Name: 9th Dec 25| East Midlands Data | Derby | Speaker - Simon Whiteley
Start: 2025-12-09T18:00:00Z
End: 2025-12-09T20:30:00Z
Location: Waterfall

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**MeetUp Agenda**

18:00 - Arrive. Networking
18:30 - Guest Speaker Talk
19:30 - Buffet. Networking
20:30 - Event Close

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**How to Survive As A Data Engineer In The World of AI**

The rise of AI has sparked excitement, disruption and a fair bit of existential dread among data engineers. With automation encroaching on traditional workflows and generative models promising to write code, build pipelines and even architect solutions, where does that leave the humble data engineer?

In this engaging and thought provoking session, Simon Whiteley - Databricks Champion, YouTube creator, and CTO of Advancing Analytics cuts through the hype to explore what survival really looks like in this new AI driven landscape. Drawing on real-world experience delivering production grade AI solutions with Databricks, Simon will unpack:

* The evolving role of the data engineer in AI-centric projects
* Which skills are becoming obsolete and which are more vital than ever
* How tools like Databricks are reshaping the engineering workflow
* Practical strategies to stay relevant, valuable, and ahead of the curve

Whether you're a seasoned engineer or just starting out, this session will leave you with a clearer view of the future, a few laughs, and a toolkit for thriving not just surviving in the age of AI.

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**Venue Website**

[http://www.waterfall-derby.com/](http://www.waterfall-derby.com/)

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**Sponsors**

Cloud Formations
[https://www.cloudformations.org](https://www.cloudformations.org)

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**Microsoft Community Code of Conduct**

[https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/page/codeofconduct](https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/page/codeofconduct)

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Paul Andrew

East Midlands Data

Azure Data Tech Groups

No Nonsense Consulting - Data Strategy, Design, Delivery, and Training

Cloud Formations Ltd

Specialties in recruitment, resourcing and head hunting.

RP Analytics

Community-led MeetUp groups focused on data platform technology.

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9th Dec 25| East Midlands Data | Derby | Speaker - Simon Whiteley

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9th Dec 25| East Midlands Data | Derby | Speaker - Simon Whiteley

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