Networking Evening with Visiting Tech Evangelist Thijs Feryn from Varnish

Don't miss this unique opportunity to hear from Thijs Feryn, a renowned Tech Evangelist, during his special visit. With over 340 presentations across 22 countries, Thijs brings a wealth of knowledge in web performance, scalability, and content delivery. As an active contributor to the open-source community, Thijs's insights are invaluable. Seize this chance to learn from his extensive experience and engage in meaningful networking with fellow tech enthusiasts. As an added bonus, we have also invited Max Lorenz from Soji.AI to talk on Open Source AI and LLM (Large Language Models). Join us for an evening of innovation and collaboration, made possible through our partnership with Varnish Software.
**update** we are also delighted to have Drupal Meetup Group join us at this networking evening.

Presentations
1. Enhance Your Framework’s Performance with Seamless Varnish Deployment and Integration
Thijs Feryn, Techical Evangelist from Varnish Software
Thijs is an expert in web performance, software scalability, and content delivery. He has given over 340 presentations in 22 countries and is known for his engaging style. Thijs is a published author and an active contributor to open-source communities like Varnish and PHP. With 15 years in the web hosting industry, he brings extensive experience to his role. For more information, visit feryn.eu.
[Full Bio and Synopsis]

Varnish is a powerful HTTP cache that accelerates over 10 million websites, featuring the Varnish Configuration Language (VCL) for customized caching. It supports various frameworks and CMSs natively or through plugins. In this presentation, Thijs Feryn will introduce Varnish and VCL basics, showing integration with frameworks like WordPress, Drupal, and Magento. He will cover deployment on Linux, Cloud, Docker, and Kubernetes, teaching how to enhance web application performance, protect against traffic spikes, and deploy Varnish effectively.

2. Maximizing AI Potential: Open-Source Techniques for Innovative Applications
Max Lorenz
CTO, Soji.AI
Max Lorenz is an accomplished AI Evangelist and CTO of Soji.AI, with a rich background in machine learning and software development. Originally from Germany, Max has lived in Singapore for the past 7 years. He has driven AI innovation at companies like 6sense and Saleswhale.
[Full Bio and Synopsis]

Max’s talk will focus on developing AI-enhanced applications using open-source technologies. Learn how to implement RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) for your app, leverage LLMs (Large Language Models) to build an MVP, transition from LLMs to stable, efficient inference products with Hugging Face open models, and create valuable products beyond simple OpenAI wrappers.

We will have a Q&A session with the speakers, followed by an evening of networking with light refreshments. We look forward to seeing you all.

best regards,
Free and Open Source Meetup in collaboration with Varnish Software
Co-host: SJ, organizer of Drupal Meetup Group