Business Analytics

Join the Chinese Business and Social Network at Lucy Wong for an evening of networking, opportunity and conversation. **Chinese Business and Social Network (CBSN) Networking Evening** **Lucy Wong Fitzrovia \| Wednesday 1st July \| 6\.00 PM – 8\.30 PM** Join us for another evening of relaxed, high-quality networking at Lucy Wong, the stylish underground cocktail bar in the heart of Fitzrovia. CBSN brings together professionals, entrepreneurs, creatives, founders, investors, and internationally minded people interested in UK–China business, culture, and connection. Our events are open to all nationalities and backgrounds. Whether you are looking to: • grow your professional network • meet potential collaborators or clients • reconnect with existing contacts • discover new opportunities • or simply enjoy good conversation in a welcoming atmosphere …you will be very welcome. CBSN is more than just an in-person event community. Members can also join the CBSN website to meet attendees before events, continue conversations afterwards, build professional visibility through member profiles, and connect with other members throughout the year. For this event, CBSN guests will gather in the raised railed area at the far end of the bar — an intimate and comfortable space ideal for conversation and introductions. Previous CBSN events at Lucy Wong have brought together people from sectors including: AI, property, finance, education, import/export, hospitality, recruitment, media, fashion, wellness, technology, consulting, and the creative industries. **What to Expect** • Friendly and welcoming atmosphere • Structured introductions for newcomers where appropriate • Relaxed networking throughout the evening • International and cross-cultural audience • Excellent cocktails and bar menu available to purchase **CBSN Website Community** **https://cbsn.co.uk/** Members can: • Create a professional profile • Connect with attendees before events • Continue conversations afterwards • Join forum discussions • Browse the member directory • Message other members directly **Venue** Lucy Wong 33-34 Rathbone Place Fitzrovia London W1T 1JN **Tickets** Early booking is recommended as capacity in our reserved area is limited. We look forward to welcoming both familiar faces and first-time guests. Hosted by Charles Palmer, Yajie Xu and Maggie Song — Chinese Business and Social Network (CBSN) Connecting UK & Chinese Businesses Through Trusted Relationships, Events, and Opportunity

**BOOK HERE**: https://sportas.co.uk/games/49772 **Game Description:** 👟 Drills led by experienced players who also join the session. 💪 Intense volleyball skills practice for individuals. 🎮 Drills and game setting. 🌟 Positive co-learning environment for rapid improvement. 🏐 Access to 18 volleyballs. **Rules** \- point to 15 \- max 2 games in a row \- 3 team of 6 players \- modified games situation might be applied depending on situation \(5:1\, modified 5:1 or 6:2 etc\.\)

Hi folks! Welcome to our July Cloud Native London meetup! Join us to hear from our two speakers and network with your fellow techies over pizza and drinks, or alternatively chat and following along on Youtube or LinkedIn! 6:00 Pizza and drinks 6:30 Welcome 6:45 Architecting Safe Autonomy: High-Stakes Autonomous Agents Need Deterministic Checkpoints for Safety (Hossein Kakavand, Luther Systems) 7:15 Putting Open GitOps to the test (Steve Fenton, Octopus Deploy) 7:45 Wrap up See you there! Cheryl (@oicheryl) **Putting Open GitOps to the test (Steve Fenton, Octopus Deploy)** The Open GitOps principles sound plausible, but the world is full of surprising realities. Join Steve Fenton and explore the GitOps research to see whether GitOps delivers on its promises, based on an analysis of over 600 perspectives from roles like DevOps engineers, developers, platform engineers, and cloud infrastructure engineers. *Steve Fenton researches the socio-technical systems behind software delivery; how organizations, people, and technology actually work together (or don’t). At Octopus Deploy, he explores GitOps, Platform Engineering, Continuous Delivery, and compliance through a lens shaped by punk history, psychology, and the kind of genre fiction that asks uncomfortable questions about systems and society.* *He’s an eight-time Microsoft MVP (DevOps), a DORA Community Guide, a CD Foundation Governing Board member, and a contributor to the CNCF Platform Engineering Community Group. He’s written books on TypeScript, Octopus Deploy, and Web Operations Monitoring, and occasionally writes horror fiction.* *https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevefenton/* *https://mastodon.social/@stevefenton* *https://bsky.app/profile/stevefenton.co.uk* **Architecting Safe Autonomy: High-Stakes Autonomous Agents Need Deterministic Checkpoints for Safety (Hossein Kakavand, Luther Systems)** The more freedom we give an autonomous agent, the more it drifts into hallucinations or policy violations, yet clamping it down with prompts kills the reasoning we want. Think Brownian Motion versus a Brownian Bridge: a random walk wanders anywhere, but pin it at fixed points and it moves freely between them while always landing where it must. Deterministic checkpoints are those pins. InsideOut applies this to infrastructure. It works with the user to shape a feature set, stack, config, Terraform and cost estimates, then deploys and manages the infrastructure in real time for monitoring, alerts and changes. Each stage must produce a structured artifact validated against fixed rules, and if a check fails only that stage repeats, catching errors before they propagate. High-stakes actions stay locked down by design: the agent can request a deploy by presenting a button, but never holds the cloud keys itself. The result is an agent that is more productive precisely because it is safely unconstrained. *Hossein Kakavand holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He has been with several start up in AI, ML and Distributed Systems, with IPOs on NASDAQ and LSE. He is currently a Co-Founder of Luther Systems focused on solving the Enterprise Operations problem at scale. @HosseinKavavand* ***Check out [https://www.oicheryl.com/cloudnativelondon](https://www.oicheryl.com/cloudnativelondon) if you're interested in speaking or sponsoring.***

**Topic:** Solar Charging Units and the future of Distributed AI Data. Across many communities in Africa and Asia, people still struggle with reliable access to electricity for basic phone charging. A dead phone can mean no payments, no business calls, no school access, no family contact, and lost daily income. Naijacharge is building a practical solution: solar charging units deployed with local SMEs, allowing communities to charge phones using clean solar power while helping small business owners earn extra income. This online briefing explains the **problem**, the **product**, and the **solution** — and how we are shaping the future with our batch of solar charging units. Attendees will learn how the model works, where units can be deployed, and how the solar charging programmes work. Join the **Diaspora Solar Charging Units Network** for a short online briefing on solar charging units across Africa and Asia. This session is for anyone interested in joining the solar charging revolution. The future is not going to be data in space, it will be distributed solar panels powersing communities. **Overarching topic**: This events are free thanks to the Monesave and Naijacharge founders. Its an opportiunity to learn how Solar Charging Units work, why it will perform better in continents like Africa or Asia.

For our next London SEO meetup, we want to switch up the format. Instead of a panel session, you’ll hear from 4 speakers on relevant, timely topics. Each talk will be 15 minutes long with a break in between. Speakers include: **Ben Morris, GTM Enterprise Director at Profound** **Why a marketing engineer is your next great hire** Drawing on Profound’s thinking around marketing engineering, Ben Morris explains what a marketing engineer does, where the role fits inside modern GTM teams, and how it can help you ship faster without losing strategic control. **John Iwuozor, Content Marketing Specialist** **How to use query fan-out to win AI visibility** In this talk, John Iwuozor will explain how query fan-out works across tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, and why existing keyword research strategies won’t get you all the way there. **Miracle Inameti-Archibong, Product Marketing Lead at John Lewis Partnership** How to optimize your data for LLM workflows Miracle Inameti-Archibong will explain how LLMs read and process content so marketers can make smarter decisions about what to mark up, simplify, or restructure. You’ll learn how to reduce wasted tokens, and format content for better AI performance. **Kanaar Bell, Enterprise Account Manager at Moz** **How to prove SEO value when rankings aren’t enough** Kanaar Bell will share a retention-focused framework for defending SEO budget, connecting activity to business impact, and showing stakeholders why SEO still matters. **Besides the panel, you’ll enjoy an evening of** * Networking with SEO and digital marketing leaders in a laid-back setting * Great food and free drinks * Q&A time with experts shaping AI search and LLM visibility ### Event details 📍 Venue: Brunswick Art Gallery, Brunswick Centre, London WC1N 1AE 📅 Date: July 1, 2026 🕕 Time: 6 pm–9 pm Curious about the vibes at Sip & Search? Here’s[ a 1-minute video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIbfZGAG-VE) from our last event to get you excited. ### Important notes Please provide answers to all questions. We create [name tags](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TPWfbtfDTie6U7_CiPq-c4TTobl4l-yX/view?usp=sharing) that include your LinkedIn QR code, name, and company information. It has proven really helpful for networking at past events. ### Shoutout to our sponsors for making this event possible [Moz](https://moz.com/) [Profound](https://www.tryprofound.com/)

This session is designed for **juniors**, **new graduates**, and **non-tech attendees** who want to understand how **AI** can help in building microservices. You’ll learn the best practices for building microservices from scratch, including **writing acceptance criteria** and **creating REST APIs**. We’ll also demonstrate how **AI tools** like ChatGPT can help you write better code, catch errors early, and automate common tasks, making development easier and faster. By the end of this session, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to design and build microservices, all while using AI tools to optimize your workflow. 🧪 **What You’ll Learn:** * **Microservice Architecture Best Practices**: Learn core principles like **decoupling services** and **scalability**. * **Writing Acceptance Criteria**: How to define clear requirements that ensure your microservice works as expected. * **Creating REST APIs**: Learn how to design secure, scalable APIs for communication between microservices. * **AI in Microservice Development**: How AI tools like ChatGPT can assist with code writing, error-checking, and test generation. 💡 **Why It Matters:** * **Scalable Services**: Microservices break down large systems into smaller, manageable parts that are easier to maintain and scale. * **AI Assistance**: Tools like ChatGPT help you automate parts of the development process, speeding up coding and reducing errors. * **Real-World Applications**: These practices are in high demand, and mastering them will equip you with valuable skills for modern software development. 👨‍💻 **Who Should Attend:** * **Juniors** and **new graduates** looking to learn microservices and AI in development. * **Non-tech people** interested in how AI can assist in coding and building software. * Anyone looking to understand **modern development practices** and how AI can improve workflows. 🕓 **Schedule** * 18:15 - Networking * 18:40 - Program starts * 19:20 - Q&A - networking * 19:30 - End

🍻 Tech Startups in the Pub – Now Twice a Month! 🚀 We’re levelling up! After 3 years of packed evenings in Shoreditch, we’re adding a second monthly event, this time midweek in Oxford Street. That means two chances every month to meet founders, techies, and startup people over drinks. 🎉 👉 What’s New * A **fresh central-London venue**: Simmons Bar, Oxford Street * A new day: **1st Wednesday** of the month * Find one of the hosts to **grab a wristband**, it makes it easy to spot who’s part of the meetup (and not a random party). 😉 👉 What Stays the Same * No agenda, no panels, just relaxed networking with like-minded people. * Friendly hosts (look for Oliver, Pedro, Rob, or Rob) ready to introduce you. * A mix of founders, builders, operators, and curious newcomers. * Drinks, chats, and maybe some new friends. 📍 Where: Simmons Bar \| Oxford Street\, 203 Wardour St\, London W1F 8ZH 🕕 When: From 6 PM, 1st Wednesday of every month House Rules * No hard selling or heavy pitching, this is a chill after-work meetup. * Not drinking? Totally fine, come for the people, stay for the conversation. So grab a drink, throw on your wristband, and come swap stories from the trenches. See you there! 🍻

**Moved from original date (requested by several members) due to the heat wave!** Most businesses know they have repetitive tasks, manual workflows, and administrative bottlenecks - but few know where to start when it comes to automation. In this practical introductory session, we'll explore how modern businesses are using AI, workflow automation, and intelligent agents to streamline operations, reduce costs, and free up teams to focus on higher-value work. You'll learn how to identify the best automation opportunities within your organisation, map existing processes, and build a roadmap for implementing automation without disrupting your business. We'll also demonstrate real-world examples of automated sales, marketing, customer service, finance, and operational workflows that are delivering measurable results today. Whether you're a business owner, manager, operations leader, or technology professional, this session will provide a clear framework for turning automation from a buzzword into a competitive advantage. ### What You'll Learn * Where automation delivers the biggest business impact * How to identify and prioritise processes for automation * The difference between traditional automation, AI, and intelligent automation * Common automation mistakes and how to avoid them * Real-world case studies and live demonstrations * A practical roadmap for getting started immediately ### Who Should Attend Business owners, founders, directors, operations leaders, department heads, and anyone interested in making their organisation more efficient through intelligent automation.

**Looking for a business networking event in London with focus on business owners, agencies, service providers?** 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** * **Meet business owners and B2B decision-makers** across industries in a relaxed, purposeful environment. **Build partnerships, generate referrals, and connect with potential clients, suppliers, and service providers.** * 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 real business conversations. * Hosts are there from the start to **help with introductions.** **Who You'll Meet** * **Business owners and founders from startups to established SMEs** * **B2B service providers** and agencies looking to grow their client base * **Business decision-makers** actively seeking partnerships, referrals, and new opportunities * Local businesses and London-based professionals across industries * Business professionals visiting London looking to expand their commercial network Please note: our events are theme-led rather than closed-sector events, so you may also meet relevant professionals from adjacent areas such as finance, property, tech, and business services. **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 casual **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.

**Looking for a business networking event in London for SMEs, local businesses, and entrepreneurs?** Join us for a relaxed **Saturday Social Networking Event in Covent Garden** hosted by digital business card app GMax Card (no paper cards needed any more). **What to Expect** **Quality conversations, relaxed networking, and a live DJ** throughout the evening - a **business crowd in a social setting**. **Exchange ideas, build partnerships, discover opportunities**, and grow your network in a welcoming yet professional atmosphere. Our hosts will **help introduce guests** early in the evening, before the event naturally flows into open networking, drinks, and **live DJ set** (not too loud for conversations). **Who You'll Meet** • SME owners, small business owners and local business owners • Entrepreneurs, founders, and startup teams • Solopreneurs and independent professionals • Bootstrapped founders and self-funded business owners • Freelancers and agency owners • SME decision-makers from diverse industries • International business owners visiting London **How the Evening Flows** 18:30 - Arrival & welcome 19:00 - Short guest introductions 19:30 - Open socialising/networking with live DJ 21:30 - Close **Venue - Sycamore Bar, Middle Eight Hotel** A refined cocktail bar in copper and gold tones. Located inside the 5-star Middle Eight Hotel in Covent Garden, just a short walk from Covent Garden, Holborn and Tottenham Court Road stations. **Dress Code** Business or smart attire recommended. Think polished Saturday evening out with a professional touch. **Tickets & GMax Cards** * Free RSVP tickets include only the access to the event. * Selected paid tickets include a premium contactless GMax Card. **Hosted by founder-built tech startups:** • [GMax Card – digital & contactless business cards](www.gmaxcard,com) (no paper cards needed anymore; update details any time) • [Ciitab – AI-powered LinkedIn networking](www.ciitab.com) and lead generation • [Getshop Today – web design/ecommerce agency](www.getshop.today) **Important Details** • 18+ event. ID may be required at the bar. • Photography and filming may take place for promotional use by [Cine Eye (AudioVisual Production Studio in London).](www.cineeye.co.uk) • Attendance is at your own risk. Organisers and venue accept no liability for loss, damage, or injury. **Spaces are limited, and early booking is recommended.** 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.

**Looking for a business networking event in London for property investors, landlords, agents, and developers?** Join us in **Covent Garden** for a quality networking evening hosted by a digital business card app GMax Card. **What to Expect** * **Connect with property professionals, investors, landlords, and developers** in a relaxed but purposeful setting - where conversations turn into deals, partnerships, and opportunities across the full property ecosystem: assets, acquisitions, the rental market, development, and beyond. * **Build valuable business relationships** across the property and business ecosystem, exchange ideas, spot market trends, and uncover opportunities. * A **lightly structured event** \- not a formal\, overcrowded conference\, nor a random pub mingle\. * An **atmosphere that feels high-quality yet relaxed**, with space for real professional conversations. * Hosts are there from the start to **help with introductions**. **Who You'll Meet** * Property developers, investors, and asset managers * Residential and commercial landlords * Estate agents, letting agents, and block managers * Architects, interior designers, and fit-out specialists * Surveyors, mortgage brokers, and bridging lenders * Solicitors, conveyancers, and planning consultants * PropTech founders and digital service providers * Business owners with property interests Please note: our events are theme-led rather than closed-sector events, so you may also meet relevant professionals from adjacent areas such as finance, investment, business services, technology and entrepreneurship. **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 and property 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.

Hello and welcome to our special joint meetup between **Cloud Platform Engineering London**, **Cloud Platform Engineering Leaders**, **Data & AI Leaders**, **AWS AI UG**, **Azure AI UG**, and **GCP London**. This crossover event brings together platform engineers, cloud architects, data and AI leaders, SREs, engineering managers, technology executives, and practitioners exploring how AI is reshaping modern cloud platforms, developer workflows, business transformation, and enterprise engineering. This is a special **Community Stack ecosystem event**, bringing together several of our cloud, platform, and data-focused communities for an evening of practical talks, senior technical discussion, and cross-community networking. A huge thank you to **[Arrows](https://www.arrowsgroup.com/)** for hosting and sponsoring this event, and for supporting the growth of the cloud, platform engineering, data, and AI community in London. Speakers and sessions: **Get a High Return-on-Investment from AI Business Transformation** **Nora Balla, Founder and AI Business Transformation Lead, Add Velocity** Nora Balla is the founder of Add Velocity, an AI-native business transformation and implementation consultancy. Nora has gained extensive experience across investment products, business transformation, finance operations, and regulated asset and wealth management environments. Previously a freelancer, she now operates in a collaborative delivery model, helping organisations scale AI and automation solutions in complex business settings. Her experience includes finance transformation at Harley-Davidson, reporting process improvements in commercial real estate funds, and supporting the Aladdin implementation at Royal London Asset Management. In this session, Nora will explore how organisations can achieve a stronger return on investment from AI business transformation. The talk will cover the opportunities and high-value use cases, the real risks organisations need to manage, the skills required for the agentic era, how to define and measure success, and practical tips for improving efficiency when working with AI systems. **Agents in the Fastlane** **Ryan Cormack, Principal Engineer, Motorway** **Luke Marrai, Engineering Manager, Motorway** Motorway has used traditional AI and machine learning for years to enhance and improve its systems. But how can those years of learning be applied to build the next generation of agentic systems for users? In this session, Ryan Cormack and Luke Marrai from Motorway will explore how they are enhancing the functionality of Motorway’s platform to provide more accurate search results for dealers looking to acquire stock through the online marketplace. The talk will cover how Motorway is using **AWS AgentCore** to run its agentic systems, and how evals are being used to ensure the system performs as expected. Ryan Cormack is a Principal Engineer at Motorway, the UK’s leading used car marketplace, where he leads technical strategy and drives AI-powered transformation across the engineering organisation. With over 14 years of experience building and scaling systems on AWS, Ryan specialises in turning architectural best practices into practical engineering outcomes, from cloud modernisation programmes to the adoption of agentic workflows and AI-native developer tooling. Luke Marrai is an Engineering Manager at Motorway, supporting engineering delivery and helping teams build effective, scalable technology for one of the UK’s leading automotive technology platforms. Agenda: **18:00** — Arrival, refreshments and networking **18:30** — Welcome and introduction **18:35** — Get a High Return-on-Investment from AI Business Transformation — Nora Balla **19:00** — Break and networking **19:20** — Agents in the Fastlane — Ryan Cormack and Luke Marrai **20:00** — Networking **20:45** — Close **Join us on June 11th:** We are also hosting the **Cloud Native & Open Source AI Conference** on **June 11th in London**, bringing together a fantastic line-up of speakers across AI, cloud-native, open-source, platform engineering, leadership, and modern infrastructure. You can view the full speaker line-up and event details **[here](https://www.communitystack.io/conferences/cloud-native-london)** **About the communities:** This event is jointly hosted across **Cloud Platform Engineering London**, **Cloud Platform Engineering Leaders**, **Data & AI Leaders**, **AWS AI UG**, **Azure AI UG**, and **GCP London**. Together, these communities form part of the **[Community Stack ecosystem](https://www.meetup.com/pro/generative-ai-uk-community/)**, bringing together technical practitioners, leaders, partners, and organisations across cloud, platform engineering, data, AI, and open technology. We are always keen to hear from speakers, hosts, sponsors, and community partners. If you would like to speak, sponsor, or host a future event, please reach out to **[Ethan Sumner](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethansumner404/)** via LinkedIn. This event follows the **[Community Stack Code of Conduct](https://www.communitystack.io/code-of-conduct)** and **[Privacy Policy](https://www.communitystack.io/privacy-policy)**, ensuring a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all attendees.

Register: [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ljc-meetup-at-neo4j-smarter-search-with-spring-ai-and-neo4j-tickets-1991379537804](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ljc-meetup-at-neo4j-smarter-search-with-spring-ai-and-neo4j-tickets-1991379537804) LJC Meet-ups is a series of events, aimed at giving all Community members an opportunity to present at an LJC event. We're excited to invite you to our next Meetup, co-hosted with **neo4j**! Join the London Java Community for an evening of technical talks, networking, and knowledge sharing hosted by Neo4j. This month’s meetup explores two of the hottest areas in modern software development: integrating Generative AI into Java applications and deploying Machine Learning models within Java ecosystems. Whether you’re a Java developer, architect, data engineer, or simply curious about the latest innovations shaping our industry, this session will provide practical insights and real-world examples from experienced practitioners.

**Theme**: Connect • Collaborate • Grow **Date**: Sunday, 5 July 2026 **Time:** 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM **Venue:** Grand Cholan, Canary Wharf, London About the Event: An inspiring networking and learning event bringing together women entrepreneurs, business owners, professionals, and tech enthusiasts to share experiences, build meaningful connections, and explore opportunities for growth. Key Topics: \* Entrepreneurship and business journeys \* Challenges and lessons learned \* Business growth and leadership \* Technology and AI \* Networking and collaboration Who Should Attend: Entrepreneurs, founders, business owners, corporate professionals, tech professionals, students, and aspiring entrepreneurs. Format: \* Speaker sessions (20 minutes each) \* Interactive discussions \* Networking \* Lunch and informal conversations

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)

**Practical Curiosity: Learning from Everyday Data** How do we actually get better at utilizing our day-to-day data? Fancy dashboards and complex models might look nice and draw attention, but that’s not where most of us spend our time. In fact those shiny outputs frequently sit unused, while the real insights are drawn from the analyst’s daily practice. Sometimes it’s as simple and as powerful as noticing that a segment is shrinking, a channel is underused, or certain links keep getting all the clicks. There’s many different places that the spark of insight can come from, but you have to keep your head in the data and know where to look. In this session, we’ll explore real-world examples of how segmentation, testing, and click behavior can uncover practical digital marketing opportunities. You’ll leave with inspiration for your own use cases, along with a few simple ways to ask better questions, spot meaningful patterns, and make smarter decisions without overcomplicating it. **About Our Speaker:** [Elaine Armbruster](https://www.linkedin.com/in/elainearmbruster/) is a Director of Digital Experience at the [American Diabetes Association](https://diabetes.org/), where she focuses on using data and insights to create smarter, more effective digital experiences. A lifelong Columbus resident, she has built her career in email marketing and the broader digital user journey, and is finding she most enjoys working in the messy middle where systems, data, and big ideas don’t quite line up yet. 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)

Join us for lunch and meet our very successful group. We are each others sales team...always looking for referrals for our members. If you are looking for new clients, let us help you out! Bring your business cards and brochures to share with us. We have a speaker each week so that we can learn about their business. Because we have only one member per business, we have many of the spots filled. However, we are specifically looking for an estate attorney, a handyman/electrician, and an event planner. We have referrals for you! All visitors are welcome. Any questions contact [pmarchio@farmersagent.com](mailto:pmarchio@farmersagent.com)

Most people use LLMs by feel: ask a question, read the answer, decide whether it “seems good,” and move on. That works for casual use. It does not work when you are building software, automating workflows, writing important documents, or relying on AI for anything that needs to be repeatable. In this talk, we’ll look at how to improve and evaluate the inputs and outputs of LLMs using practical measurement techniques. We’ll cover how prompt changes affect results, how to compare outputs, how to build simple evaluation sets, and how math-based methods like similarity scoring can help you move beyond guesswork. This will be beginner-friendly, so even if you don't know anything about AI, you should get something out of it. However, this will be a little more technical than our intro talks. You do not need to be an AI researcher, but programmers and technically curious attendees will get a lot out of it. We’ll cover: * Why “it looks good” is not enough * How to improve prompts by changing the input, context, and constraints * How to compare LLM outputs more systematically * Basic evaluation techniques for accuracy, consistency, and usefulness * How embeddings, cosine similarity, and scoring can help evaluate results * Where automated evaluation works — and where humans still need to stay in the loop By the end, you’ll have a practical mental model for treating LLMs less like magic and more like systems you can test, measure, and improve. LOGISTICS AND PARKING: The talk starts at 7:00 PM. The first half hour is reserved for everyone to get set up and mingle. Free pizza and drinks! The cheapest parking option is to find street parking, which will only cost you a few bucks. Otherwise, park in the nearby veteran's museum lot for $8. It's highly recommended you avoid the nearby $15 garage parking.

You can sleep in on the Sesquicentennial (observed), we’re shifting to the following Friday. But join the local UX community for a chat and some biscuits to catch up. If you were in CA for Figma Config, tell us all the lines and you can tell me how I can animate an SVG without coding it by hand, and why I’d even want to. Thanks to the team at Nationwide of supporting the group.

**[Official registration site --> https://luma.com/du41v0tg](https://luma.com/du41v0tg)** **[You must register and will receive an approval/confirmation](https://luma.com/du41v0tg).** We’re taking HustleBus from Columbus to **Black Tech Week in Cincinnati** for a high-signal, founder-only experience focused on community, collaboration, and momentum. ​ **Why Black Tech Week?** ​Black Tech Week is one of the best rooms in Ohio to meet builders, operators, investors, and ecosystem leaders. Expect meaningful connections, great energy, and programming that spotlights founders and what’s being built. ​ What’s included (thank you to our sponsors Huntington Bank, Burton D Morgan Foundation, and Lightship Foundation) * ​Founder-only HustleBus transportation (free) * ​**Black Tech Week ticket comped** for HustleBus participants (must register with code) * And much more! There are limited seats on the Hustle Bus, so if this sounds like something you want to get in on, register today * Learn more and Register here --> [https://luma.com/du41v0tg](https://luma.com/du41v0tg)

Highlights and Hidden Gems in SQL Server 2025 With so much emphasis on cloud data platforms and AI these days, SQL people can feel left behind by all the marketing hype. SQL Server 2025 was officially released in November of 2025, though, and contains a ton of improvements that will make our SQL Server deployments a bit faster, better, and more secure. There are even more improvements tucked into the release that never made a marketing blog or press release that you'll likely be learning about for the first time in this session! Join this session to learn about what makes your high availability a little more available, your performance a bit more performant, and your database more developer and app-friendly. Come spend an hour with SQL people talking SQL Server 2025 – the good, the "not quite ready for prime time", and the hidden awesomeness.