Network Virtualization

**Singers, musicians, hip hop artists, rappers, sound engineers, producers, filmmakers networking and Open Mic. Plus always Wednesdays Live Music from our very own band Satori Wave!**

Join us for a relaxed, women-only networking evening in Canary Wharf. Connect with women in business, finance and tech in a calm, lightly structured setting over complimentary drinks. This event is ideal whether you’re already running a business, building your career, or exploring your next step in business, finance or tech. 4 March - International Women's Day Edition with special perks and talks (TBC soon). **Limited to 30 women. Drinks included.** **Please note:** The physical GMax Card is not included with this early bird free ticket and is available to paid attendees only. *** ## About the Event This women-only networking event brings together female entrepreneurs, founders and professionals from business, finance and technology for meaningful, face-to-face conversations in London. The atmosphere is friendly and professional, with optional icebreakers and plenty of space for relaxed networking. *** ## Why Attend? * Connect with like-minded women in business, finance and tech * Meet female founders, business owners and professionals * Share ideas, experiences and opportunities * Build genuine, long-term professional relationships * Enjoy a welcoming evening with complimentary drinks **Private WhatsApp Group (310+ members)** Event attendees receive exclusive access to our women-in-business WhatsApp group to stay connected, discover female-led businesses, receive event updates and access special offers. *** ## Venue **Sierra Quebec Bravo, Canary Wharf** A modern business hub in London’s financial district with a calm, low-noise atmosphere - ideal for networking and conversation. Easily accessible via DLR, Jubilee and Elizabeth lines. *** ## Organisers Organised by female partners of tech startups: * **GMax Card** – Digital business cards * **Ciitab** – AI tool for LinkedIn networking automation * **Getshop Today** – UK-based eCommerce platform **Please note:** The physical GMax Card is not included with this early bird free ticket and is available to paid attendees only. *** ## Agenda **6:00 – 7:15 PM** Informal networking over drinks (Ask reception for the women’s networking meetup) **7:15 – 7:45 PM** Optional icebreakers. Quick intro round - everyone gets to introduce themselves to all in 30 seconds. **7:45 – 9:00 PM** Continued informal networking *** ## Important Information * **Women-only event** held in a dedicated, calm section of the venue but other guests may be present in nearby areas * **Dress code:** Smart casual / professional recommended * **Photos & videos:** Media may be captured for promotion. Please let us know if you prefer not to be included * **Please note:** The physical GMax Card is not included with this early bird free ticket and is available to paid attendees only. *** We look forward to welcoming you for an inspiring evening of connection and conversation. **Register early - spaces are limited to 30 women.** Don’t forget to **[join our group](https://www.meetup.com/london-entrepreneur-startup-network-tech-business-ecommerce/)** for future events.

Hi folks! Welcome to our March Cloud Native London meetup! Join us to hear from our three great speakers and network with your fellow techies over pizza and drinks, or alternatively chat and following along on Youtube! 6:00 Pizza and drinks 6:30 Welcome 6:45 Predictable Systems in an Unpredictable World (Behrad Babaee, Aerospike) 7:15 Observability with HAProxy: detecting what is not working and why (Baptiste Assmann, HAProxy Technologies) 7:45 Break 8:00 eBPF: Revolutionizing Cloud-Native Security (Alam Ahmed) 8:30 Wrap up See you there! Cheryl (@oicheryl) **Predictable Systems in an Unpredictable World (Behrad Babaee, Aerospike)** Modern systems are challenged by volatility. Traffic patterns shift without warning, workloads evolve continuously, and failures are no longer exceptional events. In this environment, average performance is meaningless. What matters is whether systems behave predictably when conditions change. This session explores how system design choices determine behavior under volatility. We will discuss why many modern architectures rely on fragile assumptions about steady-state workloads, cache locality, or predictable growth, and how those assumptions break down in real production environments. Through concrete examples and architectural discussion, we will examine what it means to design systems that remain predictable as load, access patterns, and scale evolve. The goal is not to showcase tools or benchmarks, but to build a shared mental model for thinking about predictability as a first-class system property. *Behrad Babaee is a software engineer who leads Product Marketing at Aerospike, shaping positioning and go-to-market strategy for real-time data systems in the AI era.* *He began his career building scalable, distributed applications for organisations including Barclays and Credit Suisse, before moving into architecture and field leadership roles at Aerospike and DataStax.* *Today, he combines deep engineering expertise with strategic product leadership, focusing on how organisations design systems that remain predictable, resilient and performant under real-world volatility.* **Observability with HAProxy: detecting what is not working and why (Baptiste Assmann, HAProxy Technologies)** Is it the network, the app, or the database? In complex microservices environments, "mean time to innocence" is a critical metric for platform engineers. HAProxy sits at the convergence of these traffic flows, providing a unique vantage point to answer the ultimate observability question: "WTF is going on?". We'll do a deep dive into the metrics that matter, so you can detect anomalies before users complain. You will learn: * The difference between monitoring and observability in a reverse proxy context. * How to access HAProxy’s detailed logs, stats, and stick-tables. * How to analyze the "life of a request" using precise timers to pinpoint latency sources. * How to use HAProxy’s observability features to fix real-world issues (demo) * How HAProxy Fusion provides centralized observability and automation for enterprise deployments at scale. *Baptiste Assmann is Director of Product at HAProxy Technlogoes. He spent his carreer on networking and high performance architecture. Today, he plays a key role on HAProxy's ecosystem evolution: from bare metal to Kubernetes and from load balancing to advanced security at scale and always looking forward for what's next!* **eBPF: Revolutionizing Cloud-Native Security (Alam Ahmed)** eBPF: Revolutionizing Cloud-Native Security from the Kernel Up Cloud-native architectures have fundamentally broken traditional security models. While 67% of organizations now delay deployments due to Kubernetes security concerns, conventional tools remain blind to the dynamic, ephemeral nature of containers—operating from the outside looking in, missing critical kernel-level threats until it's too late. This session reveals how eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter) is transforming cloud-native security by moving visibility and enforcement directly into the Linux kernel. Through real-world case studies from Meta, Google, and Cloudflare—where eBPF processes billions of packets per second and mitigates multi-terabit DDoS attacks—you'll discover how this technology delivers 10x performance improvements with <1% CPU overhead. We'll explore the production-ready CNCF ecosystem (Falco, Tetragon, Cilium) and demonstrate practical security observability patterns: process execution monitoring, network correlation with Kubernetes context, file integrity tracking, and syscall anomaly detection. No kernel modules. No code changes. Complete visibility. Whether you're battling container escapes, cryptojacking, or compliance gaps, this talk provides the architectural blueprint for security that matches the speed and scale of cloud-native—without sacrificing agility. *Alam Ahmed is a Junior Cloud & DevOps Engineer with NOC operations experience and a focus on cloud security. He has spoken at Elastic London and Yorkshire DevOps on Security as Code practices, contributes to open-source projects including Envoy AI Gateway, and is passionate about kernel-level observability and cloud-native defense.* ***Check out [https://www.oicheryl.com/cloudnativelondon](https://www.oicheryl.com/cloudnativelondon) if you're interested in speaking or sponsoring.***

🍻 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! 🍻

**\*\*\*Important Note: Please register [here](https://www.meetup.com/cloud-native-london/events/312298108/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events)\*\*\*** We're thrilled to be speaking at the March edition of Cloud Native London! Join us for an evening of deep-tech insights and networking with the local cloud-native community. If you can’t make it in person, you can still catch the livestream and chat with us on YouTube. **Agenda** 6:00 Pizza and drinks 6:30 Welcome 6:45 Predictable Systems in an Unpredictable World (Behrad Babaee, Aerospike) 7:15 Observability with HAProxy: detecting what is not working and why (Baptiste Assmann, HAProxy Technologies) 7:45 Break 8:00 eBPF: Revolutionizing Cloud-Native Security (Alam Ahmed) 8:30 Wrap up See you there! **Predictable Systems in an Unpredictable World (Behrad Babaee, Aerospike)** Modern systems are challenged by volatility. Traffic patterns shift without warning, workloads evolve continuously, and failures are no longer exceptional events. In this environment, average performance is meaningless. What matters is whether systems behave predictably when conditions change. This session explores how system design choices determine behavior under volatility. We will discuss why many modern architectures rely on fragile assumptions about steady-state workloads, cache locality, or predictable growth, and how those assumptions break down in real production environments. Through concrete examples and architectural discussion, we will examine what it means to design systems that remain predictable as load, access patterns, and scale evolve. The goal is not to showcase tools or benchmarks, but to build a shared mental model for thinking about predictability as a first-class system property. ***Behrad Babaee*** *is a software engineer who leads Product Marketing at Aerospike, shaping positioning and go-to-market strategy for real-time data systems in the AI era.* *He began his career building scalable, distributed applications for organisations including Barclays and Credit Suisse, before moving into architecture and field leadership roles at Aerospike and DataStax.* *Today, he combines deep engineering expertise with strategic product leadership, focusing on how organisations design systems that remain predictable, resilient and performant under real-world volatility.* **Observability with HAProxy: detecting what is not working and why (Baptiste Assmann, HAProxy Technologies)** Is it the network, the app, or the database? In complex microservices environments, "mean time to innocence" is a critical metric for platform engineers. HAProxy sits at the convergence of these traffic flows, providing a unique vantage point to answer the ultimate observability question: "WTF is going on?". We'll do a deep dive into the metrics that matter, so you can detect anomalies before users complain. You will learn: * The difference between monitoring and observability in a reverse proxy context. * How to access HAProxy’s detailed logs, stats, and stick-tables. * How to analyze the "life of a request" using precise timers to pinpoint latency sources. * How to use HAProxy’s observability features to fix real-world issues (demo) * How HAProxy Fusion provides centralized observability and automation for enterprise deployments at scale. ***Baptiste Assmann*** *is Director of Product at HAProxy Technlogoes. He spent his carreer on networking and high performance architecture. Today, he plays a key role on HAProxy's ecosystem evolution: from bare metal to Kubernetes and from load balancing to advanced security at scale and always looking forward for what's next!* **eBPF: Revolutionizing Cloud-Native Security (Alam Ahmed)** eBPF: Revolutionizing Cloud-Native Security from the Kernel Up Cloud-native architectures have fundamentally broken traditional security models. While 67% of organizations now delay deployments due to Kubernetes security concerns, conventional tools remain blind to the dynamic, ephemeral nature of containers—operating from the outside looking in, missing critical kernel-level threats until it's too late. This session reveals how eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter) is transforming cloud-native security by moving visibility and enforcement directly into the Linux kernel. Through real-world case studies from Meta, Google, and Cloudflare—where eBPF processes billions of packets per second and mitigates multi-terabit DDoS attacks—you'll discover how this technology delivers 10x performance improvements with <1% CPU overhead. We'll explore the production-ready CNCF ecosystem (Falco, Tetragon, Cilium) and demonstrate practical security observability patterns: process execution monitoring, network correlation with Kubernetes context, file integrity tracking, and syscall anomaly detection. No kernel modules. No code changes. Complete visibility. Whether you're battling container escapes, cryptojacking, or compliance gaps, this talk provides the architectural blueprint for security that matches the speed and scale of cloud-native—without sacrificing agility. ***Alam Ahmed*** *is a Junior Cloud & DevOps Engineer with NOC operations experience and a focus on cloud security. He has spoken at Elastic London and Yorkshire DevOps on Security as Code practices, contributes to open-source projects including Envoy AI Gateway, and is passionate about kernel-level observability and cloud-native defense.* **\*\*\*Important Note:** Please register [here](https://www.meetup.com/cloud-native-london/events/312298108/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events)\*\*\*

We're holding the first of our 2026 London MeetUp events on **Wednesday, 4th March @ 6pm**, courtesy of our hosts [Fivium](fivium.co.uk) and [Tarmac IO](www.tarmac.io). We'll take care of the pizza, drinks and two great presentations. You just need to bring you. **AGENDA** * **18:00:** Doors Open, networking, drinks & pizza * **18.45:** Official Welcome * **18.50:** A data hoarder's guide to surviving cloud bills -- Darko Klincharski, DevOps Lead @ Tarmac.io * **19.20:** You are the role model -- Beverly Clarke MBE, Tech Education Expert * **19:50:** Close * **20:00:** Networking and drinks **LOCATION** [Fivium ](https://www.fivium.co.uk/) 15 Adam St, London WC2N 6AH **what3words Address:** ///trim.most.other **HOW TO GET THERE** **Tube:** Embankment (5 mins) - District and Circle, Northern, Bakerloo Covent Garden (5 mins) - Piccadilly Line Temple (8 mins) - District and Circle Line

Join startup founders, tech entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals in business, finance and tech for an **evening of business networking in the elegant Sycamore Bar at the 5-star Middle Eight Hotel, Covent Garden.** \*\* Note re Contactless Cards\*\* 
Free RSVP gives entry only - the contactless business card is not included.
To receive a contactless networking card, please book a paid ticket when available. **This informal yet refined business mixer** is the perfect opportunity to exchange ideas, spark collaborations, and build meaningful business connections that go beyond LinkedIn. \*\* Dress Code\*\*
 As this is a 5-star hotel, smart or business attire is required. Please avoid casual wear, hoodies, or sportswear. **What to Expect** ✅ Relaxed, premium networking environment - no stage or speeches, just natural conversations with inspiring professionals.
 ✅ Mix of industries - startups, tech, finance and business. ✅ Guest list of max 40 attendees to encourage genuine connections as opposed to impersonal crowded conferences. **Why Attend** • Expand your network with startup founders, tech entrepreneurs, business owners and senior professionals in business, finance and tech from London and beyond.
 • Share insights and opportunities in tech, business growth, and digital innovation.
 • Experience luxury yet relaxed networking in one of Covent Garden’s most sophisticated venues. **Venue** Sycamore Bar, Middle Eight Hotel
A refined, design-led bar inside the 5-star Middle Eight Hotel.
Located in the heart of Covent Garden, within walking distance of Holborn, Covent Garden, and Tottenham Court Road stations. **Important Info** • Ages: 18+ (ID required for bar purchases)
 • Photography Notice: The event may be filmed or photographed for promotional use by [CineEye (audiovisual production company in London)
](www.cineeye.co.uk) • Dress Code: Smart/business attire only (see above). • Contactless Cards: Free RSVP does not include contactless business card (see above). **Join Us** Step into an evening where business meets elegance - designed for founders, innovators, and professionals who value meaningful business conversations. **Limited to 40 spots - reserve yours today!**

## \*Please note - to be admitted to this event you must register for approval here: [https://luma.com/lcsqwmf3](https://luma.com/lcsqwmf3) This weekend hackathon brings together LangChain and SurrealDB to explore how agents can move beyond demos by grounding themselves in structured, persistent context. As agentic systems become more autonomous, their biggest failure mode isn’t model capability - it’s context. Agents struggle with accuracy, consistency, and reasoning when memory is shallow or unstructured. Knowledge graphs provide a powerful way to represent relationships, state, and history, enabling agents to reason over how things connect, not just what text is retrieved. Over the weekend, you’ll build practical agent projects using the LangChain ecosystem, with a strong emphasis on knowledge graphs and real-world retrieval workflows, using SurrealDB as a unified data layer for graph, document, vector, and temporal data. You’ll also have plenty of time to connect with both the LangChain and SurrealDB communities in London, collaborate with other builders, and get hands-on support from mentors. *** ## Schedule **Friday** * 18:00 - Doors open, check-in, pizza & drinks * Hackathon kickoff, team formation & briefing (time TBC) **Saturday** * All day - Build, iterate, mentor support (details TBC) **Sunday** * Final build, demos & judging (details TBC) * 15:30 - Closing, winners & wrap-up Full challenge details and rules will be shared ahead of the event. *** ## What you’ll work on * Agent workflows built with LangChain * Knowledge graph–driven context and memory * Hybrid retrieval patterns (vector + graph) * Persistent agent state and evolving context * Practical, production-oriented agent use cases *** ## Prizes * Swag and LangSmith credits from LangChain * Swag from SurrealDB *** ## Why attend? This is a hands-on opportunity to build credible agent projects in a single weekend, learn production-oriented patterns, and explore how structured context improves agent accuracy and reliability. You’ll collaborate with experienced builders, get direct support from the LangChain and SurrealDB teams, and connect with the wider London agent and AI engineering community. **FAQs** **Is the venue accessible?** Absolutely! There is a lift that takes you up to Level 4 where the event is held. **Is this event for me?** SurrealDB events are for software engineers, developers, architects, data scientists, data engineers, or any tech professionals keen to discover more about SurrealDB: a scalable multi-model database that allows users and developers to focus on building their applications with ease and speed. **Am I guaranteed a ticket at this event?** Our events are tech-focused and in the interest of keeping our events relevant and meaningful for those attending, tickets are issued at our discretion. We therefore reserve the right to refund ticket orders before the event and to request proof of identity and/or professional background upon entry. **Are there any House Rules?** At SurrealDB, we are committed to providing live and online events that are safe and enjoyable for all attending. Please review our [Code of Conduct](https://surrealdb.com/legal/code-of-conduct) and [Privacy Policy](https://surrealdb.com/legal/privacy) for more information. It is compulsory for all attendees to be registered with a first **and** last name in order to attend. Any attendees who do not adhere to these requirements will be refused a ticket.

Agenda 6.30PM Registration 7.00PM Welcome 7.15PM Workshop (1hr 45min) 9.00PM till 10.00PM Networking, pizza and drinks Speaker & Content Wietse Venema Senior Developer Relations Engineer, Google Title : Hands-on with Agent Development Kit Description : Get hands-on with Google Agent Development Kit (ADK), Google’s framework for building, evaluating, and deploying AI agents. You'll progressively learn to design advanced agents and train them to play the text-based adventure game “The Garden of the Forgotten Prompt”. Get ready to explore a mysterious world, solve puzzles, and uncover secrets! Ideal for developers and architects aiming to build next-generation, intelligent applications. Disclaimer Participants are required to bring their own, charged laptop. Please note that registration is needed to enter the event - We will not be able to grant access on the day without a ticket. Please show proof of ticket confirmation upon arrival. Please ensure you register with your&nbsp;full legal name&nbsp;- We are unable to accept registrations without surnames or name abbreviations. Agenda --- Hosted By Amanda Cavallaro, GDG Organizer I'm an Aikidoka, Developer Advocate, Software Developer, Google Developers Expert, Linkedin Learning Author and a Full Stack Web Development Specialist. Saverio Terracciano, GDG Organizer Stefano Le Pera, GDG Organizer Lorenzo Turrino, GDG Organizer Natalie Godec, GDG Organizer Systems/DevOps/Cloud engineer and a resident GCP expert. Women TechMakers Ambassador, Google Developer Expert in Cloud and Champion Innovator. I photograph, drink tequila and collect designer handbags ✨ Kubra Harmankaya, Android Developer Complete your event RSVP here: https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-cloud-london-presents-hands-on-with-agent-development-kit-adk/.

*📌Abstract* Vibe coding captures something real: momentum. The ability to move from an idea to a working prototype at surprising speed, guided by intent, context, and AI assistance. But in an enterprise environment, speed alone isn’t enough — software must also be secure, compliant, observable, and built to last. We'll see how teams can build applications in a single, end-to-end development flow — from business requirements and early prototypes to engineering, testing, delivery, and production — without breaking context or introducing late-stage rework. At the center of this flow is the software catalog: a living system of record that connects services, APIs, data, ownership, dependencies, and standards. More than documentation, the catalog becomes the shared interface for developers, platform teams, and AI agents to understand the system and act consistently, within enterprise rules and guardrails. The goal isn’t to limit creativity, but to make flow sustainable — turning AI-driven momentum into software that’s ready for production. 🔍 *Key topics* • From vibe-coding to ai-assisted delivery in production • Software catalog as the system of record for enterprise context • AI agents operating in context continuity within guardrails ⏲️ *Agenda* 18.30\* Welcoming 18.45 Talk 19:30 Q&A 19:45 Closing remarks & Networking and Pizzas! 🍕 See you at the next Meetup! \*To access the venue, a staff member will be at the building's front entrance. The venue is on the first floor. 🎙️*Speaker* Giulio Roggero CTO @ Mia-Platform 25 years of experience in software engineering, serial entrepreneur with more than 10 business initiatives launched, today is co-founder and CTO at Mia-Platform, the Internal Developer Platform named by Gartner Cool Vendor for Software Engineering Technologies and in the Cloud Application Platforms Magic Quadrant. Principal focus: cloud native, platform engineering, data fabric and omnichannel experience. He likes to paint Blood Bowl miniatures, construct Lego, build and drive RC Cars and learn piano.

Hosted by Nadia Monte, Nigel Hunt, and Simon Moir. Headline presentation: * **[Anna Perela](https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaperela/) \- Head of Planning and Projects\, Cityscape Digital** * * Chartered Architect with over 15 years’ experience in architecture, planning, and visualisation. Experienced in leading multidisciplinary teams, combining strong architectural knowledge and technical expertise with innovative use of technology. Education presentation: * **[Solent University](https://www.solent.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/cgi-and-visual-effects-ba/2026/ba-hons-cgi-and-visual-effects-3-years-2026) \- CGI\, VFX & Games Art\.** * * Each year, the students from Solent University make a pilgrimage to 3D London to mingle with industry folks and give short introduction presentations, the majority of whom it's their first time presenting in public. First-time 5-minute presentations: * We offer 3 spots for anyone willing to take to the stage to give a short 5-minute introduction presentation. Sponsored partners [SiNi](https://www.sinisoftware.com/), [Chaos](https://www.chaos.com/), [Itoosoft](https://www.itoosoft.com/), [NTI](https://www.nti-group.com/uk/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=brand-nti-pm&utm_content=adgroup-bluegfx&keyword=bluegfx&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23336319810&gbraid=0AAAABB31zGGrX5M9GuQgtXaFDu8MZSRVN&gclid=CjwKCAiAkvDMBhBMEiwAnUA9BWzTkav1enKz2adGWAV6IUQFXfJ8-QnQh3PaN4JV76OWyuQ7by74jBoCHlIQAvD_BwE), [Heata](https://www.heata.co/).

dbt Meetups are networking events open to all folks working with data! Talks predominantly focus on community members' experience with dbt, however, you'll catch presentations on broader topics such as analytics engineering, data stacks, data ops, modeling, testing, and team structures. Organizer: Ed Hayter, Nathan Purvis & James Charnley Venue Host: The Information Lab (25 Watling St, London EC4M 9BR) Catering: Pizza & Refreshments **To attend, please read the Health and Safety Policy and Terms of Participation:** [https://www.getdbt.com/legal/health-and-safety-policy](https://www.getdbt.com/legal/health-and-safety-policy) Agenda * 17:45 \- 18:30 \| Check in/Registration\, Food and Refreshments \(45 min\) * 18:35 \- 18:40 \| Welcome Remarks by Meetup Host \(5 min\) * 18:40 \- 19:00 \| Presentation 1 \(15 min\) * 19:00 \- 19:10 \| Presentation 1 Q&A \(10 min\) * 19:10 \- 19:25 \| Presentation 2 \(15 min\) * 19:25 \- 19:35 \| Presentation 2 Q&A \(10 min\) * 19:35 \- 19:40 \| Closing Remarks by Meetup Host \(5 min\) * 19:40 \- 20:00 \| Reception \(20 min\) ️Presentation #1: Description: dbt Efficiency in a lean data team Speaker: Pablo Fernandez \-\-\- ️Presentation #2: Description: Speaker: \-\-\- EVENT DETAILS: The doors open at 5:45pm. Presentations begin at 6:40pm. Food and refreshments will be provided. Our venue has capacity limits, so please only RSVP if you intend to come. If you need to cancel at the last minute, please change your RSVP status on this page to "Not Going." Message the organizer if you need help doing this. Check in at the office reception and proceed to floor 1. ➡️ Join the dbt Slack community: https://www.getdbt.com/community/ Join the #local-\ channel in dbt Slack ([https://slack.getdbt.com/](https://slack.getdbt.com/)). \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- Since 2016, dbt Labs has been on a mission to help data practitioners create and disseminate organizational knowledge. dbt is the standard for AI-ready structured data. Powered by the dbt Fusion engine, it unlocks the performance, context, and trust that organizations need to scale analytics in the era of AI. Globally, more than 60,000 data teams use dbt, including those at Siemens, Roche and Condé Nast. Learn more at getdbt.com, and follow dbt Labs on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/dbtlabs/mycompany/), [X](https://x.com/dbt_labs), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/dbt_labs/), and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/c/dbt-labs).

And we're back! We are excited to announce that on Wednesday, March 4th, we will host our first AI Exchange event of the year at AWS London. Join us for another night of insightful conversations, expert perspectives and real world examples exploring how AI is being built, scaled, and applied across industries. We have three brilliant talks to kick us off this year. Hope to see you there and please RSVP as soon as you can to secure your place. **Agenda:** **[Kaitlin Brabec](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlinbrabec/) @ [We Build AI](https://www.linkedin.com/company/webuild-ai/)** **Practical Tips For Using AI To Enhance And Accelerate Your Work (Without Compromising On Quality Or Learning) by an AI Engineer** As AI becomes embedded in how we work, the expectation to deliver quickly and correctly is higher than ever. But the real opportunity is how to use AI to genuinely grow, both personally and professionally, along the way. Kaitlin shares real examples from her work as an AI Engineer - from picking up software engineering best practices, to data engineering techniques, to project management tasks - and the simple habits she developed to use AI in a way that builds real knowledge you can reuse and lean on next time. Kaitlin also shares how she stays up to date with the latest AI learnings to keep refining her technique and growing over time. Whether you're technical or not, this session will provide practical tips to use AI whilst balancing quality output and self-development. Kaitlin is a Senior AI Engineer at WeBuild-AI. Kaitlin has 4 years of hands-on experience delivering GenAI and Agentic AI solutions to enterprise clients, with a focus on the energy and utilities sectors. Recent client feedback includes "I'm very impressed with the speed and quality of work that was delivered on this project". Kaitlin is passionate about using AI not just to build, but to keep growing her skills outside the norms and sharing best practices with both the WeBuild-AI team and beyond. Outside of work, Kaitlin is a keen athlete and is currently training for her next half Ironman race. **[Amit Dhingra](https://www.linkedin.com/in/amitdhingra7/) @ AWS** **The Agentic Enterprise: How AI Agents Are Rebuilding Business in 2026** This session explores the transformative shift from AI assistants to autonomous AI agents in 2026, showcasing real-world production deployments across finance and retail that are fundamentally changing how businesses operate. The Paradigm Shift: We've moved from AI as chatbots (2023) and copilots (2025) to autonomous agents (2026) that plan, decide, and execute complete workflows independently. While 64% of professionals now use AI agents, only 25% use them regularly—creating a widening competitive gap. Amit will discuss how agentic AI differs fundamentally from current AI tools they useConcrete examples of agents operating in production today. The career implications for developers, technical professionals, and business leaders. Unlike the internet transition that took 20 years, the agentic AI shift is happening in 20 months. Organizations that master agent orchestration in 2026 will have significant competitive advantages, while those waiting risk falling permanently behind. **Lisa Smisson @** **[Sky](https://www.linkedin.com/company/sky/)** **AI Journey and Software Development Transformation Summary** Lisa's AI journey started with a simple need: creating illustrations for a story she’d written for her daughter. After her arty husband quoted a couple of weeks to create a few pictures to illustrate it, she decided to try ChatGPT's image generation capabilities. In just a few hours, she created all the illustrations needed, a moment that revealed AI's transformative potential. Lisa will take us through her journey of software development using AI coding assistants, without ever having written a line of code. Calling out key points to consider on AI transformation. Lisa is an AI Delivery Manager at NBCUniversal/Sky, on her 12-month AI journey and its implications for software development transformation. We look forward to seeing you all soon! All the best, Tony, Andrea and The AI Exchange team The AI Exchange is brought to you in partnership with[ LinuxRecruit](https://www.linuxrecruit.co.uk/) and[ AWS.](https://aws.amazon.com/) LinuxRecruit is building the next wave of Technology Unicorns in Europe. Whether you're hiring or exploring your next opportunity,[ get in touch](https://www.linuxrecruit.co.uk/contact-us). The types of roles we have currently are across Founding Engineers, Product Engineers, Software Engineers, AI/ML Engineers, Data Engineers, Product Managers, Modern Infrastructure Engineers.

## Overview Networking event for aspiring school leaders interested in building their own high-quality K-12 public school in their community. **About the Event:** Aspiring school founders in the Columbus, OH, area are invited to join us for this special in-person networking event where you will be able to ask questions, learn more about the BES Fellowship and make sure you are prepared for the application process and beyond. In addition to meeting like-minded leaders who are also committed to transforming education and bringing a high-quality K-12 option to their community, you’ll have the opportunity to meet our team and gain special insights from Dr. Chaundria Smith, BES Senior Director of Fellowship Coaching, who works closely to support BES Fellows. During this event, you can also learn more about the various regions across Ohio we are prioritizing for the BES Fellowship to ensure that new schools will respond to the needs of their community. **About the BES Fellowship:** Leaders in the BES Fellowship embark on a multi-year process to design, found, and lead an excellent K-12 public school that reflects and responds to community needs. We are currently accepting applications to the 2026 BES Fellowship. The extended deadline is March 30, and the 2026 Cohort will begin August 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all spots are filled. Learn more at [bes.org/fellowship](http://bes.org/fellowship "http://bes.org/fellowship").

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?!"

We will show a variety of methods for building agents that run in Microsoft Foundry. This covers the different types of agents: Prompt, Multi, and Hosted, as well as the development lifecycle using evals and traces.

Drake Lundstrom is presenting: Code Anywhere by Talking to your Phone Abstract: Have you heard the trend of people deploying code anywhere from checkout lines to doctors' offices? In this talk, you will learn how to talk to your phone and have an app on Azure to show your friend 5 minutes later. The basic DevOps tools you already know, plus a little bit of AI magic, are all you need! If you want to follow along, the demo will be in Azure with GitHub Actions and GitHub Copilot, and you can have it set up on your phone by the end of the session. Just come in with an Azure account and a GitHub repo. Join us for pizza, drinks, and networking @ Improving's office. Doors open at 5:45.

Are you passionate about supporting other men on their mental health journey? We’re building a movement of virtual and in-person men’s groups across Ohio — and we’re looking for group leaders who want to make a real difference with us. As a group leader, you’ll create a safe space where men can connect, reflect, and grow together. Training and support are provided — you just need heart, presence, and a willingness to lead. **Apply now to lead a group in your area:** 👉 https://form.jotform.com/taketimespeakyourmind/sym-group-leader-application Speak Your Mind is a mental health non profit dedicated to bringing our community together to end the isolation that leads to mental struggle and suicide. Learn more about them here: https://linktr.ee/taketimespeakyourmind

Join other experienced and aspiring agile coaches and professionals to: * develop and practice your coaching skills in a peer-to-peer environment * share current successes and challenges in your work environment and get support from each other * learn from each other, build better relationships and experiment with new ideas