Network Engineering

🎉 Event #24 – The Analytics Engineering Meet-up 🎉 The London Analytics Engineering Meet-up - Hosted by Google! Last year this was the meet-up with our highest attendance. Sign up early for this one. 🎤 Talks: [David Cox](https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-ryan-cox/)[ ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-cox-2948384/)– Business Intelligence Lead Engineer, Lloyds Banking Group Talk: *The journey to self-service through conversational (AI) analytics.* [James Sean Dickson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesseandickson/) – Senior Analytics Engineer, Voy Talk: *Project Zen Garden - A philosophical approach to maintaining a reliable, scalable and maintainable data platform.* 📅 RSVP is Open This event will be over-subscribed, so set reminder — you won’t want to miss it! 📍 Agenda 6pm – Doors open, networking, food & drinks 7pm – Talks kick off 8:30pm – More drinks & networking @ local pub This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with some of the UK’s top data professionals, share challenges, and exchange learnings. The Analytics Engineering Meet-up is a community for data professionals working with the modern data stack, machine learning or AI. We host regular meet-ups featuring talks from data leaders building and scaling analytics, data platforms, and AI in forward-thinking teams. The community is ideal for Data Engineers, Analytics Engineers, Analysts, and those working in Data Science, Machine Learning, or AI. The meet-up is organised by [Cognify](https://cognifysearch.com/), the recruitment partner for modern data and AI teams. Our event sponsor is [Meltano](https://meltano.com/), an ETL platform built on open-source foundations, engineered by experts for cloud scale, efficiency, and reliability. We’re always on the lookout for venues to host and guest speakers to inspire. If you’d like to get involved, feel free to chat with one of the Cognify team at any event. If you’re eager to dive deeper into industry insights, check out The Stacked Data Podcast for conversations with industry leaders. Listen on: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/24fIpekn8WfRDZsVHNcf7Q) **No-Show Policy:** If you miss 2 consecutive events or 2 out of 3 events, you won’t be able to attend the next event. We hope you understand this is to keep things fair for venues and other attendees.

### **Let's talk 'AI & Business'** Join us for an informal evening of **networking**, **expert talks on** **AI Governance, Data Sovereignty** & a **panel discussion on "How we use AI in our business today"**. **BOOK YOUR PLACE:** [https://aiprofessionals.network/london28may](https://aiprofessionals.network/london28may) **\- Your place must be booked in advance\.** We’re bringing together our AI Professionals & Business communities in/around London to meet, connect and **explore how AI is being built and used in business today.** Whether you’re a founder, investor, professional or simply curious about the AI revolution in business, this is your chance to learn, connect and be inspired. Make real connections, share experiences, be inspired and to inspire others whilst chatting about AI in Business in a relaxed, friendly setting. No formal pitches. Just great conversations! **For more information and to reserve your place visit: [https://aiprofessionals.network/london28may](https://aiprofessionals.network/london28may)** **Venue:** Civo Tech Junction, London, EC2A Pizza & drinks provided courtesy of our Sponsor, Civo.com. **Event Sponsor:** We are proud to be sponsored by **Civo.com** \- Civo is the Sovereign Cloud and AI platform that frees you to build without limits\. Trusted by ambitious startups and major enterprises around the world to deliver scalable\, sustainable infrastructure without the hidden costs or headaches\. We hope you will join us for an inspiring, enjoyable evening. **[Register now to secure your place.](https://aiprofessionals.network/aipb-registration-page1)** NOTE: This event is also being promoted by many other groups and some photos/ videos may be taken for future promotional purposes.

**LLMday: In-Person Event on LLMs, AI & ML in LONDON** Conference focused on Large Language Models (LLMs), Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning, bringing together engineers, researchers, and product teams to share real-world experience building, deploying, and operating AI systems. 🫆[Speakers & Topics](https://llmday.com/2026-london-q2/) 🎟️ **Important:** Meetup RSVPs are for interest only. Still NEED registration, it is handled exclusively through Luma [here](https://luma.com/llmday-2026-london-q2?lm_source=embed) Enjoy 50% OFF with promo code: MEETUP50

PLEASE NOTE YOU MUST book and pay for your ticket in advance at https://www.privateequitynetwork.co.uk/ London Family Office & Private Equity Business Networking Committee would like to extend you an invitation to our May 2026 ESG SEctor Networking Breakfast to be held in the private lounge of the famous Jaks of Mayfair - and hope you can join us for a delcious pre-work breakfast and productive networking to make new contacts and ideas for 2026+. We now have over 8000 diverse and relevant London members so it’s the perfect opportunity for making new third sector connections. PLEASE NOTE YOU MUST book and pay for your ticket in advance at https://www.privateequitynetwork.co.uk/ ALSO PLEASE NOTE we take most of our event bookings through our website and EventBrite so the numbers booked is much larger than displayed on this Meetup page (normally about 30-50 guests for our breakfast events).

Hi Architects, Welcome to our the Fourth AWS London Well-Architected User Group Meetup!!! 🥳🥳🥳 Dragon Hall Trust, 17 Stukeley Street, London WC2B 5LT The AWS London Well-Architected Meetup is the latest chapter in the most popular AWS Meetup group globally. At each meetup we cover off various pillars of AWS best-practice in detail including insights from industry leaders that specialise in the Well-Architected Framework. We’ll be updating throughout the month with more speakers and our speakers so far this month include: * **Breached at 3am: How AI is Redefining Security on AWS** \| Oluwasile Adesanya \[Solutions Architect\] from Cadware Limited An overview of how the Well‑Architected Framework is evolving with AI-driven tooling, focusing on how solutions like Kiro transform detection and automated remediation of threats, practical benefits for teams, and recommended implementation patterns and pitfalls to avoid. * **AI-Assisted AWS Well-Architected Assessments with AWS Security Agent** \| Mahendran Selvakumar \[Senior Cloud & DevSecOps Engineer\] from Tata Consultancy Services This talk explores how AWS's new Security Agent can transform the traditionally time-consuming AWS Well-Architected Framework Review (WAFR) process by leveraging AI to automate and accelerate security assessments. So come join us at 6.30pm for a 7.00pm start, including drinks, snacks and friendly networking after our talks :-)

**Everyone's talking about graphs now: What does Azure have to offer?** Microsoft Fabric now has a built-in graph database. So do you still need Neo4j? In this session we put Fabric Graph and Neo4j Aura head to head. Not as a marketing exercise, but as a practical decision guide. We’ll cover where Fabric Graph earns its place as a zero-friction, OneLake-native option for connected data, and where Neo4j Aura pulls ahead on query maturity, algorithm depth, and production readiness. We’ll run the same problem through both platforms live, so you can see the real differences rather than just read a feature table. You’ll leave with a clear decision framework: when to use what’s already in your Fabric capacity, when to bring in the specialist, and why the answer is sometimes both. **About the Speaker** Sandy is a Principal Innovation Consultant at Acora (a title all the cool kids aspire to) and Databricks Champion. He’s passionate about technology and finding the best tool for the job. Having recently worked on a project building out a knowledge graph, he’s got the experience with Neo4j to really show the differences between where it wins and where fabric wins.

We are excited to announce our May Community Showcase. This event is an opportunity for individuals at all skill levels to come together and share their experiences with Rust. Whether you’re working on a personal project, contributing to an open-source initiative, or teaching a concept related to Rust, we invite you to present your work and insights. Take this opportunity to build your confidence and share what you are doing. Speakers === **Sang Young Noh** **Talk title:** FerrumMD: Building a Molecular Dynamics Engine in Rust **Abstract:** FerrumMD is a molecular dynamics engine written in Rust, built to explore high-performance scientific computing from first principles. The project implements core simulation components, including Lennard-Jones interactions, periodic boundary conditions, Verlet integration, velocity rescaling, and electrostatics via Particle Mesh Ewald. It aims to bridge computational chemistry, systems programming, and extensible design for future free-energy workflows. === **JC Campagne** **Talk Title:** DAGraph: Local reactive graph-based data analytics in Rust. **Abstract:** DAGraph is a reactive node-based canvas app for local data analytics — every cell is a node in a reactive DAG, from basic arithmetic to OLAP-style SQL. Built in Rust, it runs natively or fully in-browser via WASM, with no server and no data leaving your machine. === **Darek Luksza** **Talk Title:** Building a streaming technical-analysis crate in Rust **Abstract:** Darek will share lessons from building quantedge-ta, an open-source Rust crate for technical analysis indicators designed for streaming market data rather than batch-only calculation. The talk will cover practical problems around warmup periods, convergence, forming versus closed bars, and stateful updates, plus where Rust helped and where the ergonomics became tricky. === **Ben Knightsberg** **Talk Title:** AI and Encryption: Hmm or Mmm? **Abstract:** A wacky deep dive into modern encryption, focusing on homomorphic techniques and their practical implications through Rust. Drawing on recent work, we'll explore how secure computation can unlock value without exposing data. We'll also figure out how to successfully engage partners to invest in encryption initiatives, translating complex cryptography into tangible business outcomes and strategic advantage across multiple sectors globally.

Inviting all women and non-binary NSLondoners to a relaxed Sunday morning coffee social ☕️😌 Feel free to bring an app or code project to show and talk about, but no pressure if you’d rather just come along for a chat and to meet others in the community! Please RSVP on Meetup if you’re planning to come. Looking forward to seeing you there! All attendees are expected to follow our [code of conduct](https://nslondon.com/coc.html).

**Please register on [Eventbrite](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ljc-meet-up-at-redis-tickets-1989301512374) join this event.** **About this event** The LJC is delighted to be partnering with our sponsor **Redis** for an exciting meetup! This will be a wonderful opportunity to learn, network and enjoy great food together. Huge thanks to our friends at **Redis** for sponsoring this event and supporting our Community. **Agenda:** **5:30pm:** Doors open **6pm:** LJC and Redis intros **6:10pm:** Samuel Agbede: Designing Production-Ready Multi-Agent Systems with Spring AI **7pm:** Break & food **7:30pm:** Leif Åstrand: UI with Redis and Vaadin using 100% Java **8:15pm:** Networking **9pm:** Event finish **Speaker One:** Samuel Agbede, **Title:** Designing Production-Ready Multi-Agent Systems with Spring AI **Synopsis:** Exploring how Redis can go beyond traditional caching to support semantic caching, intelligent routing, and short-lived application memory in AI-driven Java systems. **Speaker Bio:** Software Engineer and Developer Advocate at Redis focused on AI agents and memory systems. Samuel explores how context, retrieval and state shape intelligent behaviour in real-world applications. **Speaker Two:** Leif Åstrand **Title:** UI with Redis and Vaadin using 100% Java **Synopsis:** Full-stack development can be intimidating, especially when going beyond the typical CRUD. A reactive application with real-time updates requires knowing things like WebSockets on top of the regular frontend stuff. But what if you could build a full-featured full-stack web app using only straightforward Java? No JavaScript, no HTML, no CSS. Just Java. Join this live coding session to discover how to develop a reactive web app using Spring Boot, Redis and Vaadin. Starting from scratch, we'll cover everything: real-time updates, external services, and a good-looking UI. All in Java. **Speaker Bio:** Leif has been working with full-stack web application development in various ways for the past 20 years. Building applications, building frameworks for building applications, and in the last few years mainly working to understand what it takes to build applications. Works at Vaadin in areas related to product management, research, architecture and product development. This event is organised by [RecWorks](https://recworks.co.uk/ "https://recworks.co.uk/") on behalf of the London Java Community. The London Java Community is sponsored by Hazelcast, Neo4j, Redis, and Discover You can see our latest jobs [here](https://recworks.co.uk/java-developer-jobs-london/ "https://recworks.co.uk/java-developer-jobs-london/") You can see our privacy policy [here](https://recworks.co.uk/privacy-policy/ "https://recworks.co.uk/privacy-policy/") Continue the conversation at our Slack Group: [https://londonjavacommunity.slack.com](https://londonjavacommunity.slack.com/ "https://londonjavacommunity.slack.com") Sign up here if you're not a member: [https://bcrw.typeform.com/to/IIyQxd](https://bcrw.typeform.com/to/IIyQxd "https://bcrw.typeform.com/to/IIyQxd")

Join us for another evening at #WPLDN, where we're tackling two of the more practical conversations happening in WordPress right now. First up, the migration question: how do you move thousands of legacy ACF Flexible Content posts into the block editor without losing your weekend? Then we're shifting gears to security, with a live interview exploring how AI is reshaping both sides of the WordPress security landscape. 📅 **Date:** Thursday, 28 May 2026 ⏰ **Time:** 6:00 PM BST 🎟️ **Cost:** Free (Registration Required) \-\-\- **Session 1: How We Automated Migrating Thousands Of Blog Posts From ACF Flexible Content To The Block Editor** 🤝 **Speaker:** Cameron Jones ([cameronjonesweb.com.au](https://cameronjonesweb.com.au)) Before the block editor arrived, ACF's Flexible Content field was the go-to for giving clients control over custom layouts. The block editor now offers a far more powerful experience, but that leaves a familiar problem: how do you migrate thousands of existing posts without manual rebuilds? Cameron will walk through how his team automated the entire process with just a few lines of code. Cameron Jones is the owner and lead developer of Shortie Designs, a web design agency based in the little beach town of Victor Harbor. With over a decade of experience building websites at various local and international agencies, he acquired Shortie Designs in 2024 to take the leap from developer to business owner. With a particular speciality in plugin development, Cameron is also the founder of Mongoose Marketplace, where his free and premium plugins have been downloaded over 400,000 times. He also works with the free donation platform Ko-fi to maintain their official WordPress plugin and authored the popular “WordPress Plugin Development For Beginners” course, which has been taken by almost 1,000 students. \-\-\- **Session 2: A Conversation with Robert Abela & Tim Nash: WordPress Security, AI & the Human Factor** 🤝 **Speakers:** Robert Abela ([Melapress](https://melapress.com)) and Tim Nash ([WP Security 101](https://wpsecurity101.com)) What are the biggest security challenges facing WordPress today, and how is AI changing the landscape for both attackers and defenders? Robert and Tim join us for a live interview and audience discussion covering modern WordPress security, user account protection, and why user awareness and visibility are becoming critical to keeping sites safe. Robert Abela is the founder and CEO of Melapress, where he and his team build WordPress plugins that help people manage and keep their websites and users secure. Tim is a WordPress Security consultant and professional doomspeaker. He teaches WordPress Security through his [wpsecurity101.com](https://wpsecurity101.com) course and provides consultancy services via Tempered Ltd. \-\-\- **Schedule:** 🔹 **6:00 PM** – Doors Open & Networking 🔹 **6:30 PM** – Welcome & Session 1: Cameron Jones 🔹 **7:30 PM** – Short Break & Networking 🔹 **7:45 PM** – Session 2: Robert Abela & Tim Nash 🔹 **8:30 PM** – Social & Wrap-Up \-\-\- **📢 RSVP Now!** Whether you're knee-deep in legacy content migrations or thinking through your security posture, there's plenty here to chew on. Bring your questions, bring your scepticism, and we'll see you at #WPLDN! \-\-\- **Venue Information** **The Bridge** is a charity supporting women to make positive choices and encouraging improvements to fitness, health, and wellbeing. The venue features a plant-based café (supplied by Girls Who Grind Coffee) and is just a 5-minute walk from London Bridge Station. \-\-\- **Massive thanks to our sponsors who make these free events possible:** [DreamHost](https://www.dreamhost.com/partners/wpldn/), [PodcasterPlus](https://www.podcasterplus.com/?utm_source=wpldn&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=partnership), [Mollie](https://www.mollie.com/gb/integrations/woocommerce), and [Kinsta](https://kinsta.com/) \-\-\- If you're interested in being a featured speaker at an upcoming event, we'd love to hear from you at [https://wpldn.uk/speak](https://wpldn.uk/speak). **🎥 - Media Release Terms** By attending, you understand and accept that portions of the event may have audio/photo/video-recorded and/or live-streamed and may be used by the organisers. You agree that the organisers have the right and permission to use and publish such media for any purpose in any format, including online and offline, now and ever after, without further compensation, permission, or notification. You understand that all official recordings from the event are the exclusive property of the organisers, available under the Creative Commons Attribution­ShareAlike license for general use, and you do not ask for nor expect compensation or notification of the use of official recordings or photographs in which you appear or speak. Please inform an organisational team member at the event's start if you do not wish to appear in photos or videos.

Hi everyone! 👋 We are excited to announce our **May** **in-person event** 🎉 Register now and join us for a wonderful evening hosted by **incident.io** 🥳 **66 City Road, London EC1Y 2AL** Please provide us with your **name** for registration purposes. **Agenda** * **6:00 PM** \- Refreshments and registration * **6:30 PM -** Welcome and a few words from our hosts * **6:40 PM** \- 🗣️ **Crypto, Not Coins: 3 Lessons in Password Security by Alice Cheung** * **7:10 PM** \- Break * **7:30 PM** \- 🗣️ **Translating Interview Speak: What your Interviewer *Really* Wants to Know by** **Barbara Limmer & Laura Browne** **8:15 PM** \- Networking/Discussion \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **Crypto, Not Coins: 3 Lessons in Password Security** When we talk about “crypto”, most people think of coins. This talk is about the kind that protects your users. In this interactive session, we’ll break down password security into 3 key lessons exploring encoding, encryption, and hashing - and why the difference matters more than you think.. You’ll find out: * why some “secure” approaches fail instantly * how attackers use GPUs to crack passwords at scale * and why slowing things down is one of the best defences we have No prior security knowledge needed - just curiosity. Expect live polls, practical examples, and a few surprising insights into how passwords really get cracked. **[Alice Cheung](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicespyglass/)** Alice is an engineering manager who moved from "fin" to tech. She helps organise Women Who Go as a way of paying it forward to a community that welcomed and supported her in her journey into the weird and wonderful world of engineering. She now works on creating better experiences and benefits in HR tech - and enjoys making complex topics like security and cryptography simple, practical, and (hopefully) a bit fun. **Translating Interview Speak: What Your Interviewer Really Wants to Know** Have you ever left an interview thinking that you nailed it and all you heard back was a short rejection? What happened? This session will help you to have better and less stressful job interviews. You’ll learn what’s behind the interview questions and what employers are really looking for. This information can help you to develop your best answers for your next job interview. This is based on information from the new book, Interview Speak: What Your Interviewer Really Wants To Know. We’ll cover how to: * Prepare for interviews * Answer common questions * Avoid mistakes **[Barbara Limmer](Swiped)**[ ](Swiped) Barbara is a professional Career Coach and Consultant who has personally coached thousands of professionals and executives from around the world. She brings extensive experience working in all sides of the hiring process, including career management, human resources, and executive search. She previously worked with MBA students and alumni as a Career Management Director at Thunderbird School of Global Management and in a variety of human resources roles focused on recruiting, training and employee relations for companies including Bank of America and MetLife. She also worked as a “headhunter” in New York City while attending graduate school. In all of her positions, she continually conducted either “real” job interviews or “mock” interviews, providing real-time, detailed and in-depth feedback on what could be improved in their answers. **[Laura Browne](Swiped)** Laura was a Senior Director of Human Resources for a global tech company where she taught managers how to be better interviewers. She is a speaker, trainer, and coach who helps people be more successful. At Career Coffee Break ([www.careercoffeebreak.com](www.careercoffeebreak.com)) she provides training to help people make more money at work by negotiating raises and higher starting salaries at new jobs. Laura is the author of business and fiction books including Help! My Company Swiped Left!, Increase Your Income: 7 Rules for Women Who Want To Make More Money at Work, and A Salary Cinderella Story (Or How To Make Money Without A Fairy Godmother). Laura has written for Forbes and has been quoted as a business expert in major publications including Cosmopolitan, Family Circle magazine, and USA Weekend. 🙋‍♀️ **Want to help shape the future of Women Who Go (London)?** We're looking for enthusiastic new organisers to join our amazing team! If you're interested in getting involved, please reach out to one of the organisers or email london-organisers@womenwhogo.org - we'd love to hear from you! ✨ 🗣️ **Interested in speaking at one of our events?** **[Our Call for Papers](https://www.papercall.io/women-who-go-ldn)** is always open! Whether you're an experienced presenter or new to public speaking, we'd love to hear from you. Once you submit your idea, we’ll reach out to find a suitable time and help you to prepare your talk. 💪 Our meetup often features talks in three recurring themes: * **Deep dives into Go** — advanced topics or lesser-known features of the language * **Project showcases** — real-world applications and tools built with Go * **No-code reflections** — insights on navigating life and work as a software engineer Don’t worry if your talk doesn’t fit neatly into one of these categories — we’re always open to fresh ideas and new perspectives! ==================== 🏡 Interested in hosting or supporting us? Please get in touch london-organisers@womenwhogo.org and we can discuss how you can get involved! ==================== 📜 All Women Who Go events operate under the Go Community Code of Conduct - [https://golang.org/conduct](https://golang.org/conduct)

**Kindly note that this is a paid event and the average number of attendees for our events is 60-70 people. You can register on [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/london-connector-exclusive-business-networking-at-homehousestudio-tickets-1988708978088?aff=meetup](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/london-connector-exclusive-business-networking-at-homehousestudio-tickets-1988708978088?aff=meetup)** London Connector® brings entrepreneurs, investors & founders together for premium hosted business networking at HomeHouseStudio, London **What is London Connector® at HomeHouseStudio?** London Connector® at HomeHouseStudio is a premium, fully hosted business networking event held at one of London's most exclusive private members clubs. It brings together entrepreneurs, investors, founders, and professionals for high-quality networking, curated introductions, and meaningful business conversations. **Who should attend this London networking event?** This event is ideal for: * Entrepreneurs and startup founders seeking investment or collaboration * Investors looking to connect with emerging businesses * Business professionals expanding their professional network in London * Anyone exploring partnerships, business opportunities, or professional growth **What can attendees expect?** Attendees experience a curated, results-driven networking environment inside HomeHouseStudio private members club. The fully hosted format removes the awkwardness of traditional networking, replacing it with structured introductions and organic, high-value conversations — all in a premium London setting. **What makes London Connector® different from other London networking events?** London Connector® goes beyond the event itself. A few days before each event, an exclusive WhatsApp group is created for confirmed attendees, allowing entrepreneurs, founders, and investors to introduce themselves, arrange meetings, and begin building relationships before they arrive — so attendees feel part of the community from day one. **Key Details at a Glance:** * **Format:** Fully hosted, curated networking * **Venue:** HomeHouseStudio, London (private members club) * **Attendees:** Entrepreneurs, investors, founders, business professionals * **Pre-event access:** Exclusive WhatsApp networking group * **Availability:** Limited tickets — advance booking required * **Media notice:** Photos and videos may be captured for social and promotional use **Why book a ticket to London Connector®?** London Connector® is consistently ranked among the most engaging business networking events in London for professionals who want connections that convert into real opportunities — from partnerships and investment to clients and collaborations. 🎟️ **Tickets are limited. Book now to secure your place.** **📸 Event Disclaimer** Photos and videos may be taken during the event for use across our social media channels and promotional materials. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. 🎟️ **Limited tickets available – book now to secure your place at this exclusive London business networking event.** * [United Kingdom Events](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom/events) * [Greater London Events](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--greater-london/events) * [Things to do in London](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/ttd/united-kingdom--london) * [London parties](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--london/party) * [London Business parties](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/d/united-kingdom--london/business--party)

**Looking for a business networking event in London focused on business owners and B2B decision makers?** Join us in **Covent Garden** for a quality business networking hosted by digital business card app GMax Card and web/eCom agency **Getshop Today**. **What to Expect** * **Connect with business owners, founders, decision makers, B2B professionals** and property-focused professionals in a relaxed yet purposeful setting. * **Build valuable business relationships**, exchange ideas, spot market trends, and uncover new opportunities. * **A lightly structured event** \- not a formal conference\, nor a random pub mingle\. * An **atmosphere that feels high-quality yet relaxed,** with space for meaningful business conversations. * Hosts are there from the start to **help with introductions**. **Who You'll Meet** * Business owners, founders, entrepreneurs and company leaders growing businesses across different sectors. * B2B professionals, service providers and decision makers looking to build partnerships, referrals and commercial opportunities. * Property professionals, developers, investors. * Business professionals and international visitors in London looking to connect with founders, decision makers and ambitious people building and growing businesses. **How the Evening Flows** 18:30 - Arrival 19:00 - Short introductions 19:30 - Open networking 21:30 - Close Hosts are there from the start to **help with introductions.** **Venue - Sycamore Bar at Middle Eight Hotel** A stylish, design-led bar inside the 5-star Middle Eight Hotel in central London. Located in the Covent Garden/Holborn area, just a short walk from Holborn, Covent Garden and Tottenham Court Road stations, it offers a relaxed and refined setting for business networking. **Entry & GMax Cards** * Free RSVP: Event access only * Paid ticket (when available): Includes a contactless GMax Card (ask host to claim; not distributed automatically) **Dress Code** Business / smart **Hosted by:** [GMax Card - a digital business card](http://www.gmaxcard.com/) platform designed for modern networking and professional connections beyond LinkedIn. Share **all** your contact details through one simple link. **Important Info** * 18+ (ID may be required) * Photos/video by [CineEye Audiovisual Production Studio](http://www.cineeye.co.uk/) (inform us if you prefer not to appear) * Attendance is at your own risk. Organisers and the venue are not liable for any injury, loss, or damage. **Limited spots - register early!** Join our [WA Business Community](https://chat.whatsapp.com/FJdEP809H5U8WQ4y4BLLS5?mode=hqctcli) to stay connected between events, and follow us on [LinkedIn](http://linkedin.com/company/gmax-card) for upcoming dates.

This event is open to anyone who works in or is interested in the tech industry, whether you are a developer, designer, engineer, entrepreneur, student, or hobbyist. You can meet new people, share your experiences, learn from others, and find potential collaborators or mentors. Attending the brunch club also earns you [Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points](https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/how-to-get-cpd-points). CPD offers numerous benefits, including skill enhancement, career progression, and up-to-date knowledge. It helps professionals stay competent, advance in their careers, and maintain professional credibility. The event starts at Grill on the Hill, which offers a variety of dishes and beverages to suit your preferences and dietary needs. We'll group in 4's, get to know each other and enjoy fantastic food. Please note that this is a ticketed event to secure the brunch venue. Purchasing a ticket ensures admission to the event but does not include food or drink at the restaurant or the pub afterwards. Come hungry, curious, and ready to have a great time!

Free monthly networking for Columbus business owners. Real conversations, real connections, no forced formats. Space is limited. RSVP now. Most owners leave networking events with a stack of business cards and no plan. The best leads quietly slip through the cracks. Networking Night is a monthly meetup for Columbus business owners who want to build real local relationships, not just trade contact info. Every kind of local business welcome. No pitch round, no pressure, no awkward speed-networking. **This month** We are focused on referral relationships. Walk in with a clear idea of who refers people like you. Walk out having met a few owners whose work fits next to yours. **What to expect** Doors open at 6 PM. You get real conversation with other local owners, time to actually connect, and a short marketing lesson woven in. The room is reserved through 7:30 PM. **Who this is for** Any local business owner who wants to grow through relationships, not just paid ads. Service businesses, retail, home services, professional services, online owners building local presence, anyone serious about being part of the Columbus business community. **Not the right fit if** You are here to pitch the room or recruit for an MLM. **Details** * Last Thursday of every month * 6:00 to 7:30 PM * COhatch Easton * Free to attend, RSVP required, space is limited **About the host** Rita Suzanne is a local marketing strategist and the founder of Local Marketing Method. She runs Visibility is Profitability, the membership where local owners build the system that keeps their phone ringing, including tracking the referral relationships built in rooms like this one. Learn more at learnlocalmarketing.com. Register here: [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/local-marketing-networking-night-tickets-1988510112275](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/local-marketing-networking-night-tickets-1988510112275)

Monthly working lunch for Columbus business owners. One specific topic, one to three actions you can run this week. You can be the best at what you do and still be invisible. If local buyers cannot find you, the phone does not ring. Marketing Monday Lunch + Learn is a monthly working lunch for Columbus business owners focused on building relationships, local networking, and local marketing. Every kind of local business welcome. No pitch round, no pressure, no upsell. **This month** Most local businesses pick one or two places to be visible and call it good. The result is inconsistent calls and a feeling that marketing is not working. We will walk through the three places every local business needs to show up, plus the fourth place most owners ignore that quietly produces the warmest leads. **What to expect** Doors open at noon. Order lunch and drinks at the cafe counter or bring your own. You get real conversation with other local owners and a focused marketing lesson. You leave knowing people and with one to three actions to run that week. The room is reserved through 1:30 PM. **Who this is for** Any local business owner who wants clearer marketing direction and real local relationships. Service businesses, retail, home services, professional services, online owners building local presence, anyone serious about being part of the Columbus business community. **Not the right fit if** You are here to pitch the room or recruit for an MLM. **Details** * Second Monday of every month * 12:00 to 1:30 PM * Good Cafe Easton, 4400 Easton Commons, Ste 150, Columbus, OH 43219 * Order lunch and drinks at the counter when you arrive * Free to attend, RSVP required, space is limited **About the host** Rita Suzanne is a local marketing strategist and the founder of Local Marketing Method. She runs Visibility is Profitability, the membership where local business owners build the system that keeps their phone ringing. Learn more at learnlocalmarketing.com. Register here: [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1989964540509?aff=oddtdtcreator](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1989964540509?aff=oddtdtcreator)

QA or the Highway is a one-day, affordable, regional, professional conference featuring real-world experience and thought leadership in the QA and testing industry. This is a ticketed event please register here: https://www.qaorthehwy.com/ Featured Keynote Speakers: **Matthew-Hope Eland** **(Wizard at Leading EDJE)** \- An AI Specialist and Wizard at Leading EDJE who is known to teach software engineering\, AI\, and data science concepts in the most ridiculous ways possible\. Matt has used machine learning to settle debates over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie\, reinforcement learning to drive the behavior of digital squirrels\, data analytics to suggest improvements to his favorite TV show\, and AI agents to play board games and create an AI agent with the personality of a dog\. Matt is the author of "Data Science in \.NET with Polyglot Notebooks" and "Refactoring with C\#" as well as several LinkedIn Learning courses\. Matt helps organize the Central Ohio \.NET Developer Group\, runs several blogs and a YouTube channel\, has a Master’s of Science in Data Analytics\, and is a current Microsoft MVP in AI and \.NET\. **Tatyana Arbouzova** **(CEO at Innovate QA)** \- Tatyana Arbouzova is an engineering and business leader with a strong background in Quality Engineering across multiple industries\, including Big Tech\, Healthcare\, and Entertainment\. She has held leadership roles at world\-class companies such as Microsoft\, VMware\, Disney\, and The Pokémon Company International\, where she focused on building quality\-driven cultures and scaling teams to deliver high\-impact products\. With decades of experience\, Tatyana has helped organizations transform their quality practices so teams can deliver software efficiently\, confidently\, and with measurable business outcomes\. Today\, Tatyana advises software companies on adopting AI to optimize quality practices and improve how software is delivered at scale\. She is also a passionate community builder and the founder of Innovate QA\, a thriving Seattle\-based community and conference for quality professionals\.

Topic to be announced. **THANK YOU** *Franklin University* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Franklin University*, please visit their website: https://www.franklin.edu/ **DIRECTIONS** Franklin University Fisher Hall 300 E. Main St, Columbus, OH 43215 Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jxjBA2hUmS5qrvhq8 Parking is FREE! Please park in Lot C in front of Fisher Hall. See attached map. NOTE: Map the address only. When mapping with Google Maps it may use the Fisher Hall at OSU, which is NOT correct. **Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?** Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com

**The Behavior Gap: Where Products Win or Lose** Teams today have more data than ever, and yet many still struggle to understand why customers adopt, engage with, or abandon their products. Teams sprint, ship faster, and chase more signals… all while metrics stall and confidence drops. The missing piece isn’t more data. It’s often the behavioral insight between the metrics, explaining why the numbers move in the first place. Dashboards can tell you what customers did, but understanding why they did it (and how to influence what they do next) requires a deeper blend of insights. This session is about closing that gap. Drawing from real-world experience designing and scaling products as [ZoCo Design](https://zocodesign.com/)’s CEO, [Lacey](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceypicazo/) will share how to cut through the noise and identify the insights that actually change behavior—moving people, and moving metrics. You’ll learn: * Why understanding customer behavior is a quant and qual challenge * How to spot the signals that actually predict behavior change * Where AI accelerates insight, and where it creates distraction * How to get meaningfully closer to customers, without adding more tools This talk reframes how to evaluate performance and identify what levers actually improve it, helping your team to make smarter bets with greater confidence. Every meaningful outcome is driven by behavior change. And when you know how to design for behavior, you stop guessing, and start building things that work. **About Our Speaker** [Lacey Picazo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceypicazo/) is the Founder and CEO of ZoCo, a healthcare product studio that turns complex, high-stakes ideas into products that drive real-world adoption. She partners with healthcare organizations to uncover critical care delivery insights, focus product strategy through behavior design, and build solutions that patients and providers actually use. Thanks to our 2026 sponsors: [Clarivoy](https://www.clarivoy.com), [What Box Consulting Group](https://www.whatboxconsultinggroup.com), [Conductrics](https://www.conductrics.com), and [Piwik PRO](https://piwik.pro) More info at [cbusdaw.com](https://cbusdaw.com)

Bring your business cards and network in person with other business professionals! Gold Star Referral Clubs is one of the most established professional networking organizations in the country, with multiple groups in central Ohio. Join us!