Information Retrieval
Meet other local people interested in Information Retrieval: share experiences, inspire and encourage each other! Join a Information Retrieval group.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Check out information retrieval events happening today here. These are in-person gatherings where you can meet fellow enthusiasts and participate in activities right now.
Discover all the information retrieval events taking place this week here. Plan ahead and join exciting meetups throughout the week.
Absolutely! Find information retrieval events near your location here. Connect with your local community and discover events within your area.
Information Retrieval Events Today
Join in-person Information Retrieval events happening right now
Lockpicking Monthly Meetup
Come out to our monthly meetups if you are:
•New to lockpicking and want to learn.
•Experienced with locks and lockpicking and excited to teach and exchange knowledge.
We have lots of loaner locks and picks for people to try without needing any supplies of their own.
Join the Toool Toronto discord https://discord.gg/fuamRhuAdD
We are now going back to primarily an in-person meeting. If you would like to join online, its best to bring this up in the #meeting-night-discussion channel beforehand and then find us in our Meeting Room voice channel on Wednesday night.
This event is hosted at a volunteer run makerspace:
Site 3 coLaboratory
718R Ossington Ave
Toronto, ON M6G 3T7
💡❓ Brass Facts Trivia @ Eataly/Birroteca 🧠
J## 🧠🎉 Brass Facts Trivia @ Eataly/Birroteca🍻
**Think fast, laugh hard, and make new friends!**
We’ll be meeting at Brass Facts Trivia @ Eataly/Birrotecar.
\#\#\# 🕖 About the Event
Trivia start at **7:30 PM** and runs until around **10:30 PM**.
**ask for Colleen’s group** when you arrive!
Expect a lively mix of **pop culture, history, music, sports, and random fun questions**, and great food! 🧩💬
\#\#\# 💸 Cost & Policy
Everyone must spend at least **$10 (plus tax & tip)** at the pub.
**NEW POLICY:**
* 🆕 *First-timers* must send a **$5 deposit** by e-transfer to \*\*[tommills@rogers.com**](http://tommills@rogers.com%2A%2A/) and message Colleen right away on this page or the sign-up page.
* 💌 There will be a **$1 reminder charge** if you don’t send the deposit promptly.
* 👥 You may bring **1 guest**, but please e-transfer **$10** in advance. You’ll be refunded once your guest arrives.
\#\#\# 🧠 Why You’ll Love It
Trivia night isn’t just about questions — it’s about **connection, laughter, and teamwork**. Whether you’re a trivia pro or just in it for the fun, it’s always a great time!
📱 **Don’t forget to join our WhatsApp group** – [CLICK HERE!](https://chat.whatsapp.com/H59mSCbsAi018gYANrKAnc?mode=ac_t)
\#\#\# ⚠️ Notes
* Please don’t just “show up” without RSVPing — seating is limited, and teams need to be balanced.
* Occasionally, the organizer may need to rearrange teams if one is *too stacked* (e.g., all the sports or music experts together!).
* Sometimes things happen — events can be canceled or adjusted, so keep an eye out for updates.
*
📩 **Questions?**
Contact **Colleen**, your organizer, by posting on the event page.
Trivia starts at 7:30p.m., but we meet at 7p.m. - ask the staff for colleen's tables. **everyone MUST spend at least $10 (plus tax and tip) on food/drinks.**
**1ST TIMERS MUST E-TRANSFER A $5 DEPOSIT TO [tommills@rogers.com,](http://tommills@rogers.com,/) AND INFORM COLLEEN ON THIS PAGE, THE SIGN UP PAGE, OR PERSONAL MSG. PAGE, AS SOON AS YOU SIGN UP. you will be refunded in cash if/when you show up.**
**ANYONE BRINGING 1 GUEST MUST E-TRANSFER A $10 REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT FOR THEIR GUEST.** **IT CAUSES ME EXTRA STRESS & WORK WHEN 1ST TIMERS DON'T SEND THEIR E-DEPOSITS AS REQUESTED,**
**SO IF I NEED TO REMIND ANYONE TO DO THIS RIGHT AWAY, THEY WILL BE CHARGED $1 FOR EACH REMINDER.**
Board Gaming for Dads - York Region
\*\*NEW LOCATION UPDATE\*\*
HELLO Everyone,
We are happy to announce that our 6 year running group will be moving our weekly event back to our old location which is now under the Fionn MacCools banner. Game night will be at Fionn MacCools at 125 York Blvd #135 in Richmond Hill.
Start time is at 7 PM sharp, so please do you absolute best to show up at least a few minutes before then. If you feel you are running late, let us know in the group chat or contact one of the organizers directly.
If you are new to the group, we are made up of a friendly group of Dad's who like to play large variety of Euro style games both new and old.
We encourage everyone to please try and support venue partner with food and/or drink orders, if at all possible.
While the organizers usually bring a number of titles, it's fairly common for attendees to bring a game or two of their own to these events. You may want to keep in mind factors like game duration and table space required, set up time and repacking time. If you do not have anything to bring, don't feel like you have to, we've got you covered.
Because the player count is usually not known precisely until everyone shows up, having extra games around with varying player counts helps when deciding what to play.
Looking forward to seeing you at our next event!! PLEASE RSVP if you are coming, cheers!!
Practical Philosophy Meetup - Toronto 🇨🇦
**NO PHILOSOPHY EXPERTISE REQUIRED!**
**🏛️ WHAT'S PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY ABOUT?**
Practical Philosophy is a weekly meet-up that brings critical thinkers together for an opportunity to dive deep on a topic, practice communicating, and building a community. All with no ‘official’ philosophy knowledge required! 😎
Practical Philosophy is based on the idea that philosophy should be accessible to all, and not something reserved only for academics. Each week we choose a topic, and the goal is to use the conversation to develop our critical thinking and communication as we explore that topic.
The goal is to help develop our Critical Thinking, Communication, and Community 🙌
**📓 HOW DOES IT WORK?**
Each week, we pick one topic and discuss it. The topic for the week is shared, generally in the [Whatsapp group](https://chat.whatsapp.com/B7LyJIeBlaH5VtXkMJTTph?mode=gi_t), along with jump-off points to get the conversation going.
When groups get bigger than 7-8 people, it’s important that we break into smaller groups. This way we are able to maintain a conversational flow as opposed to having our meetups feel like a discourse or lecture.
**General Meeting Agenda**
Each Practical Philosophy meet-up follows this general timeline:
* 19:30-19:45 - People arrive and chat, get to know each other before the official start.
* 19:45-19:55 - Meeting introduction, explanation of Practical Philosophy and the topic for the week, read the guidelines and the overview so attendees know what to expect in terms of timelines.
* 19:55-21:15 - Break into small groups - introduce yourselves and general thoughts on the topic, open discussion afterwards. At this point the group can review the ‘jump-off’ questions as needed, but they are just there to help guide the conversation. It’s not obligatory to answer them.
* 21:15-21:30 - Bring everyone back together to discuss conclusions of the topic - each group gives a short 1-minute summary. Organizer concludes the meeting and everyone takes a group photo.
* 21:30 - The official meeting is over but it’s a great opportunity to get to know people in a non-structured environment, so we often stick around, chat, and get to know each other.
**🧧PRICING?**
Practical Philosophy is operated entirely on voluntary donations! If we are meeting in a café, buy a beverage! Donations are 100% voluntary, but they help us to bring the gift of deep conversation to people around the world. If you'd like to support, you can [donate here](https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/donate-to-practical-philosophy)!
(Practical Philosophy is a registered Canadian charity)
**💛 WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY**
**🗣** “I feel like Philosophy Club helps someone build their own belief system through a series of perspectives while not promoting what’s right and wrong” - Ekam
🗣 “I got hooked from day 1 (the topic was authority) and felt it was the right place for me. I feel it is a place where people can go to learn and discuss new perspectives and increase critical thinking and community by interacting with people who might challenge your point of views but at the same time encourage you to have openness and mind flexibility.” - Daniel
**🤓 FAQ**
* **Do I need to study or read anything to attend?**
No preparation is necessary. This isn’t a study of other thinkers. We want to know what you think about the topic, not what an old philosopher thought. If you have a perspective from a religion or a school of thought to share, throw it on the table and we’ll discuss it.
* **Is there a specific philosophy that Practical Philosophy is focused on?**
The goal of our meet-ups is to not have dogmatic discussions, and flex our critical thinking muscles. Because of this, we want to hear from every realm of thought, and don't study a particular school.
* **Is it mostly men that attend?**
Surprisingly, no! Although often, philosophy is seen as a Candelabra affair in a dark room with a bunch of guys, our Practical Philosophy meetups are generally 50/50 between genders, and we don’t meet in any dark rooms.
* **Can I come alone?**
Of course you can, we encourage it :)
* **Can I be late?**
Please don't be! We do have a 15 minute grace period where we allow people to funnel in while we hang out, but after that if you arrive too late, it disrupts the flow of the conversation.
* **Where do you meet?**
The location is posted in Meetup and our [Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/B7LyJIeBlaH5VtXkMJTTph?mode=gi_t) group for this location. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you join the Whatsapp group! If you want to know what other cities have a Practical Philosophy Club, you can see our chapters on our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/practical-philosophy-locations/).
🤝**POLICY**
To respect our members privacy, we ask that no one privately message a member without first getting explicit consent. (This looks like speaking in person and being asked to message privately.) Contacting or texting other participants without prior consent is not permitted and may result in removal from the group. Practical Philosophy reserves the right to enforce this policy at its discretion to maintain a safe and respectful environment.
**PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY CLUB - Philosophy, everywhere. ✨**
We started in Practical Philosophy back in 2021 and there are now 50+ chapters in over 25 countries, including Canada, Spain, Japan, Mexico and many more! 🗺️
**\*\*\***
**Join our [Toronto Whatsapp](https://chat.whatsapp.com/B7LyJIeBlaH5VtXkMJTTph?mode=gi_t) 👈**
**Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/practicalphilosophyclub/) 👈**
**Our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/) 👈**
June Speed Dating for Professionals (Ages 30-45)
We need 5 females for this event or we cancel!!!
Skip the endless swiping and meet real people, face to face.
Get up to **20 mini dates** with like-minded singles (ages **30–45**) who meet our curated criteria — all in a **chic King West bar**. Structured, comfortable, and perfect for **introverts who prefer meaningful conversations** over small talk.
**When:** Wednesday\, June 3\, 2026 \| 7:00pm – 10:00pm
**Where:** Dzo viet eatery (308 Dundas Street West)
**Tickets:** [\[Buy Here\]](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/toronto-dating-hub-june-speed-dating-for-professionals-ages-30-45-tickets-1990059189607?aff=meetup)
**(must buy ticket from website - RSVP from Meetup doesn't count)**
✨ **What to Expect:**
* A dedicated & experienced host/emcee – Andrea Lo
* Fun icebreakers & guided introductions to warm up the room
* Structured speed dating rounds (1–1.5 hrs – short & sweet)
* Open mingling to reconnect with matches or meet anyone you missed
* Digital match form for easy post-event follow-ups
Can’t make it? Follow **[Toronto Dating Hub](https://www.torontodatinghub.com/)** for upcoming mixers & events!
Koerner Hall: 2026 Griffin Poetry Prize Readings
We attend the **Griffin Poetry Prize** every year!
*A superb literary night of prose!*
https://griffinpoetryprize.com/
*The Griffin Poetry Prize has been acknowledging and encouraging poets for twenty-two years. At a time when censorship and attacks on a diverse array of writers are on the rise in many countries – including the United States – it’s heartening to see such a strong vote of confidence in poets coming from Canada. Poetry is not a minor art form; it is the crucible of human language.*
Margaret Atwood, Founding Trustee
**Tickets are $25 or $30,** with the purchase link below. Tickets have just gone on sale. Includes a lovely WINE reception.
Any seat is a great seat. I am sitting in Orchestra, Row M.
On Wednesday June 3rd--
The evening will include a selection of readings by some of the **world’s best poets,** including the five poets shortlisted for the **$130,000 Griffin Poetry Prize,** this year’s Lifetime Recognition Award recipient, and the Canadian First Book Prize winner.
It will be a celebration of poetry not to be missed! A harvester of words at the highest level. Language artists!
If you've **not** attended before--take a chance this year. You will experience nothing like it. This is our 8th year attending.
**Ticket link--any seat is a great seat**
https://www.rcmusic.com/events-and-performances/2026-griffin-poetry-prize-readings
\-\-\-In 2023\, 2024\, 2025\-\-30\+ of us attended each year\. Your ticket also **includes** an anthology of poems by short-listed authors (worth $20 at book shop), and some wine!
NOTE: the 6:00 pm start time (wine reception/yummy snacks)
Plan ahead so you can get there in time. Arrive by 630pm.
Practical Philosophy Meetup - Port Credit 🇨🇦
**🏛️ WHAT'S PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY ABOUT?**
Practical Philosophy is a weekly meet-up that brings critical thinkers together for an opportunity to dive deep on a topic, practice communicating, and building a community. All with no ‘official’ philosophy knowledge required! 😎
Practical Philosophy is based on the idea that philosophy should be accessible to all, and not something reserved only for academics. Each week we choose a topic, and the goal is to use the conversation to develop our critical thinking and communication as we explore that topic.
The goal is to help develop our Critical Thinking, Communication, and Community 🙌
**📓 HOW DOES IT WORK?**
Each week, we pick one topic and discuss it. The topic for the week is shared, generally in the [Whatsapp group](https://tally.so/r/81LP4A), along with jump-off points to get the conversation going.
When groups get bigger than 7-8 people, it’s important that we break into smaller groups. This way we are able to maintain a conversational flow as opposed to having our meetups feel like a discourse or lecture.
**General Meeting Agenda**
Each Practical Philosophy meet-up follows this general timeline:
* 19:00-19:15 - People arrive and chat, get to know each other before the official start.
* 19:15-19:25 - Meeting introduction, explanation of Practical Philosophy and the topic for the week, read the guidelines and the overview so attendees know what to expect in terms of timelines.
* 19:25-20:45 - Break into small groups - introduce yourselves and general thoughts on the topic, open discussion afterwards. At this point the group can review the ‘jump-off’ questions as needed, but they are just there to help guide the conversation. It’s not obligatory to answer them.
* 20:45-21:00 - Bring everyone back together to discuss conclusions of the topic - each group gives a short 1-minute summary. Organizer concludes the meeting and everyone takes a group photo.
* 21:00 - The official meeting is over but it’s a great opportunity to get to know people in a non-structured environment, so we often stick around, chat, and get to know each other.
**🧧PRICING?**
Practical Philosophy is operated entirely on voluntary donations! If we are meeting in a café, buy a beverage! Donations are 100% voluntary, but they help us to bring the gift of deep conversation to people around the world. If you'd like to support, you can [donate here](https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/donate-to-practical-philosophy)!
(Practical Philosophy is a registered Canadian charity)
**💛 WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY**
**🗣** “I feel like Philosophy Club helps someone build their own belief system through a series of perspectives while not promoting what’s right and wrong” - Ekam
🗣 “I got hooked from day 1 (the topic was authority) and felt it was the right place for me. I feel it is a place where people can go to learn and discuss new perspectives and increase critical thinking and community by interacting with people who might challenge your point of views but at the same time encourage you to have openness and mind flexibility.” - Daniel
**🤓 FAQ**
* **Do I need to study or read anything to attend?**
No preparation is necessary. This isn’t a study of other thinkers. We want to know what you think about the topic, not what an old philosopher thought. If you have a perspective from a religion or a school of thought to share, throw it on the table and we’ll discuss it.
* **Is there a specific philosophy that Practical Philosophy is focused on?**
The goal of our meet-ups is to not have dogmatic discussions, and flex our critical thinking muscles. Because of this, we want to hear from every realm of thought, and don't study a particular school.
* **Is it mostly men that attend?**
Surprisingly, no! Although often, philosophy is seen as a Candelabra affair in a dark room with a bunch of guys, our Practical Philosophy meetups are generally 50/50 between genders, and we don’t meet in any dark rooms.
* **Can I come alone?**
Of course you can, we encourage it :)
* **Can I be late?**
Please don't be! We do have a 15 minute grace period where we allow people to funnel in while we hang out, but after that if you arrive too late, it disrupts the flow of the conversation.
* **Where do you meet?**
The location is posted in Meetup and our [Whatsapp](https://tally.so/r/81LP4A) group for this location. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you join the Whatsapp group! If you want to know what other cities have a Practical Philosophy Club, you can see our chapters on our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/).
🤝**POLICY**
To respect our members privacy, we ask that no one privately message a member without first getting explicit consent. (This looks like speaking in person and being asked to message privately.) Contacting or texting other participants without prior consent is not permitted and may result in removal from the group. Practical Philosophy reserves the right to enforce this policy at its discretion to maintain a safe and respectful environment.
**PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY CLUB - Philosophy, everywhere. ✨**
We started in Practical Philosophy back in 2021 and there are now 50+ chapters in over 25 countries, including Canada, Spain, Japan, Mexico and many more! 🗺️
**\*\*\***
**Join our [Mississauga Whatsapp](https://tally.so/r/81LP4A) 👈**
**Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/practicalphilosophyclub/) 👈**
**Our [website](https://www.practicalphilosophy.club/) 👈**
Information Retrieval Events This Week
Discover what is happening in the next few days
Could Frontier Labs’ Internal Agents Already Go Rogue?
This is a ticketed event. You can register [here](https://luma.com/trajec-2gru).
Could an AI company’s internal coding agents create a “rogue deployment”, a set of agents running without human knowledge or permission? In February and March 2026, [METR](https://metr.org/?utm_source=luma), the organization behind the [time horizons graph](https://metr.org/time-horizons/), conducted a pilot of a process to assess just that. Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta, and OpenAI gave us access to their most capable internal LLMs and a wide range of non-public information. We concluded that, while internal agents plausibly had the means, motive, and opportunity to start small rogue deployments, they didn’t have the means to avoid human detection indefinitely.
METR researcher Thomas Broadley explains the process, the six key facts that informed our conclusion, and how we expect risk to evolve over the next few months.
You can watch a livestream of the talk [here](https://www.youtube.com/@Trajectory-Labs/live?utm_source=luma).
Improv Class for New Friends
Don't be disappointed if you don't see a bunch of people attending. I advertise this on multiple platforms and the class usually sells out.
\*\*If you don't use Paypal, email me at ralph@socap.ca and we'll figure it out. You can pay be etransfer or with a credit card/cash at the venue.\*\*
Improv comedy uses several techniques to create laughter. These include, creating an atmosphere free of judgement, saying 'yes', active listening, being positive, putting your focus on others, and the importance of play and laughter.
Not coincidentally, these are the same things that happen to us naturally when we are bonding with another person.
In this class, we'll explore these techniques not with the goal of being funny, but with the goal of being people that other people want to be around.
The teacher, Ralph MacLeod, is a co-founder of two independent improv clubs in Toronto - Bad Dog Theatre and Social Capital Theatre. He's been teaching improv for over 30 years. He also teaches these same techniques to several organizations including UofT, Google, Kraft, Shopify and many, many more.
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have!
FAQs and Good To Know....
After every event, a group from this class sit down and have a drink together so be prepared to stay if you want! Of course, you don't HAVE to.
You also don't have to be single or bring a friend. The vibe of this class is much more 'making new friends' than a 'singles' mixer'.
We usually run to 8:15 so pay for extra parking!
PyData London 2026
PyData London 2026 brings together data scientists, engineers, and researchers from around the world for three days of insightful talks, tutorials, and community connection. Hosted in one of Europe’s leading tech hubs, the event highlights the latest developments in Python, machine learning, and data science. Attendees can expect a mix of cutting-edge research, real-world applications, and opportunities to network with industry leaders. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, PyData London offers something for every level of the data science community.
**THIS IS NOT A TICKET- TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED ON CONFERENCE WEBSITE.**
https://pydata.org/london2026
NEW LOCATION Sunday PUB-NIGHT/iNtuitive Banter at The Madison
**NEW LOCATION - Madison Avenue Pub**
**Dates will vary over the next few weeks due to FIFA schedule.**
Join your community of fellow Intuitives and MBTI nerds for a casual evening of engaging conversation.
We get together every second Sunday – with a mix of regulars and new friends. There is no fee to attend, though we ask that you support the venue by ordering something to eat or drink.
**Feel free to contact event host B. via Facebook/Meetup messenger, or text/call 416-712-8635 for directions**.
About the venue: Madison Avenue Pub, 14 Madison Ave
Nearest Subway: Spadina
Map / Directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/scdLEYqb9LNJWkgWA
We make an effort to find pubs that are quiet and introvert friendly, with a section to ourselves. We make no effort to muffle our extroverts, but should they get out of hand, our resident INTJ will use their death stare, to pull them back in line.
80s/90s Retro GUILTY Pleasures w/ MADONNA Spotlight
\- Living On Video & DJ Lazarus presents \-
**Sat June 6 - 80s & 90s Retro 'GUILTY' Pleasures Video Dance Party w/ MADONNA Spotlight**
ADVANCED TICKETS ONLY $10: https://madonnaspotlight.eventbrite.ca
'GUILTY' brings the 80s & 90s back to life with the BIGGEST HITS and ONE HIT WONDERS of the time.
\-\-\-\-\-
You'll have a blast dancing with hundreds of people as 'GUILTY' has become one of the busiest retro events in Toronto.
\-\-\-\-\-
'GUILTY' has 9 giant video screens playing the music videos you remember from Much Music and MTV.
\-\-\-\-\-
DJ Lazarus and 'Be Kind Rewind' spin a fun mix of big retro hits to keep you on the dance floor.
Saturday June 6, 2026
Retro 'GUILTY' Pleasures Video Dance Party w/ MADONNA Spotlight
BIGGEST HITS and ONE HIT WONDERS of the 80's & 90's
Ground Control - 1279 Queen St West - Toronto
Lounge 9pm - Mainroom 10pm - 19+ Event
$10 Advanced Tix: https://madonnaspotlight.eventbrite.ca
$15 at the door
INVITE: www.facebook.com/events/953883060781769
(please INVITE and SHARE with your friends)
\-\-\-\-\-
GUILTY is an unabashed night of HUGE RETRO HITS and ONE HIT WONDERS of the 80's & 90's.
\-\-\-\-\-
Hear and see popular artists like Madonna, Prince, Wham!, Culture Club, Cher, Spice Girls, Michael Jackson, Ace of Base, Van Halen, Huey Lewis, Britney Spears, Milli Vanilli, Cyndi Lauper, Backstreet Boys, and Pat Benetar, TLC, to one hit wonders such as Boys Don’t Cry, Phil Collins, Baltimora, Taco, Rick Astley, Aqua, Tiffany, and more.
Facebook: http://facebook.com/groundcontroltoronto
Facebook: http://facebook.com/djlazarusrocks
Instagram: http://instagram.com/djlazarusrocks
Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/panicretroparty
Test Automation Summit, Toronto
AI is becoming part of automation, observability, and quality workflows.
As adoption grows, teams are also managing new challenges around complexity, engineering data, and trust.
Join us at the Test Automation Summit – Toronto 2026 \| Toronto\, Canada \| 5 June 2026 & explore practical insights on AI\-assisted quality engineering\, agentic AI\, observability\, and scalable QA workflows\.
Who Should Attend
• QA & Quality Engineering Leaders
• Automation Engineers & SDETs
• Engineering & Delivery Managers
• DevOps & Platform Teams
• Teams exploring AI-assisted engineering workflows
• Professionals focused on scalability, observability, and quality strategy
Join QA leaders and practitioners sharing real-world experiences from modern engineering environments.
These are some of the conversations shaping modern QA today — and they’re exactly what this summit is designed to explore.
Keynote Session
Neil Price-Jones, President of TASSQ
What Are We Going to Do with All the Information?
A perspective on how engineering teams can make better use of growing amounts of testing, quality, and operational data.
Featured Sessions
\- Jeremy Berriault\, Founder of Berriault & Associates Consulting Group
AI Won’t Save Your Quality: Build a Decision-Making Operating System That Scales. Exploring why sustainable quality engineering requires stronger operational decision-making — not just more AI tools.
\- Don Jackson\, Technical Evangelist from Perforce Software
Sick of Framework Frustrations? Agentic AI Can Remove Them All.
A practical discussion on how agentic AI may help reduce complexity within automation frameworks and engineering workflows.
\- Natalia Moyseyenko\, Head of Test Management Practice from EPAM Canada
AI-Powered Quality Engineering: Strategy, Automation, and Insights at Scale. Insights into how AI-assisted quality engineering practices are evolving across enterprise-scale environments.
Panel Discussion
Navigating the Next Wave: How AI, Sustainability, and Human-Centered Design Are Redefining Quality Assurance
Featuring:
\- Rob Virdee\, Senior Consultant from NVP Software Solutions
\- Ian Howlett\, Vice President from Innosphere
\- Syed Faeez Sultan\, Associate Director from Iris Software
Fireside Speakers
Rob Virdee\, Senior Consultant \| NVP Software Solutions
Ari Rowland\, Co\-founder \| Canadian Quality and Testing Association\.
Topic: Beyond the Hype: Personal Journeys in Shaping the Future of QA through Artificial Intelligence and Ethical Innovation
Why This Event Matters
Many organisations are currently experimenting with AI across engineering and QA workflows.
At the same time, teams are also navigating the following:
• Increasing delivery complexity
• Larger volumes of engineering data
• Faster release expectations
• Evolving automation architectures
This summit focuses on those practical realities through implementation experiences, engineering discussions, and lessons learned from teams actively exploring the shift.
Seats are starting to fill — if this is already on your radar, it’s worth planning early.
[Register here](https://www.testingmind.com/event/test-automation-summit-toronto/?utm_source=meetup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Toronto)
If you're involved in modern QA, engineering quality, automation, or secure delivery practices – this is a conversation worth being part of.
Information Retrieval Events Near You
Connect with your local Information Retrieval community
Data & Analytics Wednesday - Finding Product Insights
**The Behavior Gap: Where Products Win or Lose**
Teams today have more data than ever, and yet many still struggle to understand why customers adopt, engage with, or abandon their products. Teams sprint, ship faster, and chase more signals… all while metrics stall and confidence drops. The missing piece isn’t more data. It’s often the behavioral insight between the metrics, explaining why the numbers move in the first place. Dashboards can tell you what customers did, but understanding why they did it (and how to influence what they do next) requires a deeper blend of insights. This session is about closing that gap.
Drawing from real-world experience designing and scaling products as [ZoCo Design](https://zocodesign.com/)’s CEO, [Lacey](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceypicazo/) will share how to cut through the noise and identify the insights that actually change behavior—moving people, and moving metrics. You’ll learn:
* Why understanding customer behavior is a quant and qual challenge
* How to spot the signals that actually predict behavior change
* Where AI accelerates insight, and where it creates distraction
* How to get meaningfully closer to customers, without adding more tools
This talk reframes how to evaluate performance and identify what levers actually improve it, helping your team to make smarter bets with greater confidence. Every meaningful outcome is driven by behavior change. And when you know how to design for behavior, you stop guessing, and start building things that work.
**About Our Speaker**
[Lacey Picazo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceypicazo/) is the Founder and CEO of ZoCo, a healthcare product studio that turns complex, high-stakes ideas into products that drive real-world adoption. She partners with healthcare organizations to uncover critical care delivery insights, focus product strategy through behavior design, and build solutions that patients and providers actually use.
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)
June 2026 AWS Columbus - Topic to be announced
Topic to be announced.
**THANK YOU** *Franklin University* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Franklin University*, please visit their website: https://www.franklin.edu/
**DIRECTIONS**
Franklin University
Fisher Hall
300 E. Main St, Columbus, OH 43215
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jxjBA2hUmS5qrvhq8
Parking is FREE! Please park in Lot C in front of Fisher Hall. See attached map.
NOTE: Map the address only. When mapping with Google Maps it may use the Fisher Hall at OSU, which is NOT correct.
**Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?**
Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com
IxDA Chat ‘n Pancakes
Join the local UX community for our casual monthly breakfast event. We're exploring the West Side this month with a member suggestion –those are always welcome.
Thanks to the team at Nationwide for supporting the group!
Stop Guessing: A Product Person's Guide to AI Adoption
## 🤝 Host Information
A co-hosted event by ProductTank Columbus & Women in Product Columbus
💡 About the Workshop
AI adoption is stalling across organizations — not because of a lack of motivation or tools, but because it's fundamentally a behavior design challenge.
This hands-on workshop applies proven Behavior Design models and methods to help you move from a vague organizational wish to boost AI adoption to 3-5 concrete, testable interventions you can act on starting tomorrow.
Whether you're a product manager, on a product team, or just someone trying to get AI to actually stick at work, you'll leave with a clear picture of what's worth focusing on, what to ignore, and how to drive real, sustained adoption — no guesswork required.
🛠️ What to Bring
Laptop: Fully charged and ready to go.
AI Assistant: Have your favorite AI assistant pulled up. (Dom will be using Claude, but feel free to use whichever assistant you prefer!)
🍕 Logistics & Perks
Food & Drink: Pizza and drinks provided!
Parking: Plenty of free spaces available on-site.
###
ServiceNow Knowledge 26 Recap + Topgolf Happy Hour
Couldn't make Knowledge? Or want to debrief the dancing robots or Autonomous Workforce? Join us for a Knowledge '26 recap, insights sharing, a couple rounds of golf, and fun at Topgolf. As always, drinks and food will be provided. More details to come — mark your calendar, RSVP, and save your spot today!
DoJo (Informal Python Meeting)
**Latest Dojo Location!**
**Knotty Pine Brewing**
1765 W 3rd Ave,
Columbus, OH 43212
We're going to try a new dojo location for a few weeks and see how it works
Dojos are informal Python group study sessions where everyone interested in Python gathers to learn about Python, help others with Python, or just hang out. Everyone is welcome from Python beginners to experts. Bringing a laptop is encouraged (we'll have extension cords and power strips). If there's something you want to learn leave a comment on this invite so we can plan ahead.
We're looking for speakers for our Monthly Meetups! Fill out the form if you are interested in presenting to the Python Community.
https://forms.gle/ehSfUAC2WgR34Crq9
QA or The Highway 2026
QA or the Highway is a one-day, affordable, regional, professional conference featuring real-world experience and thought leadership in the QA and testing industry.
This is a ticketed event please register here:
https://www.qaorthehwy.com/
Featured Keynote Speakers:
**Matthew-Hope Eland** **(Wizard at Leading EDJE)** \- An AI Specialist and Wizard at Leading EDJE who is known to teach software engineering\, AI\, and data science concepts in the most ridiculous ways possible\. Matt has used machine learning to settle debates over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie\, reinforcement learning to drive the behavior of digital squirrels\, data analytics to suggest improvements to his favorite TV show\, and AI agents to play board games and create an AI agent with the personality of a dog\. Matt is the author of "Data Science in \.NET with Polyglot Notebooks" and "Refactoring with C\#" as well as several LinkedIn Learning courses\. Matt helps organize the Central Ohio \.NET Developer Group\, runs several blogs and a YouTube channel\, has a Master’s of Science in Data Analytics\, and is a current Microsoft MVP in AI and \.NET\.
**Tatyana Arbouzova** **(CEO at Innovate QA)** \- Tatyana Arbouzova is an engineering and business leader with a strong background in Quality Engineering across multiple industries\, including Big Tech\, Healthcare\, and Entertainment\. She has held leadership roles at world\-class companies such as Microsoft\, VMware\, Disney\, and The Pokémon Company International\, where she focused on building quality\-driven cultures and scaling teams to deliver high\-impact products\. With decades of experience\, Tatyana has helped organizations transform their quality practices so teams can deliver software efficiently\, confidently\, and with measurable business outcomes\. Today\, Tatyana advises software companies on adopting AI to optimize quality practices and improve how software is delivered at scale\. She is also a passionate community builder and the founder of Innovate QA\, a thriving Seattle\-based community and conference for quality professionals\.





















