Network Engineering

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 **The Three Lions are Back in Action!** 🦁⚽️ Come and show your support for the National Team in the **World Cup 2026**! Whether you're a die-hard football fan or just love the tournament atmosphere, join us to cheer the boys on. 🗓️ **The Details** * **When:** Wednesday, June 17th, 8:30 pm * **Arrival Time:** **8:30 PM** arrive early to grab your name badge and drink, meet everyone and talk tactics before the kick-off! * **Kick-off Time:** 9:00 PM * **Where:** Vauxhall Riverside (Nearest Tube Station is Vauxhall) 🎟️ **Booking & Venue Info** * **Cost:** **£5 seat reservation fee upon arrival**. *(This covers our deposit with the pub, name badges for group introductions and ensures we don't have empty seats for no-shows as pubs get busy with other groups)* Important: if you just turn up in the pub without singing up here we may be able to provide a sit for you, however the priority will be made to those who RSVP here in advance. 🤝 **Mingle & Match Day Vibes** Upon arrival, we’ll grab a name badge so everyone can get to know each other and cheer together. 🔍 **Can't find us?** If you can’t spot the group when you arrive, just **ask the bartender for Arthur’s reservation**. I’ll be wearing a **classic England Retro National Jersey**, so I should be easy to spot! Let’s make our Nation proud. Come on England! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Looking for quality **business networking in London for SMEs and local business owners**? Join an exclusive evening at **Tide HQ**, organised by **GMax Card**, **Getshop Today,** and **Tide** \- three products built by founders\, for founders\. Hosted inside **Tide’s headquarters in London.** **WHY ATTEND:** * Free premium digital business card (£75 value) - claim it on the night (for paid tix holders only) * Real connections - business partners, co-founders, customers & more Practical tools & insights to run your business smarter Connect with SMEs and local business owners, **founders and decision-makers in the small and medium business area.** **WHO'LL BE ATTENDING** * SME owners and decision-makers * Small business, local business, and growing company owners * Founders, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and bootstrapped business owners * Independent freelance professionals building and scaling their businesses * Business owners looking to grow their network, partnerships, and customer base **ABOUT THIS STARTUP AND BUSINESS NETWORKING EVENT** In the **startup and business world**, success rarely happens in isolation. The right connections unlock **co-founders, early customers,** and relationships that accelerate **growth**. But most networking events don't deliver that. After hundreds of iterations, we've built a **format that actually works:** * Well-tested icebreakers (optional, but they work) to break the initial awkwardness * "Quick intros" round - 30-60 seconds each so everyone knows who's who in the room * Short talks from [GMax Card](http://www.gmaxcard.com/) on strategic networking and Tide on founder-friendly business tools * On-the-spot [Tide](https://www.tide.co/partners-business-account/?ref=GMAXF2F) consultations - bring your banking and ops questions, get real answers * Drinks and refreshments for real conversations to develop naturally **Testimonials:** Check out [video testimonials from founders who've attended previous events.](https://vimeo.com/1162995661) **VENUE** **[Tide](https://www.tide.co/partners-business-account/?ref=GMAXF2F) HQ London** Tide's modern headquarters provides an open, professional environment designed for founders and operators and built for collaboration. Part of our bi-weekly series. **ORGANISERS** **[GMax Card](http://www.gmaxcard.com/)**[ - Free digital business cards](http://www.gmaxcard.com/), with Premium NFC smart cards and team networking tools. **[Getshop Today](http://www.getshop.today/)**[ - UK based eCommerce platform ](http://www.getshop.today/)to build your own independent online store in minutes. **Hosted at [Tide](https://www.tide.co/partners-business-account/?ref=GMAXF2F)**[ - The digital-first business banking solution ](https://www.tide.co/partners-business-account/?ref=GMAXF2F)built to support entrepreneurs and SMEs. **DRESS CODE** Business or smart. Dress as you would for an important meeting - polished and professional. **IMPORTANT DETAILS** * **Photography & Video:** Content may be captured by [CineEye Audiovisual Production Studio](www.cineeye.co.uk) for promotional use. By attending, **you agree to sign a media release form**. If you prefer not to appear in photos or video, please refrain from attending. * ID Requirements: Attendance for 18+ only. Proof of ID may be requested at reception. * Refund Policy: Refunds available up to 1 day before the event if any. Meetup fees are non-refundable (if any). **RESERVE YOUR PLACE NOW** **Limited spaces - early registration is recommended.**

Looking for meaningful startup networking in London? Join an evening of founder-focused networking at Tide HQ, hosted by GMax Card, Getshop Today, and Tide - three products built by founders, for founders. **WHY ATTEND** ✅ Meet startup founders, tech entrepreneurs, operators, investors and early-stage builders ✅ Find potential co-founders, partners, clients, collaborators and hires ✅ Learn practical tools to grow and operate your business more effectively ✅ Connect with people actively who are building, launching and scaling businesses ✅ Free Premium Digital Business Card (£75 value) for paid ticket holders **WHO ATTENDS** • Startup founders and co-founders • AI, SaaS, FinTech and technology entrepreneurs • Startup operators, growth professionals and product leaders • eCommerce founders and digital business owners • SME decision makers • Investors, advisors and startup ecosystem professionals • Ambitious professionals exploring entrepreneurship **ABOUT THE EVENT** Building a startup can be challenging, especially when you're doing it alone. That's why we've refined a networking format designed specifically for founders and entrepreneurs: • Structured introductions that make meeting people easier • 30–60 second founder introductions so everyone knows who is in the room • Short founder-focused talks and insights from Tide and GMax Card • Practical discussions around growth, operations, funding, networking and business development • Informal networking over drinks and refreshments Whether you're validating an idea, launching your first product, growing a startup, or scaling an established business, you'll be surrounded by people facing similar challenges and opportunities. **VENUE** **Tide HQ, London** Hosted inside Tide's modern London headquarters — a space built to support entrepreneurs, founders and growing businesses. Part of our ongoing founder and startup networking series. **ORGANISERS** * GMax Card - Digital business cards and networking tools designed for modern professionals and growing teams. * Getshop Today - A UK-based eCommerce platform helping entrepreneurs launch and grow independent online businesses. * Tide - The digital-first business banking platform built specifically for startups, founders and SMEs. **DRESS CODE** Business casual or smart business attire. **IMPORTANT INFORMATION** * Photography & Video * Photography and video may be captured by CineEye Audiovisual Production Studio for promotional purposes. * Age Requirement * 18+ only. Proof of ID may be requested. * Refund Policy * Refunds available up to 24 hours before the event. Platform fees are non-refundable where applicable. **RESERVE YOUR PLACE** Spaces are limited and founder events at Tide HQ often reach capacity. Early registration is recommended.

***Enter the live meeting room here: [https://discord.gg/5wgxtr4c2u](https://discord.gg/5wgxtr4c2u)*** ***Download the engine here: [https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/download](https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/download)*** Welcome to the **Unreal Engine Workshop!** In each session we'll tackle essential game design discussions, then transition into hands-on project creation. Participants will build and expand their skills continuously as we explore every aspect of game development. From basic blueprints and interactive mechanics, to advanced rigging, animation, environment design, and lighting, we'll work our way up to creating small complete games. We encourage experimentation and peer teaching, so whether you're a beginner or experienced developer looking to deepen your expertise, our sessions provide a supportive environment to learn, create, and innovate together in Unreal Engine 5.

In this session, we’ll explore how **AI** can enhance your **React app development** workflow. This workshop will introduce you to **best practices** for building **React applications**, including how to integrate **REST APIs**, manage app **state**, and structure your components for long-term success. You’ll also learn how to use **AI tools** to generate code snippets, troubleshoot issues, and automate repetitive tasks, making the development process faster and more efficient. 🧪 **What You’ll Learn:** * **React Development Best Practices**: Core principles for structuring components, managing state, and optimizing performance. * **REST API Integration**: How to efficiently connect React apps with REST APIs for dynamic data and functionality. * **State Management**: Best practices for managing app state and syncing data from APIs. * **AI Assistance**: Use AI tools like ChatGPT to speed up development, generate code, and improve overall code quality. * **Error Handling & Debugging**: Leverage AI to identify and fix common issues in your React apps. 💡 **Why It Matters:** * **Efficient Development**: Building React apps with AI assistance allows you to write cleaner, faster code while reducing errors. * **API Integration**: Mastering API integration is essential for creating dynamic and data-driven applications. * **AI-Powered Tools**: AI tools like ChatGPT enhance your productivity by automating repetitive tasks, debugging code, and improving your development process. 🕓 **Schedule:** * 18:15 - Networking * 18:30 - Program starts * 19:30 - Q&A - networking * 20:00 - End \-\-\-\-\- zero2hero Address: Unit 15 Castle Square, 40 Elephant Rd, London SE17 1EU WhatsApp: +447470914266

This is a smallish-group, quiet-ish meetup for ADHD brains who want to connect with their tribe without their nervous system going, 'Alll riiight, I'm outta here!' Everyone welcome. You don't need a diagnosis, you don't even need ADHD. Just need to be a good egg. We’re meeting at **Picturehouse Central - UPSTAIRS cafe** (Piccadilly) because it’s one of those places where you can actually hear yourself think. Mostly. This is more of a tea/coffee and cake kinda venue. Sorry, booze hounds! **The environment is**: relaxed, validating, welcoming It won't be like whispering to each other at the back of the class, more less sensory Armageddon. **What to expect** A small group (human-scale, not “who are all these people” scale). A quiet-ish venue where you don’t have to shout your personality into existence. Conversation that can be normal (well, probably far from normal 😅. There is no need to worry about trying to fit in, no need to mask. A soft landing. Come late, ease in, do a gentle hello, no one’s timing you. Low-pressure hanging out. If you want to chat, great. If you want to sit and decompress near other people, also great. **The unofficial theme** How to be social without being assaulted by: fluorescent lighting overlapping conversations surprise music that one table doing a full volume podcast recording next to you. **Important Note:** If you cannot make it, please put 'Can't go'. This ensures there's space for others who want to attend 🙂 ‐------------------------------------------------------ Boundaries (quick, clear, important) Yay!-DHD is a consent-led space. Some people are chatty, some are quiet, some are pacing themselves. Please don’t push for personal details, contact info, or continued connection if someone isn’t offering it. This isn’t a dating event. ‐------------------------------------------------------- For you robots out there: ADHD \| Low sensory meetup \| Inclusive \| AUDHD \|

"Climate change: I say the debate is over. We know the science, we see the threat and we know that the time for action is now" - Arnold Schwarzenegger Forget Skynet. Right now, AI's greatest threat to humanity is its demand for electricity. Anne Currie, co-author of O'Reilly's Building Green Software, will talk about why the energy demand from AI has exceeded anything we've seen before in tech; how that demand can and is being met using efficiency and flexibility by forward thinkers like Google and DeepSeek; and what you can do from your own desk that might have global impact on both the AI and the renewable power revolutions. Anne will be joining us remotely. Check out the Green Software Brighton [website](https://greensoftwarebrighton.co.uk/) for links to previous talks. Arrive from 18:00 for pizza and drinks. Talk will start at 18:30. We always head for a drink and a chat locally afterwards too. --- ***Thank you to Runway East for use of their space to host our events and to Silicon Brighton and the Green Software Foundation for supporting us.***

**Join us for an exciting AI agent engineering meetup where developers, architects, and AI enthusiasts come together to connect and learn from industry experts.** **We’re thrilled to welcome guest speakers from Snowflake.** **Jenny Zhou and Ioannis Doukas,** **experienced solution engineers who will share insights on Cortex AI and discuss practical approaches to building AI agents efficiently across different industries.** **The session will include:** * **Introducing AI and Cortex features in Snowflake** * **Agent use cases across different industries** * **Interactive discussion**

**LeadDev London meetup** 🎟 Please **RSVP BELOW!** 🎟 Join us for our next LeadDev meet-up on June 18th and enjoy an evening of networking and talks. **Date:** Thursday, 18th June **Time:** 6 - 9pm **Location:** Softwire, 315, Highgate Studios, 53-79 Highgate Rd, London NW5 1TL Spaces are limited - you must RSVP to attend. We hope to see you there! ⏰ **SCHEDULE** ⏰ 18:00 - Arrival, networking and refreshments 18:30 - Welcome from our host 18:40 - **Unchartered territory: From Engineering Manager to Head of Engineering - Natalie Parker, Head Of Engineering at ENSEK** 19:00 - **Extreme Curiosity: The solution to all of AI's challenges - Andy Huang, Technical Lead at Softwire** 19:10 - Break 19:40 - **Certainty is an illusion - Mary Gudman, Senior Engineering Manager at ENSEK** 20.00 - Networking 21.00 - Close **🎤 SPEAKERS 🎤** **Unchartered territory: From Engineering Manager to Head of Engineering - Natalie Parker, Head Of Engineering at ENSEK** Making the leap from engineering manager to head of engineering is one of the least-documented transitions in a technical career. There's no shortage of advice for moving from senior engineer to tech lead or engineering manager, yet the step up to senior leadership remains rarely documented. It's also the point when your day to day will likely change most significantly from previous roles. This talk is the resource I wish I'd had. I'll walk through the five biggest shifts you'll encounter when moving from managing a single team to leading multiple teams and workstreams: where intentional time management becomes non-negotiable, why "disagree and commit" hits differently at this level, how organisational politics become unavoidable, why you'll need a crash course in product, marketing and finance, and why getting your team right is the foundation for everything else. For each area I'll share practical tips from my own experience, followed by honest advice on how to assess whether this transition is right for you — and how to prepare when the time comes. Whether you're actively considering a move into senior leadership or simply curious about what could lie ahead, this talk will give you an honest, grounded picture of what the role actually demands. **Extreme Curiosity: The solution to all of AI's challenges - Andy Huang, Technical Lead at Softwire** The impact that agentic AI tooling has had on the industry is undeniable, destroying barriers-to-entry and producing immeasurable levels of output. Working applications can be created by non-coders in a matter of minutes in a chat window, and unmanageable numbers of pull requests, issues, and vulnerabilities are demanding the attention of engineers. How does the unrelenting drive to explore digressive questions help us thrive where AI would otherwise threaten our very existence? **Certainty is an illusion - Mary Gudman, Senior Engineering Manager at ENSEK** Most engineering leaders have been here: the company is restructuring, the strategy is shifting, and your team is looking to you for answers you don't have. The instinct is either to project confidence you don't feel, or to be radically transparent in a way that destabilises everyone around you. Neither works. Leading through uncertainty when you're uncertain too is a skill. It can be learned. This is what learning it looked like for me. 🔹 **CODE OF CONDUCT** 🔹 As with our conferences, LeadDev Meetups are a safe and inclusive event for all. By attending, you agree to our **[code of conduct](https://leaddev.com/code-conduct)**. 🔸 **SLACK COMMUNITY** 🔸 You can also join our **[Slack workspace](https://theleaddeveloper.slack.com/)** to keep up with everything in our London community. Join the channel #leaddev-london or #london. 🙏🏻 **THANK YOU** 🙏🏻 Thank you to our London meet-up partner **[Softwire](https://www.softwire.com/)**.

Our next event is a hands-on hack night in collaboration with Elastic, where you can build out your own working AIOps incident response prototype using Elastic, AI agents and MCP. The best solutions have a chance to win prizes. So come along with your laptop! **📅Date and Time:** Thursday, 18th June 2026 Doors open: 6PM **📍Location:** Davidson Building Address: 1st floor, 5 Southampton St, London WC2E 7HA Note: please use Exeter St entrance as the main entrance is closed after 6pm Facilitators: **[Carly Richmond, Developer Advocate Lead @ Elastic](https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-richmond/)** **[Steven Wade, Founder, Platform Fix](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevendavidwade/)** **Agenda:** 6:00pm – 6:30pm — Networking on arrival, with food and drinks provided by Elastic 6:30pm – 6:50pm — Challenge and tools demo 6:50pm – 8:30pm — Hacking time 8:30pm – 9:30pm — 5-minute lightning demos 9:30pm— Close and networking at a nearby pub Timings may vary. **You will be using (but not limited to) the following tools:** * [Elasticsearch](https://www.elastic.co/observability) * Elastic Agent Builder * MCP servers and apps, including the new [Elastic Observability MCP App](https://github.com/elastic/example-mcp-app-observability)**.** As always, expect a relaxed evening of technical learning, discussion, and networking with fellow engineers from across the London tech community. Register individually below to secure your spot. Spaces are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. **\*\*\*** **Prerequisites:** **Whether you’re deep into DevOps or just getting started, there’s something here for everyone.** **🛠️ You will need** 1. **Your laptop!** 2. The following software installed on your laptop: 1. [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-started/get-docker/) 2. [Docker Compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/) 3. [Claude Code](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop) 4. kubectl and minikube as per the[ Kubernetes install tools guide](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/) **The full setup instructions for the hack night are available [here](https://github.com/carlyrichmond/devops-society-elastic-hack-night).** [Our slack community](https://join.slack.com/t/devopssociety/shared_invite/zt-3mswuylw7-MhJg1IZ70rX_GpJTluG2Cw) \- join in and introduce yourself\! [Our Youtube Channel ](https://www.youtube.com/@DevOpsSociety)for regular podcasts with DevOps professionals + more DevOps content. [Website](https://thedevopsociety.com/) [To partner with us](https://thedevopsociety.com/partnerships) Elastic website - [https://www.elastic.co/](https://www.elastic.co/) Please RSVP to book your place! Thanks! From the DevOps Society team [Ben](https://www.linkedin.com/in/benwhitmarsh/) and [Vytas](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vytasdevops/)

We're back to our usual format of 3 speakers + Q&A followed by networking. 18:30: Doors open 19:00 Welcome by Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino (organiser since 2011) 19:10 **Music Thing Workshop System: Design for Community & Collaboration**, [Tom Whitwell](https://www.musicthing.co.uk/) 19:30 [Ben Beavers](https://www.linkedin.com/in/benbeavers/) (Smarty Plants) 19:50 Speaker 3 (TBA) 20:10 Networking 21:00 End of event and move to a nearby pub There will be drinks (including non-alcoholic) and nibbles. **About our sponsors:** [Green Custard](https://www.green-custard.com/) is an award-winning AWS IoT specialist consultancy that helps organisations design, build, and scale secure cloud-connected products and solutions. With deep expertise across IoT architectures, data lakes, ML and agentic AI our IoT expertise spans from product innovation to smart factory innovation. We have full stack capability from embedded & mobile to cloud-native development. Green Custard partners with clients to deliver on their business outcomes whether modernising legacy devices, unlocking new value from existing data, or accelerating the delivery of production-ready solutions. Customers trust Green Custard for its technical excellence, pragmatic delivery, and we are proud of our customer success. [Aqua Libra](https://aqualibra.com/pages/flavour-tap) is redefining sustainable hydration through innovative, low-impact dispensing technology. Beyond its zero-sugar infused drinks, the brand has pioneered solutions such as the Aqua Libra Flavour Tap, a digitally controlled dispensing system that delivers chilled, filtered water with natural flavours on demand. By removing the need for single-use bottles and reducing transport emissions, the Flavour Tap enables offices, venues, and public spaces to offer great-tasting drinks with a dramatically smaller environmental footprint. Aqua Libra’s approach blends sustainability, smart technology, and convenience to meet the growing demand for healthier, greener beverage options.

PLEASE NOTE YOU MUST book and pay for your ticket in advance at https://www.londonfamilyoffice.co.uk/ The London Family Office & Private Equity committee would like to extend you an invitation to our June 2026 Networking Breakfast to be held in the private lounge of the famous Polo Bar In The City of London - and hope you can join us for a delcious pre-work breakfast and productive networking to make new contacts and ideas for 2026+. We now have over 8000 diverse and relevant London members so it’s the perfect opportunity for making new third sector connections. See photos from our latest events at https://www.instagram.com/london.family.office/ PLEASE NOTE YOU MUST book and pay for your ticket in advance at https://www.londonfamilyoffice.co.uk/ ALSO PLEASE NOTE we take most of our event bookings through our website and EventBrite so the numbers booked is much larger than displayed on this Meetup page (normally about 30-50 guests for our breakfast events).

You do not need to be deep in MLOps to attend. If you are a founder building with AI, a recruiter trying to understand what good AI engineering talent looks like, a fractional CTO/advisor, or a newer builder wondering what happens after a demo works, this event is about the real-world jump from prototype to something people can rely on. MLOps London is moving into its next chapter. The group has a strong history of practical talks and production-focused conversations. This first event under the new cadence is deliberately simple: a signal night for introductions, production-AI pain points, hiring/fractional CTO needs, and topics people want the community to cover next. The theme for the next few months is production AI: * agent systems after the demo * observability and evaluation * deployment and rollback * governance and ownership * what teams are learning the hard way No slides. No formal talks. No vendor pitches. The lightweight format: * builders mark what they know: agents, evals, observability, infra, deployment, governance, cost, rollback * founders/recruiters mark what they need: fractional CTO input, hiring signal, architecture review, speaker/topic suggestions * everyone leaves with a Production AI Bench Card: one useful intro target, one topic/failure mode for the June talk night, and one clear ask or offer Ram will give a short welcome around 7pm and outline the plan for the June talk night: "AI Agents in Production: What Actually Breaks After the Demo." Come if you build, deploy, evaluate, operate, hire for, advise on, or lead production AI systems. Free to attend. Please RSVP with enough detail for us to understand who is in the room. You should leave with a clearer sense of what breaks first when AI meets real users, what skills matter, what questions founders and recruiters should ask, and who in the room can help.

The discotheque gets disco-technical at **Rock The Docs**! This double headline bill sees **[Marco Spinello](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-spinello/)**, Technical Writer at [Booking.com](http://booking.com/) showing us how music theory can be applied to documentation, using examples from both his professional and creative life. Following this act, **[Jerry Bartlett](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerry-bartlett-content-pro-tech/)**, founder and principal at [Content Pro Tech](https://www.contentprotech.com/) will demonstrate how the fundamentals of technical writing can be applied to gathering and organising metadata for digital music libraries. These presentations will cover: *Why Git is like a metronome - Why managing stakeholders is not unlike managing band members *Why recording an album is not unlike delivering an MVP - How metadata underpins the algorithms of streaming services *How curating metadata is a key aspect of technical writing work - The difference between descriptive metadata and management metadata **Marco Spinello** tells the story of a disco band that shrank from eight members to a power trio, not unlike a company reorganisation with a built-in product pivot. Music and technical writing have more in common than meets the eye; music theory maps the territory like information architecture, a metronome enforces discipline like git, and song dynamics prevent the "wall of text" effect of very long, very dense docs. **Jerry Bartlett** discusses how uploading his music collection to a NAS drive found him drawing on skills honed during his day job as a technical communicator, and working on striking a balance between the right level of granularity, while making sure to not have ‘too much’ metadata. This event is kindly hosted by [Wise](https://wise.com/). **📅Agenda** **When:** Thursday, 18 June, from 6:30pm **Where:** Wise, 65 Clifton Street, London EC2A 4JE **What:** **18:30 - 19:00** Arrival **19:00 - 19:15** Welcome & Housekeeping **19:15 - 19:20** Short introduction to Wise **19:30 - 20:00** Rocks the Docs by Marco Spinello **20:00 - 20:30** Jerry's presentation **20:30 - 21:00** Networking **📍How to find us**: Please head to Wise, 65 Clifton Street, London EC2A 4JE, from 6:30pm onwards -- one of the friendly Write The Docs London team will be checking guests in. 🌎 **Google Maps**: [https://maps.app.goo.gl/r6zdmeDKhyAbLbaf7](https://maps.app.goo.gl/r6zdmeDKhyAbLbaf7) 📜 **What3Words**: [///lift.send.curiosity](https://what3words.com/lift.send.curiosity) 📷 **Photos:** Please note that the organisers may take some photos for the WTD group.

Free monthly networking for Columbus business owners. Real conversations, real connections, no forced formats. Space is limited. RSVP now. Most owners leave networking events with a stack of business cards and no plan. The best leads quietly slip through the cracks. Networking Night is a monthly meetup for Columbus business owners who want to build real local relationships, not just trade contact info. Every kind of local business welcome. No pitch round, no pressure, no awkward speed-networking. **This month** We are focused on referral relationships. Walk in with a clear idea of who refers people like you. Walk out having met a few owners whose work fits next to yours. **What to expect** Doors open at 6 PM. You get real conversation with other local owners, time to actually connect, and a short marketing lesson woven in. The room is reserved through 7:30 PM. **Who this is for** Any local business owner who wants to grow through relationships, not just paid ads. 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** * Last Thursday of every month * 6:00 to 7:30 PM * COhatch Easton * 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 owners build the system that keeps their phone ringing, including tracking the referral relationships built in rooms like this one. Learn more at learnlocalmarketing.com. Register here: [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/local-marketing-networking-night-tickets-1988510112275](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/local-marketing-networking-night-tickets-1988510112275)

Most people still use AI like a search box: type one question, get one answer, repeat. But the next step is AI agents: systems that can take a goal, break it into steps, use tools, remember context, and produce useful work for a human to review. In this beginner-friendly session, we’ll demystify what AI agents actually are — without hype or jargon. We’ll walk through practical examples of how agents can help with research, planning, writing, coding, operations, and personal productivity. We’ll cover: * What makes an AI “agent” instead of just a chatbot * How agents break tasks into steps * Where agents are genuinely useful today * Where they fail, hallucinate, or need human review * How to design simple AI workflows for your own work * A live demo of an AI agent-style workflow from start to finish No coding experience required. This is for anyone who wants to understand where AI tools are going and how to use them more effectively right now. 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.

**PLEASE BUY TICKETS THROUGH EVENTBRITE. RSVP THROUGH MEETUP IS NOT A TICKET PURCHASE CONFIRMATION.** Strive welcomes you to 'General Business Networking', Columbus' hottest networking event! We are set in the perfect central location in Downtown for all to join. Are you interested in business? Want to elevate your career? Meet Consultants, Analysts of all types, Bankers, Software Engineers, Entrepreneurs, and more who are active in the space or are eager to get started. **\*\*This will be a multi-vertical event\*\*** **There will be professionals with backgrounds in the arts, finance, tech, real estate, healthcare, and more. Come with an open mind, and leave with connections that wouldn't be possible otherwise!** Pack some business cards and come with an open mind! Meet your future business partners, employers, coworkers, investors, and friends. You don't want to miss this opportunity to expand your network and create a brighter future. We will have a space for our event to check-in. The event will go from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (feel free to come at any point in this timeframe). Name tags will be provided. Business casual dress code. Job fair attire. **Remember, it's not who you know, it's who you meet tomorrow!** We look forward to meeting you at the event! Sincerely, Strive Networking Team *Refund requests are permitted up to 24 hours after purchase, so long as we are not within 48 hours before the event start time. Refunds will be made in full and repaid to your method of payment. Note that we are unable to reimburse PayPal fees.* *Disclaimer: By attending Strive Networking events you agree to photos/videos taken during the event being used to promote future events.*

BMS-CONNECTED Westerville Mastermind & AmSpirit Towne Centre FIFA World Cup Social from 2pm to 7pm at Jimmy V's in Westerville. Please feel free to stop by for a drink, some food, networking and the US vs Australia FIFA World Cup Group D match. FREE to attend, drinks and food available for purchase. Bring business cards and a friend. 1 S State Street in Westerville.

We are bringing Microsoft Build sessions to Columbus Ohio! The Central Ohio Azure Meetup and Central Ohio .NET Developer's Group (CONDG) are coming together to bring some of the labs and breakouts from Microsoft Build to your backyard. In this free, 1 day event, you are going to Build stuff with us! And yes, there will be free food. Please RSVP via [Microsoft Build //localhost:columbus | Microsoft Reactor](https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/reactor/events/27247/).

## 🤝 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. ###