As pandemic restrictions have been mainly lifted, offline events are finally back. It’s no wonder that most people now are pining for in-person meetings and socializing, which is proven by the increasing number of offline events taking place in various parts of the world.
CHI Software representatives couldn`t miss an opportunity to explore new activities and shed light on tech-related events in Birmingham, the United Kingdom.
To start, every community has its own goal. Most of them help participants broaden their knowledge about cutting-edge technologies. Here visitors discuss new programming languages or compare frameworks, as well as exchange ideas with like-minded people and improve networking skills.
Now, let’s check every community in detail.
The Birmingham Artificial Intelligence Meetup takes place every month and has come back to its original offline format since May 2022. In July, it gathered over 60 people at one of the most creative business workspaces – the Custard Factory. Locals characterize this place as the heart of Birmingham’s vibrant digital and creative district.
The event’s main idea is bringing together developers keen on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). It’s a unique place where AI and ML experts share how they’re creating tools for home and office using Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, and AI Planning.
The July Brum AI meetup covered topics related to automatic Machine Learning theory, practical design and implementation of Modela, and a new Kubernetes-based AutoML platform.
Also, we got acquainted with Tom Withers, one of the key figures in the Birmingham tech scene. He told us more about the opportunity to participate in the TechMids Conference in the fall. We’re looking forward to our further cooperation and great friendship.
Read also: AI Summit London 2022: How AI Transforms Our Lives and Business Operations
Here’s another interesting thing. All participants are offered stickers of three different colors to put on: green, blue, or red. This is a signal indicating the level of your willingness to communicate with other participants.
All in all, organizers created a warm and friendly atmosphere during the meetup. We had a feeling as if it was not our first time there. Also, jokes during a Q&A session did their job: everyone immediately felt at ease.
This meetup is definitely worth visiting to learn more about various tech events, find new opportunities to enrich your knowledge and talk to experienced AI/ML developers excited about their work.
The Birmingham Entrepreneurs Meetup Group is held online monthly. In August this year, it was the first in-person meeting after the Covid-19 lockdown waves, which took place in a British pub with the symbolic name “100 Trades”. We took our beverages and went to the open space where the participants gathered.
The Birmingham Entrepreneurs Meetup Group is a harassment-free environment to give business-related hints and tips, bounce ideas off each other, or discover sources of investments.
It’s, without a doubt, an unusual meetup. There was not any special program: you just had to show up and introduce yourself to other members. Hence, we managed to meet a restaurant owner from Slovenia, a software engineer from the United Kingdom who works at an AI startup, and a founder of a Bulgarian construction company building ceilings.
Such events help think outside of the box and learn more about the proficiency and challenges of different entrepreneurs. There is a big chance to discover something new, find a solution to your problem, and make useful contacts.
The Summer Tech Social event runs every year. Traditionally, it takes place in the Innovation Birmingham Campus, a home to over 170 companies.
It is an informal event in a relaxing setting aiming to unite the West Midlands’ IT and digital community. Birmingham’s tech and business experts converge on campus and have a chance to present and demo cutting-edge products to the community for debate and input.
In August, over 250 people attended the event, including individuals and local tech startups.
A typical Summer Tech Social’s agenda consists of:
- Arrival, drinks & networking: a chance to connect with like-minded tech specialists in a chill, friendly atmosphere;
- Welcome: greetings from the event’s hosts.
- Possibilities from the entire tech ecosystem: presentations of upcoming initiatives, programmes, and events from the partners and collaborators in the West Midlands IT and digital environment.
- Networking & cooperation: an opportunity to network, build solid partnerships, and discuss business ideas.
Moreover, there was a great number of the meetup’s sponsors and partners. Among them were University College Birmingham, Bruntwood SciTech, and Institute of Directors West Midlands presenting their opportunities to the visitors.
The overall atmosphere of the event was wonderful. It was particularly beneficial to chat over drinks with talented investors, entrepreneurs, and developers.
Bottom Line
Birmingham business communities are full of unexpected discoveries and new opportunities for passionate entrepreneurs.
At local events, you’ll meet bright minds genuinely interested in what they do and willing to share their knowledge. After lockdowns, it’s refreshing to spend some quality time offline with experts from different spheres, exchange ideas with them, and learn something new from each conversation.
Summer is over, and a new business year looks promising in terms of planned events. Here are several meetups to take place in Birmingham this season:
Now you have at least four more reasons to have a productive fall season.
About the author
Anna Savchenko
PR Manager
Anna is a PR Manager who is catching every opportunity to cooperate with journalists and enhance CHI Software's brand awareness.
