Melbourne Search & AI Meetup #1

Hi, and welcome to the official launch of the Melbourne Search & AI user group.

Below you will find the agenda + talk summaries

5:30 PM – 6:00 PM: Arrivals, Networking, Pizza & Drinks
6:00 PM – 6:05 PM: Welcome & Housekeeping
6:05 PM – 6:35 PM: First Speaker - Justin George, NetApp Instaclustr
6:35 PM – 7:10 PM: Second Speaker - Muhammad Ali Iqbal, AWS
7:10 PM – 7:20 PM: Tech Quiz - Put your brain to the test to win prizes
7:20 PM – 7:30 PM Wrap-up & Networking

Talk 1: OpenSearch in Action: Top 4 Use Cases, How It Stacks Up to Elasticsearch, and Getting Started Right.

Speaker: Justin George - NetApp Instaclustr Senior Solution Architect

Talk Summary: Curious about OpenSearch and where it fits in your tech stack? This session breaks down the four most common applications of OpenSearch—log analytics, application search, observability, and security analytics—and shows how it compares to Elasticsearch across licensing, features, and community support. You’ll also get a practical roadmap for getting started with OpenSearch, including deployment tips and managed options from Instaclustr. Whether you’re looking to reduce cost, avoid vendor lock-in, or build smarter search experiences, this session is your launchpad.

Talk 2: Diving into Semantic Search

Speaker: Muhammad Ali Iqbal - AWS Principal OpenSearch Solutions Architect

Talk Summary: Curious about how different search types work? Join Ali as he breaks down the world of semantic search. He'll explain the mechanics of full-text, neural, hybrid, and sparse search, covering the core concepts of vector search and how to leverage OpenSearch's embedding model integration to build powerful solutions. The session will feature a live demo that highlights the strengths and differences of each approach.