Name: Inaugural event - AWS GEN AI Loft Manchester
Start: 2025-09-03T17:30:00+01:00
End: 2025-09-03T20:30:00+01:00
Location: Courts Club

We are delighted to host our **Inaugural event** on Wednesday, 3rd of September, in Manchester in collaboration with AWS and the GenAI Loft Program.

**Speakers:**

* Matheus Guimaraes (Senior Developer Advocate at AWS)
* Ethan Sumner (Engineering Excellence Lead at Barclays)
* Matt Houghton (Data and AI Solutions Architect at CDL Software)

**Talks:**
1. **Keynote - Making Generative AI Real: From Prototype to Production by Matheus Guimaraes.**

Generative AI has incredible potential, but turning that potential into real-world impact requires more than just a proof of concept. Join Matheus Guimaraes for a journey into what it takes to bring generative AI into production — from adoption and development to testing, deployment, and observability. Along the way, you’ll see how new patterns like agentic AI, open-source frameworks like Strands, and AWS services like AgentCore are reshaping the way we build with AI.

**2\. AI Coding Assistants in Practice: CDL’s Journey with Amazon Q Developer by Matt Houghton**. Learn In this session, we’ll explore how AI is reshaping the software development workflow. We’ll share a detailed look at CDL’s hands-on experience with Amazon Q Developer, including the evaluation process, lessons learned, technical insights and spec driven development with Amazon Kiro.
You’ll leave the session with practical guidance for organisations considering their own adoption journey, with a focus on enablement strategies that go beyond just the tooling.

**Agenda:**

* 17:30 - 18:30 - Arrival and Food
* 18:30 - 19:00 - Keynote - Matheus Guimaraes and Ethan Sumner
* 19:00 - 19:15 - Break
* 19:15 - 19:45 - AI Coding Assistants in Practice: CDL’s Journey with Amazon Q Developer by Matt Houghton
* 19:45 - 20:30 - Networking

**If you'd like to speak, sponsor, or host us, please let us know. Please get in touch via [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethansumner404/)**

Ethan Sumner

Community Stack Admin

AWS AI UG

Community Stack

Technology

Artificial Intelligence

Machine Learning

Amazon Web Services

Cloud Computing

Cloud Architecture

What would you like to see at a future event?

Hey there 👋 I’m Matheus Guimarães—also known online as @codingmatheus— a .NET and microservices specialist, international keynote speaker, and Developer Advocate at AWS.




I’ve been building software for over 20 years, ever since my first job as a junior video game programmer back when C++ ruled the world and .NET was just a glimmer on the horizon. I was one of the early adopters of .NET (even before my first full-time job!) and it’s been a passion ever since—guiding my path through roles like developer, tech lead, architect, CTO, and startup founder.

Over the years, I’ve helped companies of all sizes modernize and scale their systems—from scrappy startups to global enterprises like Novartis, McLaren, Dewalt, PRS For Music, Coca Cola and more. I’ve led digital transformations, migrated legacy systems, and designed cloud-native architectures with a hands-on, people-first approach.

Today, I share what I learn with developers around the world as @codingmatheus—through talks, blogs, videos, and very geeky whiteboard sessions. I’ve spoken at conferences across the globe (including keynotes), and I’m passionate about helping others grow in this industry that gave me so much.

Outside of tech, I’m a gamer (Final Fantasy forever), karaoke lover, swimmer, musician, and occasional actor. I believe creativity and code go hand in hand—and there’s always more to explore.

Let’s connect, swap ideas, or just geek out over microservices (or JRPGs)! 😄

Inaugural event - AWS GEN AI Loft Manchester

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