Brighton CTO September Meetup: Roundtable

⌖ Brighton · The Walrus Pub

Hosted by Brighton CTO

Brighton CTO’s fireside chat brings technology leaders together on 20 October 2026 to discuss the challenges of running a technology function in Brighton. A candid conversation about technology leadership Running a technology function involves decisions that extend well beyond code. This evening event offers a focused setting in which CTOs and other technology leaders can compare experiences, examine common leadership challenges and hear how peers approach the realities of managing a technical organisation. Hosted by Martyn F. for the Brighton CTO community, the event takes place from 6:30pm to 9:30pm BST on Tuesday 20 October 2026 at The Walrus Pub, 10 Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AD. What to expect The event is presented as a fireside chat rather than a formal conference or hands-on workshop. Its central theme is the set of common challenges involved in running a technology function, with the conversation sitting at the intersection of: - Engineering leadership - Technology strategy and organisational responsibility - Chief Technology Officer roles - Leadership within technical teams and businesses No detailed agenda or guest-speaker line-up has been published, so attendees should expect a broad, discussion-led session rather than a tightly prescribed list of talks. That open format makes the evening especially relevant for people who want to explore practical leadership issues with others operating in similar roles. Who should attend? This meetup is aimed primarily at CTOs, engineering leaders and people responsible for technology functions. It may also be useful for senior technical professionals moving towards leadership responsibilities who want a clearer view of the challenges faced at organisational level. The focus is not on learning a particular programming language, AI platform or no-code tool. Instead, it is an opportunity to step back from day-to-day delivery and consider the wider responsibilities of technology leadership. The three-hour evening format provides room for a substantial conversation in an informal pub environment, making it well suited to thoughtful peer exchange within Brighton’s technology community. Places and any further event updates are managed through Meetup. Register for the Brighton CTO fireside chat.

⌖ Brighton · Ironworks Theatre

Hosted by Kanban Coaching Exchange

Lean Agile Brighton brings agile practitioners to Brighton for a single-track day exploring AI, continuous delivery, product flow and human-centred teamwork. Taking place on Wednesday 21 October 2026, from 9:00am to 5:30pm BST, this in-person conference features a hand-selected programme of industry experts. It is designed for agile practitioners, coaches, product and delivery professionals, technology leaders, and anyone interested in improving how teams collaborate and deliver value. Talks and themes The programme combines technical and organisational perspectives, examining how modern teams can make effective use of AI while strengthening the distinctly human capabilities behind resilient delivery: - Stuart Young, encouraging human skills in an AI world - Sarah Wells, keeping systems up to date in an ever-changing landscape - Nicola Sedgwick, why humility sits at the centre of team confidence - Thierry de Pauw, what Continuous Delivery is actually about - Sam Carpenter, using visual thinking to unlock collaboration and leadership - Nicolas Brown, using AI to scale product and flow expertise - Masha Gaganova, building a resilient career The single-track format means attendees share the same talks and ideas throughout the day, creating common ground for conversations about product flow, software delivery, leadership and team dynamics. Rather than splitting attention across parallel sessions, the event offers one focused programme spanning practical technology concerns and the interpersonal skills required to navigate change. Venue and community The conference is organised by the team behind the Brighton Lean Agile Meetup Group. It is a non-profit event celebrating the latest thinking in collaboration, delivery and technology, and has raised more than £50,000 for charity since it began in 2018. Ironworks Theatre is located at 30 Cheapside, Brighton, BN1 4GD, in the North Laine creative quarter. The venue is approximately five minutes’ walk from Brighton station and ten minutes from the seafront. Members of the Kanban Coaching Exchange can receive a 20% discount by using the code EXCHANGE20. Further conference information is available from Lean Agile Brighton. View the event and registration details

⌖ Brighton

Hosted by AI in Media Institute

FLIRT 2026 brings a practical blueprint for responsible, AI-native organisations to Brighton on 2–3 November, spanning media, marketing and operations. Taking over West Street and satellite venues across Brighton, this two-day, in-person festival-conference examines how organisations can implement AI in the real world,not simply discuss its potential. The programme explores how to operationalise AI across teams, prepare people for changing roles and workflows, and build systems that can last. Organised by the AI in Media Institute, FLIRT expands on the sold-out 2025 AIMI Conference, which brought together 600 attendees and 40 speakers across two stages. Its 2026 edition widens the focus beyond creative AI to cover the complete structure of an AI-native organisation: culture, creativity, infrastructure, governance, talent and execution. What to expect FLIRT combines conference content with practical exploration and city-wide experiences: - The Main Stage hosts keynotes, major ideas and perspectives intended to shape the industry agenda. - The Future Stage tackles the workforce conversation, including what is changing, what is breaking and how organisations are responding. - The Startup Village presents early-stage AI companies through live pitches, investor access and direct industry exposure. - Specialist satellite zones feature live demonstrations of frontier technology, including robotics and real-time generative AI. - Hands-on workshops, immersive experiences and debates create space to test ideas rather than passively consume them. - Flirt After-hours extends the programme into Brighton and makes networking and conversation part of the wider festival experience. Who should attend? The event is designed for anyone whose work is being reshaped by AI. That includes founders, CEOs, CMOs, brand and agency leaders, creative directors, producers, publishers, journalists, broadcasters, musicians, artists, content creators and game developers. Product leaders, engineers, XR builders, startup founders and CTOs will be represented alongside operations, finance, legal, IP, risk, governance, HR, People and L&D professionals.… Register for this event

⌖ Brighton · Brighton Dome

UX Brighton 2026 is a one-day conference on emerging UX methods, taking place at Brighton Dome in Brighton on Friday 6 November 2026. The fundamentals remain familiar,understand what people need, design solutions, test them and build them,but the methods available to UX teams are rapidly multiplying. This conference is designed to help attendees separate genuinely useful developments from noise, understand which techniques translate effectively into UX practice and identify established approaches that new technology has finally made practical. What to expect The programme brings together practitioners working at the edges of UX research, design and product development. Rather than focusing on novelty for its own sake, the day will explore what is actually working across new research techniques, design tools, testing methods and ways of working. Confirmed speakers include: - Vivek Gopinath, Lead User Researcher at IBM, whose mixed-method practice spans qualitative and quantitative research, machine learning, heuristic analysis, eye tracking, behavioural studies, cognitive psychology and predictive UX. His work examines how AI-driven personalisation can anticipate user needs while maintaining a deep, empathetic understanding of behaviour. - Prama Ayalasomayajula, a research leader at HubSpot with experience in service design, small-business products, Zalando sellers and Meta Shops. Her work investigates why discovery breaks down, how scalable UX processes hold together and what service blueprints can reveal beyond standalone insights. - Chiara Scarabotti, UX Lead at Springer Nature, specialising in complex publishing flows and multi-persona journeys. She focuses on problem framing, information architecture and turning messy systems into transparent, actionable practices for cross-disciplinary teams. - Kathy Neuss, Head of Research at Mercator Digital, with more than 25 years of experience across government, corporate and agency settings. She combines qualitative depth with quantitative rigour and has influenced major HMRC services through research, behavioural groupings, mental models and journey mapping. - Max Borodin, Senior Product Manager at Simple, who explores behavioural design, gamification, conversational coaching and AI in products intended to support long-term behaviour change. He also experiments with using AI to accelerate… Register for this event

⌖ London · Bush House, KCL

Hosted by KCL Womxn in STEM, Imperial Women in STEM and UCL Women in STEM

IKU Womxn in STEM Hackathon brings female and non-binary university students to central London for a free, beginner-friendly 24-hour build weekend. Taking place 17–18 October 2026 at Bush House on King’s College London’s Strand Campus, this cross-university hackathon creates a supportive setting in which participants can develop technical skills, meet peers and turn an idea into a working project. It is organised by KCL Womxn in STEM, Imperial Women in SET and UCL Women in STEM. Build, learn and find your community IKU was designed to make hackathons more accessible to gender-minority students in technology. Attendees will work in teams of typically two to four, supported by workshops, talks and mentorship from experienced developers. You can arrive with friends or attend solo and form a team on the day. The event welcomes female and non-binary students aged 18 or over from any UK university. All experience levels are encouraged, including complete beginners and students outside Computer Science. A dedicated Best Beginner side track recognises eligible teams where at least half of the members come from non-CS-adjacent backgrounds. Over the weekend, participants can expect: - 24 hours of focused project building, from first line of code to final demo - Practical workshops, technical talks and mentor support - Mini-events and opportunities to connect across King’s, UCL and Imperial - Sponsor networking, prizes and a completed project to add to a CV - Judging followed by a closing ceremony Project work begins after Saturday’s opening ceremony, with hacking running from 11:00 on 17 October until the 12:00 submission deadline on 18 October. Judging starts at 13:00, followed by the closing ceremony at 15:00 and the event finishing at 16:00. Participants may go home overnight, remain awake or use the dedicated sleeping and quiet rooms at Bush House. Cost, venue and support IKU is completely free, with meals, snacks and swag included. Attendees should bring a laptop, charger and any other equipment required for their build; those staying overnight are advised to bring comfortable items such as a pillow, blanket or hoodie. Travel reimbursement is not available.… Register for this event

Sponsors: Wise · incident.io

⌖ Leicester · Bru Leicester town centre

Hosted by Namra

AI + Coffee Leicester is a free, one-hour AI networking meetup at Bru in Leicester town centre on 17 October 2026. Hosted by Namra, it offers an informal space to compare notes, ask candid questions and meet other people exploring artificial intelligence. Conversation rather than presentation This in-person meetup deliberately does away with the usual conference format: there are no speakers, slides or fixed agenda. Instead, the group will spend an hour talking over coffee about participants’ real experiences with AI. The conversation may begin with questions such as: - What AI tools or ideas are you currently trying? - What aspects of AI are confusing or unclear? - What is actually working in practice? The emphasis is on connection rather than one-way instruction. You can bring a question, share something you have been experimenting with or simply arrive with nothing prepared and listen to where the discussion goes. Because the session is unstructured, attendees help shape the conversation through the challenges, observations and uncertainties they bring with them. Who should attend? AI + Coffee Leicester welcomes anyone, regardless of role or experience level. It may be useful for entrepreneurs, people working on AI startups, professionals considering how AI affects business strategy, and anyone who wants to understand what others are testing. You do not need technical expertise, a polished project or a confident opinion to take part. A central aim is to provide a safe setting in which people can admit uncertainty without it feeling like a professional risk. There are no silly questions, and people who believe they have little to contribute are especially welcome, the organisers note that some of the best questions often come from precisely those participants. View the event and registration details