Architecture Groups Sydney

Welcome to the next 2026 AWS Sydney Well-Architected Meetup!

Hi Architects, Welcome to the next 2026 AWS Sydney Well-Architected User Group Meetup! Each month we cover off AWS best-practices across all pillars and give away drones - lots of drones 🥳 **Please also note that AWS Security now requests a company name and company email where it is available. If you are a student, please list your institution and your student email address at that institution 👍** We'll be announcing more speakers on [https://well-architected.me](https://well-architected.me/) and previewing presentations during the coming weeks - our speakers and details this month include: * **Michael Taylor, Lakebase Specialist, Databricks** **How Lakebase provides a well-architected platform for next generation application and AI development.** Come and hear how Databricks experts show how customers run applications and agents on Lakebase; serverless Postgres governed by Unity Catalog. See instant branching, scale-to-zero, point-in-time recovery and synced tables in action. The Databricks team will also give a first look at LTAP; one open, governed copy of data for transactions and analytics, with no ETL in between. * **Mystery Speaker** **The AWS AI Competency - can automation support?** Achieving the AWS AI Competency can unlock many benefits for AI customers. In this talk, we explore if achievement of a competency can be automated. This month's menu will include: * Pizzas * Beer * Wine: Big and red 🤤 So come join us at 5:30 for a 6pm start, followed by beer, wine, pizza and friendly networking after our talks :-) Tired of Linkedin’s "thought leadership”, spam and advertising? Join https://well-architected.me/ , the AWS community built for architects, developers and cloud professionals. * Connect with experienced AWS practitioners * Preview upcoming AWS Meetups and relive past content * Create and review beautiful AWS case studies in minutes * Prepare for AWS certifications with curated quizzes * Show your manager and reports you’re well-architected (Please note that by registering to attend you agree to your details being shared as and where required with Amazon Web Services and AWS Well-Architected User Group partners)

Under the Hood of AI on AWS: Rethinking Data & Application Health

Hello Amazonians, AWS User Group Sydney and TiDB are teaming up for an evening on the gap between a working AI demo and a system you can run in production. Two speakers will share what they have learned running AI workloads on AWS. **🎤 Hear from:** * **Tony Huang, Ph.D., Solution Architect @ TiDB** *One data layer instead of four: simplifying your AI stack on AWS* * **Shahed Kazi, Global Lead, Cloud Architecture & Strategy @ Everlight Radiology** *Application Health at Scale with Agentic AI: Extending AWS DevOps Agent with AI Agents and Skills* Stay after the talks to meet fellow builders over drinks and nibbles! 🍕🍻 **Agenda:** 17:30 \| Arrival\, registration and refreshments 18:00 \| Introductions 18:05 \| Talk 1: Application Health at Scale with Agentic AI Shahed Kazi, Global Lead, Cloud Architecture & Strategy at Everlight Radiology 18:35 \| Talk 2: One data layer instead of four: simplifying your AI stack on AWS Tony Huang, Ph.D., Solution Architect at TiDB 19:05 \| Networking\, food\, and drinks\! 🍻🍕 **Event details:** 📅 Date: Wednesday, 4 November 2026 ⏰ Time: 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM (doors open 5:30 PM) 📍 Location: Level 8/2 Market St, Sydney NSW 2000 (Please enter via Kent St to access the building). RSVP now to save your spot! See you there, **The PolarSeven and TiDB Team** *Would you like to present? Complete [this form](https://forms.gle/GAqrJggTjme6Uzsu6) and we'll be in touch soon.*

SSP TUE - CITY LIGHT & SHADOWS IN MONOCHROME : Sydney’s Little Laneways

For this photography walk, we’ll explore a very different side of Sydney CBD — its narrow laneways, hidden passages, old sandstone walls and urban spaces — with a particular focus on **light, shadow and monochrome photography**. We will follow the City of Sydney Culture Walks route **“Hidden – Sydney’s Little Laneways”**, which winds through some of the lesser-known lanes and back streets of central Sydney. Rather than concentrating on Sydney’s familiar landmarks, the aim of this walk is to look more closely at the city itself: shafts of sunlight falling between tall buildings, deep shadows in narrow lanes, repeating architectural lines, reflections, textures, silhouettes and people moving through patches of light. During the walk, we’ll look for opportunities to photograph: * strong contrasts between sunlight and shadow * people and silhouettes entering pools of light * geometric shapes, lines and repeating patterns * sandstone, brick, concrete and other urban textures * narrow laneways framed by taller buildings * reflections and layered compositions * small details that become more striking when colour is removed ### **Meeting point:** Chambers Coffee, Gateway Sydney, 1 Macquarie Pl, Sydney NSW 2000 **Start:** 10:30 am **Approximate finish:** Around 12:30 pm **Lunch:** Venue to be confirmed After the walk, anyone who would like to stay is very welcome to join us for a relaxed lunch nearby. ### Come along, slow down, watch the light, and discover some of Sydney’s hidden corners in monochrome.

Data Driven or Data Distracted!

Our CCX Sydney October event features a very lively and topical panel discussion entitled Data Driven or Data Distracted We will be applying a $10.00 cover charge to cover Food and drinks and on this occasion will be kindly hosted by the ONSET https://theonset.com.au The Onset is a specialist recruitment business deeply connected to Australia’s design and technology ecosystem. They work with ambitious companies, brilliant industry experts and a wider group of specialists across data, AI, design and transformation through The Omnia Collective. About the session **How Product, Design & Engineering actually use evidence to make decisions** How much data do we really need to make better product decisions? And when does being “data-driven” start getting in the way of good product thinking? For this CCX Sydney session, we’re bringing together four practitioners from different corners of the product ecosystem — analytics, strategy and service design, UX/CX, and engineering — to explore the role data and evidence actually play in product development and delivery. Each speaker will have **15 minutes to make their own case** for — or against — being **DATA-DRIVEN OR DATA-DISTRACTED**. Rather than presenting a single view, they’ll challenge us to look at how research, analytics, customer insight, AI, product requirements engineering and data can influence the decisions we make — from defining the problem and creating the PRD through to designing, building and releasing the product. Our speakers bring four very different perspectives: **Olga Pasikova\, Senior Analytics Director; Rob Tot\, Strategy & Service Design Lead; Thomas Shillingford\, UX \| CX \| Strategy \| AI and Author; and David Berigny\, Forward Deployed Engineer\.** Each panel member will bring their own experience, provocations and examples to the question: **when does data help us make better decisions — and when does it simply give us more information to react to?** Then we turn up the heat. Following the four presentations, **Sophie Greenfield, Senior Product & AI Designer at CBA**, will lead a lively panel discussion, bringing the speakers together to challenge each other's perspectives and explore the tensions between data, evidence, intuition, customer understanding and design judgement. Because being data-driven sounds simple. **Knowing what data to trust, what it actually means, and when to ignore it is where things get interesting.** **About our Panel:** ### Olga Pasikova **Senior Analytics Director** Olga Pasikova is a Senior Analytics Director and experienced digital analytics specialist with more than a decade working across data, analytics and digital measurement. She brings a strong ability to translate complex analytics challenges into clear strategic direction, helping teams use data to understand behaviour, measure outcomes and make better-informed decisions. Olga is also an active member of Sydney’s data and analytics community. ### Rob Tot **Strategy & Service Design Lead** Rob Tot is a Strategy and Service Design Lead who works at the intersection of customer needs, business strategy and service innovation. His work brings together strategic thinking and human-centred design to help organisations navigate complex problems, uncover opportunities and turn insight into meaningful product and service outcomes. ### Thomas Shillingford **UX \| CX \| Strategy \| AI \| Author** Thomas Shillingford is a UX and CX strategist, designer, author and speaker with extensive experience across digital products and customer experiences. His career has included work spanning research, customer journeys, interaction design, usability, design strategy and large-scale digital transformation. More recently, Thomas has been exploring the impact of AI on design practice, including how AI is changing design systems, strategy and the role of human judgement. ### David Berigny **Forward Deployed Engineer** David Berigny is a Forward Deployed Engineer working at the intersection of technology, product development and real-world customer problems. His role brings engineering directly into the product development process — translating customer and business needs into practical technical solutions, testing ideas in the field and using evidence from real-world implementation to inform what gets built and how it evolves. ### Sophie Greenfield FACILITATOR **Senior Product Designer & Facilitator** Sophie Greenfield is a Senior Product Designer at Commonwealth Bank with more than 20 years’ experience across UX, product design, research and digital strategy. Her career has spanned product strategy, customer research and experience design across organisations including CommBank, Westpac and ING Direct. Sophie has a particular interest in the intersection of **data, customer insight, product strategy and AI-enabled design**. She has been exploring and teaching AI-enabled design practices, from research synthesis and hypothesis validation to rapid prototyping and new ways of working for designers. For **DATA-DRIVEN OR DATA-DISTRACTED?**, Sophie will facilitate the conversation between our four speakers, challenging their perspectives and helping unpack the bigger question: **when does evidence genuinely improve product decisions — and when can data become a distraction from understanding the customer?** We are so excited to be wrapping up the year with this awesome panel discussion hosted by new friends of CCX Sydney, the ONSET. [https://theonset.com.au/](https://theonset.com.au/) Lastly make sure you Join us for sponsored drinks post the event at a nearby bar more details to follow. Regards Kevin, Lydia, Sylvia, James and Carolina.

AI Project Hub

Welcome to **WSTI's AI Project Hub**—the hands-on heart of the WSTI community's AI Shed model. This isn't a traditional class or a lecture. It’s a weekly, drop-in "Shed" designed for collaborative, project-based learning, where we support each other turning ideas (beginner or ambitious) into real, working prototypes and projects. Whether you're a founder with a specific problem, a developer testing a new tool, or a complete beginner curious about what you can make, this is your space to build, learn, and collaborate. **What to expect:** * **Quick Pitch:** To spark some inspiration, we’ll have a few informal, low-pressure "progress check-ins" where attendees can briefly share what they’re working on. * **Space to Build:** No formal lectures here. Just a supportive environment to polish your prototype, refine your code, or finalise your pitch. * **Guides on the Side:** Our technical mentors will be mingling in the room. They’re ready to offer a helpful nudge, architectural advice, or a tool recommendation if you hit a roadblock. * **Community Wisdom:** If our mentors don’t have the answer, they’ll connect you with someone else in the room who does. We’re all about sharing what we learn. * **Curiosity is Welcome:** You don’t need a hackathon project to pull up a chair. If you’re a regular from our Project Hub looking to share your knowledge, or just a curious neighbour. We have community laptops with access to some AI tools if you aren't able to bring your own. **Tools/Topics discussed may include:** * ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Opensource AI Models. * Platforms like n8n and other automation tools. * Coding vibe coding like Lovable, Replit, Antigravity and Cursor. * Frameworks such as BMAD. * Image and video generators like Midjourney, Nanobanana and Video models such as Kling, Veo & Seedance. *By attending this event, you consent that you may be photographed and recorded on video. These photos and videos may be used for marketing and promotional purposes in the future. If you have any concerns please let the team know upon arrival.*

Vibrant Colours and Man Made Structures

TechWalking - Sydney - Networking Event for Tech Professionals

**TechWalking is here to stay in Sydney!** 🌊🚶‍♂️A huge thank you to our co-hosts — Malathy, Pragnya, Xi, Felix, Sujata and Amee — for making it happen! Are you a tech professional looking to network beyond the screen? Join us for a refreshing **#TechWalking** event along the stunning Royal Botanic Garden! It’s the perfect chance to connect with industry peers while getting in some steps! Whether you're in software development, cybersecurity, data science, or any tech-related field, this is the perfect opportunity to expand your network in a relaxed setting. 🌅 **Meeting Point:** Archibald Memorial Fountain, Hyde Park 🏖 **Route:** 4 km walk through the Botanical Garden to the Sydney Opera House 🕙 **Start Time:** 10 AM sharp—don’t be late, or you might have to sprint to catch up! **Please note:** unfortunately, dogs aren’t allowed in the Botanical Gardens. A bit sad, we know 🐶💔 Looking forward to meeting you all in real life! **TechWalking is free, and always will be.** But keeping the community going takes time, effort, and a few ongoing costs. If you enjoy TechWalking and would like to help us keep it growing, any donation is greatly appreciated: [https://tech-walking.yanamartens.com/donate](https://tech-walking.yanamartens.com/donate) **TechWalking Community page: [https://tech-walking.yanamartens.com/](https://tech-walking.yanamartens.com/)** *** Join the TechWalking group on LinkedIn! [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14477058/](https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14477058/) Just moved to Australia? Grab your FREE guide to landing your tech job! [https://yanamartens.com/first-tech-job-in-australia/](https://yanamartens.com/first-tech-job-in-australia/) Follow me on LinkedIn for more information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yana-martens/ Subscribe to YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ITCareerinAustralia

Networking Drinks #33

Christmas is just around the corner! Come join us once again at **The Art Syndicate**, a unique wine bar and gallery nestled in Surry Hills for a relaxed evening blending local drinks and meaningful conversations. **Event info:** ✅ Discover amazing NSW wine, beer and spirits. ✅ Expand your network of designers & make connections that last. ✅ No formal talks or speeches *Check out my reviews on this page to see what others are saying!* **Venue information:**
 You'll find us at this art gallery & wine bar in Surry Hills. They exclusively offer a curated selection of NSW-based wine, beer and spirits! There is even art for sale! **Check them out on socials:** https://www.instagram.com/theartsyndicate.com.au/ **How to find us:**
 We are on Bourke Street, a short walk from Oxford Street or Central Station. **Join our What'sApp group:**
 You'll find this link in the "Event Chat" section of this page :D Cheers, Josh

Open Discussion: Housing Affordability and Cost of Living

Housing affordability is one of Sydney’s defining challenges. Rising property prices, escalating rents, population growth, planning constraints, and infrastructure demands have combined to make secure, affordable housing increasingly difficult for many residents. For some, the solution lies in building more homes. For others, the issue is speculation, taxation, infrastructure funding, or the way land is used and valued. At this Sydney Open Forum, we'll explore the causes and consequences of the housing crisis from multiple perspectives. Are current planning reforms enough? Should governments prioritise higher-density development? What role should investors, developers, and local councils play? How can Sydney remain a liveable city for young people, families, key workers, and retirees? This will be an open, respectful, reasonable & and evidence-based discussion where participants are encouraged to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and consider practical solutions. Whether you see housing primarily as a social necessity, an economic asset, or a human right, this forum offers an opportunity to engage with one of the most important issues facing Sydney today. Discussion questions: * Why has housing become so unaffordable in Sydney? * Is the problem a shortage of homes, a shortage of affordable homes, or something else? * Should Sydney continue to grow upwards, outwards, or both? * What policies could improve affordability without reducing quality of life? * How can the benefits of urban growth be shared more fairly? Join us for a thoughtful conversation about the future of housing in Sydney and what can be done to ensure the city remains accessible, prosperous, and inclusive for all.

SSP TUESDAY - Sculpture By The Sea

A visit to Sculpture By The Sea is best in the cool of the afternoon and when the crowds start to thin. We meet at 1:30pm at the steps, near the front door of Customs House, Circular Quay. We walk over to the bus stop for the 333 then 381 bus to Tamarama Beach. We start the sculptures walk from Tamara Beach along the coast to Bondi Beach and end outside Bondi Icebergs Club. We will stop at the "Miniature Sculptures" tent on the hill that houses the smaller 'demonstration models' of the sculptures and have a drink or a snack in that area and depart at 3:30pm. Optional meal or drink following the walk. Location to be decided there. NOT Icebergs as historically too busy during SBTS.

Stoics in the park: NEW LOCATION- Sydney Park

Unlike other philosophies, Stoicism was named after a place not a person, making it accessible to ALL people. In ancient greco-roman times people would meet at the Stoa, where they would discuss Stoic Philosophy. We can meet in the park just as the stoic sages 1000s of years ago. Join us to read through and discuss Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Google books has a FREE PDF you can download. No need to do any homework, we will read together and discuss. Am looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Event fee (optional) is $2, this goes to admin costs of running the group, please consider I am from Wollongong and wanted to keep this group when original organiser stepped down. I have significant travel expenses and am generally organising creative events that take resources. A gratuity would be a wonderful way to make me feel appreciated. Pay on the day, payID 0416147804, PayPal: paypal.me/jonnikaren or private message for direct deposit details. In lieu of event fee, you can buy me a coffee :)

WordPress AI Tools vs AI Website Builders

**Speaker Bio:** * Brett Stone is the founder of [Stone Digital](https://stonedigital.com.au/) a specialist web design and development agency based in Sydney. His agency specialises in building high-quality, custom websites with WordPress as its primary platform and CMS. Brett is actively involved in the WordPress community as a co-organiser of the WordPress Sydney Meetup and regularly attends flagship WordCamp conferences alongside his team. **Presentation outline:** * **WordPress AI Tools:** Brett shares his hands-on experience and perspective on emerging WordPress AI tools, including WordPress Core MCP, [WPVibe.ai](http://WPVibe.ai) and [ByMiles.ai](http://ByMiles.ai) * **AI Website Builders:** A practical review of AI-powered website builders such as Lovable, Base44 and Replit, exploring their capabilities, strengths and limitations. * **Sydney Website Research:** Insights from original research involving the analysis of 10,000+ websites across Sydney to investigate the adoption of AI-powered website-building tools including Lovable, v0, Base44 and Claude. * **WordPress AI Tools vs AI Website Builders:** Brett's overall perspective on how these two approaches compare, their respective use cases, and what they could mean for the future of web design and development. **Running sheet:** 6pm-6.30pm: Arrival, pizza and drinks, and informal networking 6.30pm-6:35pm: Welcome and introductions 6:35pm-7pm: Presentation 7pm-7.15pm: Q&A session 7.15pm Onwards: Networking