly meetings for those attending SQLBits and will be happy to chat and facilitate introductions to other delegates during SQLBits itself. Check out their page for full details.