Manchester · 100 Barbirolli Square
Hosted by Manchester Databricks User Group
Explore a year of Databricks release data at this technical community meetup in Manchester on Thursday 19 November 2026, from 5:30–8:00 PM GMT. Hosted by the Manchester Databricks User Group, the evening combines technical deep dives, live demos and networking for Manchester’s data community. It is aimed at Data Engineers, Architects, Data Scientists, AI/ML Engineers and Platform Engineers, as well as anyone interested in the direction of the Databricks platform. Featured session Alex Cole, Principal Databricks Architect and Databricks MVP, will present Keeping Up with Databricks: What a Year of Releases Tells Us About Where the Platform Is Going. Drawing on hundreds of updates tracked through Databricks Release Hub, Alex will examine: - Changes in the volume and velocity of releases - The product areas receiving the most attention - How features move from Beta and Preview to general availability - The surge in releases before the Data + AI Summit - What current investment patterns suggest about the platform’s direction - What this pace means for engineering, architecture and platform teams Agenda and venue The meetup opens with arrivals and networking at 5:30 PM, followed by introductions at 5:45 PM and Alex’s session at 6:00 PM. After a break, a second session, currently TBC, runs from 7:00 PM, with final questions and networking until 8:00 PM. The event takes place at Canopius Group, 100 Barbirolli Square, in Manchester. Register for the November 2026 meetup
