NoCode Scotland Meetup #11

◎ Online

Hosted by Big Data Conference Europe

Big Data Conference Europe returns for its 10th edition, bringing together 700+ developers, data engineers, and AI professionals from 35+ countries for four intensive days of technical learning and hands-on experience. Taking place in Vilnius, Lithuania from November 24–27, 2026, this hybrid conference offers both onsite and online attendance options, making it accessible to a global audience. What to Expect The conference opens with a full day of hands-on workshops on November 24, followed by three days of technical talks across four specialized tracks. With 60+ sessions covering the latest developments in AI, data engineering, machine learning, and cloud technologies, this is a focused technical event designed for practitioners who build and deploy data systems at scale. The 2026 edition focuses on production-ready solutions rather than demos and proofs-of-concept. Expect deep technical content on: Data Engineering, Pipelines & DataOps - Advanced RAG architectures and implementation patterns - Agentic workflows and orchestration frameworks - LLM fine-tuning strategies versus prompt engineering - Evaluation and benchmarking methodologies for LLM systems - Observability and monitoring for GenAI pipelines Real-Time Data & Streaming Architectures - Production implementations with Kafka, Flink, and Spark Structured Streaming - Event-driven architecture patterns - Real-time feature engineering at scale - Streaming ML inference pipelines - Low-latency analytics architectures Who Should Attend This conference is designed for technical practitioners: data engineers, ML engineers, data scientists, software architects, and developers working with large-scale data systems. Whether you're building real-time streaming pipelines, deploying GenAI applications, or managing complex data infrastructure, you'll find practical insights from peers solving similar challenges. Conference Format The event features a cinema-style venue with comfortable seating, excellent acoustics, and large screens ensuring every technical detail is clearly visible. The hybrid format means remote attendees get the same access to talks and Q&A sessions as those attending in person. Beyond the formal sessions, the conference includes interactive elements, networking opportunities, and the chance to connect with industry experts from across Europe and beyond. The organizers emphasize practical, experience-driven content. Speakers are practitioners sharing real-world imple

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⌖ Edinburgh · Edinburgh Futures Institute, The University of Edinburgh

Hosted by Traveltech

University of Edinburgh students can spend a full day solving real-world festival challenges at this collaborative arts, culture and technology hackathon. Taking place on Friday 30 October 2026, from 9am to 5pm, the in-person event brings innovators, artists, developers, designers and festival enthusiasts together at the Edinburgh Futures Institute in Edinburgh. What to expect Festival partners will provide challenge prompts based on pressing issues faced by the Edinburgh Festivals. Participants will form multidisciplinary teams, combine their different perspectives and develop creative solutions designed to enhance the festival experience. The programme also includes insights from festival organisers and data visualisation leaders, covering challenges, opportunities and emerging directions across cultural events. Projects may explore how technology can help festivals reach wider audiences, strengthen their communities and make a more positive environmental impact. No specific technical experience requirement is stated; coders, designers and arts enthusiasts are all encouraged to contribute. Practical details: - Room 2.55, Floor 2, Edinburgh Futures Institute - 1 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh EH3 9EF - Eight-hour, in-person format - Food and refreshments provided - Organised by Traveltech Get tickets for the hackathon

⌖ Edinburgh · Playfair Library Hall

Hosted by PauseAI UK

A Scotland-focused panel on AI responsibility brings politicians and technical and policy experts to Edinburgh on 1 November 2026. Hosted by PauseAI Scotland at the University of Edinburgh’s Playfair Library Hall, this structured discussion will examine a pressing question: who is responsible when AI goes wrong? Panellists will consider how Scotland’s political, technical and policy communities are modelling AI’s threats, uncertainties, opportunities and possible responses. The event description contrasts AI governance with tightly regulated fields such as aviation, pharmaceuticals and nuclear technology. It cites a 2026 UN report on AI, warnings from frontier AI professionals and a reported AI model evaluation security incident as context for the debate. Schedule - 13:30: Doors open - 14:00: Welcome and keynote - 14:30: Panel discussion - 15:30: Planned break - 15:45: Audience Q&A - 16:00: Closing and networking, with light refreshments The second half of the discussion is dedicated to audience questions, followed by informal conversation between attendees and panellists. The event is suited to anyone interested in AI safety, public policy and accountability; no specific experience level is stated. Individual panellists have not yet been published on the event page. The event takes place at Playfair Library Hall, University of Edinburgh, South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, from 1:30pm–4:30pm GMT. Learn more about the organiser at PauseAI UK. Register for the panel discussion

⌖ Edinburgh · Stansted House, 3rd Floor, 12-14 Long Lane, London EC1A 9PN, UK

Hosted by The Investment Association (IA)

IA Conference Scotland 2026 brings investment leaders, policymakers and innovators to Edinburgh on 5 November for debate on AI, regulation and sustainable growth. Taking place at The Exchange, EH3 8EE, this flagship one-day conference from The Investment Association will examine how Scotland can strengthen its position as a global centre for investment management. More than 330 attendees from 110+ organisations are expected, including senior decision-makers, regulators and policymakers. What to expect The programme combines keynote speeches, leadership panels, fireside chats, presentations, interactive sessions and networking. Across 20+ thought-leadership sessions and more than eight hours of content, delegates will explore: - AI, digital transformation and technological disruption in asset management - Regulatory change, political developments and global market dynamics - Changing client expectations and the future of retail investing - Operational resilience amid cyber threats, geopolitical tension and supply-chain disruption - Talent, competitiveness and Scotland’s role in attracting capital - Sustainable growth and the investment industry’s contribution to UK prosperity An AI-focused debate featuring Dr Sonia Schulenburg of Level E Research will ask whether artificial intelligence is an incremental development or a fundamental shift for asset management, and consider how it is already reshaping the industry. Speakers and sessions The day begins with breakfast and networking from 08:00, followed by the main conference programme. John Owen, CEO of The Investment Association, will deliver his first address at the Scottish conference before moderating a leadership panel with Xavier Meyer of Aberdeen, Kirstie MacGillivray of Aegon, Sandra Boss of BlackRock and Scott Wallace of Aberforth Partners. Further highlights include: - A conversation with Stephen Flynn MSP, Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, on Scotland’s economic priorities and investment-led growth - A resilience fireside chat with Kenneth MacKay of M&G Asset Management - Miranda Seath’s launch of new IA analysis into boutique asset management in 2026, with a focus on Scotland - A discussion about how demographics, technology and changing attitudes to risk are transforming investing for individuals… Register for this event

Sponsors: FundGuard

⌖ Edinburgh · The Nucleus Building

Hosted by CompSoc, University of Edinburgh

HackTheBurgh XIII brings 300 students to Edinburgh for a 24-hour challenge-based hackathon on 7–8 November 2026. Applications are now closed. Organised by the University of Edinburgh’s CompSoc, Scotland’s largest hackathon invites participants to build creative technical projects in teams of up to four. Sponsors will set the challenge tracks, with projects assessed through demos and judging at the end of the weekend. No specific workshop topics have yet been published. What to expect The event runs at The Nucleus Building, starting at 10:00 on Saturday 7 November and ending at 17:00 on Sunday 8 November. The programme includes: - Registration, breakfast and an opening ceremony - Hacking from 12:00 Saturday until the submission deadline at 12:00 Sunday - Sponsor-led workshops, meals and overnight refreshments - Project demos, judging and a closing ceremony - Opportunities to meet technology employers and fellow participants Current university students and people who graduated within the past year were eligible to apply. All degree disciplines and experience levels were welcome, including non-technical students and first-time hackers, provided they were at least 18 when the event begins. Participants without a team can connect with others before or during the event. Food, snacks, drinks and designated sleeping spaces will be provided. Attendees should bring a laptop, charger, valid student ID and, if staying overnight, a blanket or sleeping bag. Travel reimbursement is also available, subject to the organiser’s published terms. Visit the official event page for application and attendance updates.

Sponsors: Metaview · Hudson River Trading +9

⌖ Edinburgh · Codebase

Hosted by TechTalks Edinburgh

Learn how to judge whether AI-written code makes a codebase safer or riskier at TechTalks Edinburgh 10, taking place at CodeBase in Edinburgh on 10 November 2026. Legacy in Months, Not Years Lead Software Engineer Dmitriy Fedoryshchev will share lessons from modernising a 600-table, 21 TB legacy core into microservices after four previous attempts. His squad adopted a custom multi-agent system while following one central doctrine: only merge code that can be understood and explained. The talk explores how to assess agent-written code, identify the rules AI agents repeatedly break, and turn those rules into automated checks that agents cannot skip. Dmitriy brings experience spanning startups and enterprises, plus more than 100 merged open-source pull requests across 20 projects, including Anthropic, OpenAI and Microsoft. This meetup is relevant to software engineers, technical leads and anyone interested in AI-assisted development, maintainability and open-source tooling. Both experienced professionals and people earlier in their tech careers are welcome. Agenda - 6:00–6:30pm: Drinks, pizza and introductions - 6:30–6:40pm: Opening talk - 6:40–7:30pm: Main talk - 7:30–7:45pm: Q&A - 7:45–8:00pm: Networking and close - From 8:00pm: Afterparty at a nearby pub The event takes place at CodeBase, 38 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh EH3 9DZ. Partners include CodeBase, Dougray, Scottish Technology Club, Beyond Tech and Lyxonn. Photography and video will be captured for social media; notify the organisers if you prefer not to appear. Register for TechTalks Edinburgh 10.

Sponsors: CodeBase · Dougray +3