Empty Nesters

Where locals, expats & travellers turn Thursday into Small Friday. Hey everyone! Whether you’ve just landed in Zagreb, been here a while, or live right around the corner, **Small Friday International Zagreb** (**[SFIZ.FUN](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb)**) is your go-to for winter evenings, language swapping, and good times with great people. **Where?** The Beertija, Pavla Hatza 16 **When?** Thursdays, every other week from 8PM ✨ Free to join, just grab a drink and support the bar’s rockin’ vibe ✨ Open to all, all ages, all vibes, all language levels welcome **What to expect?** ️ **Language Exchange:** English, Croatian, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Ukrainian, Russian… you name it **Cultural Vibes:** Locals, expats, travellers, Erasmus students . . . sharing tips, stories & laughs ✨ **New Connections:** Real convos, real mates, winter evenings to remember **Weekend Planners:** From concerts, winter sports, partying to fests and day trips, let’s plot our winter adventures ❄️️ **Why now?** Winter is when Zagreb slows. The days are cold and sometimes snowy, the city quieter, more reflective. It’s the season for winter walks, museums and cinemas, snow-dusted hikes on Sljeme, and simple pleasures like warm food and long conversations indoors. Zagreb is unusual in that winter can mean a mini ski break close to home. Sljeme offers easy slopes for beginners and casual skiers, without crowds or queues. Ice skating adds to the rhythm, outdoors at Šalata or indoors at Velesajam and the Admiral Ice Dome. ⛸️ And the best way to share it? At **[SFIZ.FUN](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb)**. Our meetups are where plans get made, tips get swapped, and crews form to explore Zagreb together. **Why The Beertija?** Because it’s that place everyone ends up wishing they’d gone to ✨ Warm beer cellar vibes , cosy living-room energy ️☕, non-smoking inside (happy clothes, happy lungs ), plus a covered outdoor patio for quick smoke breaks . Skip it, and you’ll hear about it later Top tip: Turn up early, smile, catch someone’s eye, and dive into conversation, that’s how the magic starts No pressure, just rock up and join the crew. Let’s ditch the screen, grab a drink, and meet the world! See you soon, **SFIZ Crew** P.S. Spread the word https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb **How to Spot Us** New here? Best trick is to swing by right at the start, that’s when it’s easiest to find the crew and jump straight in, or ask the bar staff about the event ✨ Need quick updates or can’t see us straight away? No worries, our [WhatsApp group](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb/faq/sfiz-whatsapp-guide-keeping-it-fun-and-respectful) is where you can ask quick questions. #ZagrebGlobalMingle

**Offer one. Choose one - exchange of practical competence** At [SFIZ.FUN](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb/) we regularly exchange languages, cultures and perspectives. This time, we’re swapping something just as valuable: skills. For one hour, we’ll host a small Discovery Table inside the regular meetup. Each person brings: • One skill they’re happy to share • One skill they’d genuinely like to learn That’s it. No pitching. No awkward self-promotion. Just reciprocity, curiosity and mutual growth. **Why?** Because every room is full of hidden competence. Someone knows the thing you’ve been trying to figure out. You probably know something they’ve been looking for. This is about making that visible and letting connections form naturally afterwards, on your own terms. **How it flows** 60 minutes Focused gathering Short intro round Organic matching The rest of [SFIZ.FUN](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb/) continues around us, relaxed, social, international as always. Think of it as a tiny modern salon inside [The Beertija](https://beertija.com/). Community over competition. Reciprocity over hierarchy. Skills circulating, not just business cards. Curious? Take a seat. Let’s ditch the screen, grab a drink, and meet the world! See you soon, **SFIZ.FUN Crew** P.S. Spread the word https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb **How to Spot Us** New here? Best trick is to swing by right at the start, that’s when it’s easiest to find the crew and jump straight in, or ask the bar staff about the event ✨ Need quick updates or can’t see us straight away? No worries, our [WhatsApp group](https://sites.google.com/view/smallfridayinternationalzagreb/faq/sfiz-whatsapp-guide-keeping-it-fun-and-respectful) is where you can ask quick questions. #ZagrebGlobalMingle

Hello everyone! We're excited to invite you to our next meetup! This month, we'll be gathering at **Infinum**, where we have two engaging talks lined up, followed by some refreshments and time to connect. A big thank you to **Infinum** for hosting and sponsoring the event - we appreciate the support and the opportunity to bring the community together. Join us on **Thursday, 26th February at 6:00 PM**, at **Infinum offices, Strojarska 22**. \*\*\* **What 80+ AI transcripts taught us about how developers actually work with AI** by Ariel Buchwald-Kearney You asked for a toast component. The agent built a notification framework with debouncing, keyboard shortcuts, and suggestion popovers. You asked it to fix a bug. It guessed, applied the fix, and moved on without checking. Sound familiar? We ran workshops where developers built real features with coding agents, then analysed over 80 transcripts to find out what's actually going wrong, and what those who get good results do differently. This talk covers what we found, with concrete examples you can try in your next session. **Controlled Chaos: How vibe coding wins in production** by Boris Martinović Vibe coding gets a bad rap. Half the dev world swears by it and the other half thinks you're seconds away from doomsday. However, here's what nobody talks about: the best code in production often comes from a place of flow, not formality. This talk challenges the myth that vibe coding is reckless by exploring what "controlled chaos" actually means, and when it thrives in professional environments. We'll walk through real projects where embracing the vibe made all the difference, as well as show cases where it turned into an AI slop. Not to sound too cliche, but...spolier alert: it's way more contextual than anyone admits. Looking forward to seeing you there! Marcela

We're organizing another drinkup this month - join us at the usual place - Fakin Craft Bar!

Pozdrav Gopheri Novi meetup ! Tema ovog druženja je: * **Cirkus vatre i pepela** Kako živimo i umiremo u svijetu izrade softvera kontrolirani vlastitim zabludama Lokacija: Sportska Dvorana Martinovka dvorana M-Lab1 https://maps.app.goo.gl/fNnp9YWzCkK6nXeYA \- kod FER\-a \- okupljanje pred ulazom dvorane Martinovka Kao i uvijek, pozivamo vas da nam se javite s temom za predavanje. Dobrodošle su i teme za manje iskusne. Također vas pozivamo da nam se pridružite na Gophers slack kanalu: #croatia https://invite.slack.golangbridge.org/ Hello Gophers, New meetup! Talk: * **Circus of fire and ash** On how we live and die in software engineering controlled by our own fallacies Location: Sportska Dvorana Martinovka hall M-Lab1 https://maps.app.goo.gl/fNnp9YWzCkK6nXeYA \- near FER

**Women’s sports** are no longer a niche — they are one of the **fastest-growing and most exciting areas of the global sports industry**. *The Power of Women’s Sports* brings together **industry leaders** to explore what’s driving this **growth**, where the real **opportunities** lie, and what’s needed to sustain long-term **momentum**. This panel is for anyone working in **sports, media, data, business, partnerships, or technology** — and for everyone who believes women’s sports deserve **equal attention, investment, and ambition**. \*\*\* ** What We'll Discuss:** * The growth and professionalization of women’s sports * Attendance, investment, and commercial interest * Fan engagement and media demand * Why sustained investment matters * How data, organizations, and platforms can support long-term momentum ** Meet our Panelists:** * **Louise Beltrame-Bawden**, Director of Women's Sport Strategy, **Stats Perform (Opta)** * **Gustavo Arellano**, Head of Commercial Development, **FIBA** * **Marta Bihar**, Head of Business Development, **Sofascore** * **Moderator: Damjan Rudež,** Senior Advisor for Global Partnerships, **Sofascore** & Director of the **Sunset Sports Festival** Beyond the numbers, the message is clear: **women’s sports are a growing force in the global sports business**. For the first time in Croatia, we’re bringing industry leaders together to explore what comes next. ** When: Thursday, February 26, 6 PM** ** Where: Sofascore, Vrbani 4, Zagreb** ** [REGISTER HERE TO ATTEND THE EVENT](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXl-KbaAuVt4d-xEBF970w5By6h_oZl0zCOlrzPxp33Jn67g/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=106376026473209544294) ** **AGENDA** **5:45 - 6:00 PM** \- Arrival **6:00 - 7:00 PM** \- Panel **7:00 - 7:15 PM** \- Q&A **7:15 - 8:30 PM** \- Networking \*\*\* **More about our panelists:** **[Louise Beltrame-Bawden](https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-beltrame-bawden-06190530/), Director of Women's Sport Strategy, Stats Perform (Opta)** Louise is the Director of Women’s Sports Strategy at Stats Perform, where she leads the company’s global efforts to accelerate the growth, visibility, and commercial value of women’s sport through data, AI, and storytelling. With a background in sports journalism and international content leadership, Louise brings a media-first perspective to the data revolution reshaping sport. She has worked closely with leagues, federations, broadcasters, and digital platforms to deliver live coverage at scale, giving her firsthand insight into how data quality influences coverage, fan engagement, and commercial opportunity. Louise now focuses on building go-to-market frameworks and partnership strategies that help the industry unlock long-term commercial growth in women’s sport. **[Gustavo Arellano](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gustavo-arellano-jorge/), Head of Commercial Development, The International Basketball Federation (FIBA)** Gustavo combines a background in engineering, business, and sports management with more than 20 years of international commercial experience. At FIBA, he built the federation’s market intelligence function, supported the rollout of a new global competition system, and shaped the multi-event sponsorship strategy for major tournaments. Today, he leads strategic initiatives across the FIBA ecosystem, with a strong focus on the commercialization of media rights and digital assets, esports, licensing, sponsorship, digital transformation, and the FIBA Academy. Beyond his executive role, Gustavo contributes as a guest lecturer in leading sports management programmes and is co-founder of a Lausanne-based sports think tank. **[Marta Bihar](https://www.linkedin.com/in/martacuculic/), Head of Business Development, Sofascore** Marta is Head of Business Development at Sofascore, with a strong background in sales and business development. Over the past few years, she has established herself as a driven leader, bringing innovative ideas and a clear strategic vision to the team. Marta has played a key role in the development of Torneo, contributing to the digitalization and democratization of sport, while actively pushing for greater visibility and equality of women’s sports within the Sofascore app. **[Damjan Rudež](https://www.linkedin.com/in/damjan-rude%C5%BE-b1456b235/), Senior Advisor for Global Partnerships, Sofascore** Damjan is a former professional basketball player with a rich international career spanning 13 teams across seven countries, including NBA stints with the Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Orlando Magic. He represented Croatia at major international competitions such as the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the 2015 FIBA World Cup. After retiring from professional sport, he moved into sports business and media. He is the Director of the Sunset Sports Festival and Senior Advisor for Global Partnerships at Sofascore.

WQC has weekly Thursday night social nights at the Westerville Java Central. Come and grab a coffee and connect with the community: low stakes, chill environment, and tasty drinks. No registration is required; come as you are.

**Karaoke Night**: Bring your glee club friends. Enjoy a flashback to your choir days. No chorus line. It's all you baby. Sing. Shout. Scream. Lip sync if you need to. But do show up and do have a good time. **On Freestyle night** \- just bring a bottle to share\. There is NO formal wine tasting like on other weeks\. Door charge is $10 \(cash or Venmo only please\)\. We may have some left over wines to clear out\! Glasses are provided\. Take Care\. See you there\. **Parking**: There are several public parking lots near the Alive614 hall. Please be careful to NOT park in private parking lots. They do tow. Check Google maps to scope out your space. Anyone who is early could easily find a parking space on the street nearby. I am told that the Chase parking lot is safe after hours. **Glasses**: …will be provided. Please note that after the wine tasting, the EMPTY glasses need to be returned to the boxes at the service table. Please do not make me hunt down your empty glass. Please be gentle, our glasses are fragile. Uh, they are made of glass! **Food**: You are welcome to bring a snack to share. It is not required. Most people do though. If no one brings anything, there will be nothing. **Code of Conduct**: Though mostly understood, it’s still worth mentioning. We don’t have rules per se, but we highly discourage the following topics of discussion because they are likely to incite anti-social responses - Sex, Politics, Religion. Please don’t mistake this as an attempt to limit your free speech rights but rather a guide to a place and time for appropriate discussions. **After the lights go out**: After the last sip of wine, when we clean up and turn the lights out, if you still haven’t had enough of us, it is typical for a group to get together and go to a local eatery for food and/or drinks or coffee. Again, We look forward to meeting new members and reuniting with old friends. Sincerely, ***Paul Uttermohlen***, **Red 1 Realty** *Your Hilliard Wine Club Host*

Connected Westerville Night of Networking flips the script on networking, with surprises and connections that'll make you say, "Who knew networking could be this much fun?!"