Name: Melbourne Search & AI Meetup #1
Start: 2025-08-21T17:30:00+10:00
End: 2025-08-21T19:30:00+10:00
Location: NetApp

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.

liam anderson

Melbourne Search & AI User Group

OpenSearch Project

Technology

Open Source

New Technology

Apache Lucene

Information Technology

Web Technology

Big Data

Data Management

**Speaker 1: Justin George** is a veteran technologist with over 20 years of experience delivering complex IT projects across enterprise environments. With a strong background in driving technical programs from strategy to execution, Justin brings a structured and results-driven approach.

In recent years, Justin has worked closely with open source technologies, particularly OpenSearch, to help organisations unlock the value of real-time data and observability at scale. His deep understanding of program delivery, combined with a passion for scalable, infrastructure-agnostic architectures, positions him as a trusted advisor for teams navigating the world of open source search.

Whether it’s improving operational visibility, enabling powerful search use cases, or ensuring reliable deployment in production environments, Justin provides practical insights rooted in decades of real-world experience.

Connect with Justin - [https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinhgeorge/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinhgeorge/)

**Speaker 2:** For seven years, **Muhammad Ali Iqbal** has been a driving force behind OpenSearch solutions at AWS. As a **Principal OpenSearch Solutions Architect**, he works closely with customers across Asia Pacific, including industry leaders like Adobe, Atlassian, and Zomato, to design and scale complex search and log analytics systems. His daily collaboration with open-source maintainers and contributors ensures he stays at the forefront of the OpenSearch community.

Connect with Ali - [https://www.linkedin.com/in/muhammadaliiqbal/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/muhammadaliiqbal/)

Justin George & Muhammad Ali Iqbal

Melbourne Search & AI Meetup #1

NetApp

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Melbourne Search & AI User Group

Melbourne Search & AI Meetup #1

Melbourne Search & AI User Group

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