Aug'26: "F1 Data Delivery & AI for Developers Panel"

When: Thursday 20th August 2026
Time: arrive for 5:45pm with talks starting from 6pm start prompt.
Location: Ecosurety, 2nd Floor, 4 Colston Ave, Bristol BS1 4ST

Complimentary drinks & pizza provided by our sponsor Method Resourcing Solutions. Please remember to RSVP to help us confirm numbers!

This is our 2nd anniversary special and to celebrate, we have organised speakers from our local community!

Session 1 - What F1 Taught Me About Delivery Speed: How Data Teams Can Move at Lightspeed - Ed Richie

If delivery feels slower than it should, this session is for you. Data leaders and data practitioners will leave knowing exactly where projects stall, and what to change tomorrow without any new tech.
Your team is capable and produces great work, so why is delivery still slow? The business needs answers today but doesn't see the hurdles:

• "We don't have the data"
• "I'm busy with other projects"
• "That doesn't align with the system"

I've spent two years supporting a Formula 1 team, where delivery speed isn't optional. Through personal stories, I'll show how a project's time slips away in the handovers rather than the work itself. AI makes tasks faster, but a project still moves at the pace of its slowest gap.
I'll break down the strategy that eliminated most of that waiting.
You'll understand:

• Why "everyone's flat out" and "nothing's shipping" are the same problem
• Why the fastest people I've worked with ignore their job titles
• Why technical skill isn't what makes you quick

Most of what slows you down is low-hanging fruit, and you can start picking it today.

About Ed
Edward runs Ritchie BI, a consultancy that helps manufacturers use data to improve performance and profitability. For the past two years, a Formula 1 team has trusted him with multiple projects; he has also worked with manufacturers including Sunseeker International, the luxury yacht builder. His work focuses on more than the data solution itself: ensuring upstream processes feed it quality data, and supporting the downstream changes, such as improved supplier management, that turn it into value.

Session 2 - Panel Discussion on how AI is changing the lives of developers
The world is full of talk about AI and how it's changing everything around us at unprecedented pace. But how much of that is hype? What is it actually like out there in the trenches of working with Fabric and Power BI, and how much is it changing?

In this panel discussion, moderated by the group's co-organiser Ash, we're going to talk about what is actually changing for hands-on developers. If you have any burning questions about how other people are actually utilising AI beyond the marketing hype, then this is the panel for you

About the panel
Moderator:

• Ash Warren. Senior Analytics Consultant at Advancing Analytics and co-organiser of this group

Panel Members:

• Ant Couzens, Data Consultant & Owner of Halo Data and co-organiser of this group
• Mark Endicott, Principal Analyst at Aberdeen and co-founder of this group
• Guest TBC

We all look forward to seeing you there!!