Tech Derby Meet-Up

⌖ Derby · Repton School

Hosted by Xpertise Recruitment

Explore AI accountability, data leadership and technology transformation at Repton School in Derby on 15 October 2026. Xpertise Recruitment’s annual Midlands Technology Leadership Conference brings together technology, data and transformation leaders to examine how organisations can turn AI investment into measurable business value. The 2026 theme, “Show Me the Money: The AI Accountability Reckoning,” puts the focus on evidence: how leaders can use AI and data to support innovation, growth and resilience while remaining accountable for results. Taking place from 12pm on Thursday 15 October 2026, the conference is designed for CIOs, CTOs, IT directors, data and AI leaders, transformation executives and other senior decision-makers navigating a rapidly changing digital landscape. It will be particularly valuable to professionals responsible for technology strategy, organisational change, AI adoption or data-led growth. What to expect The programme combines leadership insights, real-world success stories, panel discussion and interactive Q&A. Attendees can expect practical perspectives on transformative strategies and best practices rather than purely theoretical discussion. Key areas include: - Demonstrating the commercial impact and accountability of AI initiatives - Harnessing AI and data to accelerate innovation and business growth - Building organisational resilience amid rapid technological change - Learning from real-world applications and leadership experiences - Understanding the UK technology market from hiring and job-seeking perspectives The keynote speakers are still to be confirmed. The announced panel currently includes: - Alastair Luff, Chief Information Officer at MHR - Jemma Holland, IT Director at Billing Finance - Lee Styles, Group IT Director at Brush Group - A further panellist to be announced Alongside the formal sessions, the event provides space to collaborate and network with peers from across the Midlands technology community. Capacity is limited to 100 places, creating a focused environment for conversations between business and technology leaders. Food and refreshments will be available throughout the day.… Register for this event

⌖ Derby · ICC

AI LIVE brings executives and strategists to the ICC in Derby from 20–22 October 2026 to explore a human-centred future for AI. Technology driven by human purpose This three-day conference is designed for people making consequential decisions about artificial intelligence: senior leaders, strategists and others helping to determine how AI will shape organisations and society. Its defining theme is technology driven by human purpose, placing people and intent at the centre of the conversation rather than treating technical capability as the only measure of progress. Attendees can expect discussions focused on the strategic direction of AI and the choices leaders face as the technology evolves. The event offers an opportunity to step back from individual tools and short-term trends to consider broader questions: what should AI be used for, which outcomes matter, and how can decision-makers ensure that technological development remains connected to meaningful human goals? Who should attend? AI LIVE is particularly relevant for: - Executives responsible for organisational direction and technology decisions - Business and innovation strategists assessing the future impact of AI - Leaders shaping AI priorities, investment or adoption - Professionals interested in the relationship between human purpose and emerging technology The published event information positions AI LIVE as a strategic conference rather than a technical training course. No coding experience or specific level of technical expertise is stated. A detailed session agenda and speaker line-up have not yet been published on the listing, so prospective attendees should check for updates before booking. Event details AI LIVE takes place at ICC, Castle Donington, Derby, beginning on Tuesday 20 October 2026 at the listed time of 01:00 and running until Thursday 22 October. The multi-day format gives the event room to examine AI beyond a single presentation, with its central focus on the executives and strategists shaping what comes next. For leaders who want to engage with AI as a question of purpose, direction and long-term decision-making,not simply as a collection of new products,AI LIVE offers a focused setting for that conversation. View event details and register

⌖ Derby · University of Derby, UK

Hosted by University of Derby, UK

Cyber AI Hackathon 2026 challenges innovators to build practical AI solutions for real-world cybersecurity problems, with online finals on 31 October–1 November. Organised by the University of Derby in Derby, this two-round hackathon invites teams to turn promising ideas into intelligent prototypes that strengthen digital security and respond to emerging threats. Participation is free, and the event is technically supported by The American Society for Engineers. Cybersecurity challenges Teams can choose from ten problem areas spanning AI, autonomous systems and digital trust: - AI-powered threat detection for malware, ransomware, phishing and anomalous behaviour - Agentic AI for cyber defence, including autonomous monitoring, evidence-based reasoning and defensive action with human oversight - Security for IoT, edge devices, smart homes and connected systems - Protection for drones, autonomous vehicles and robotics against spoofing, hijacking and GPS attacks - Privacy-preserving AI, digital identity, authentication and trustworthy data sharing - Security for cloud platforms, enterprise networks and critical infrastructure - Detection of deepfakes, misinformation, scams and social-engineering campaigns - Defence against adversarial attacks, model manipulation and data poisoning - AI-assisted digital forensics and cyber incident response - An open innovation track covering emerging CyberAI applications involving robotics, blockchain, digital twins and privacy technologies Format and key dates The first round requires an idea or presentation deck submission by 18 October 2026. Selected teams then present online during Round II, running from 31 October to 1 November 2026. This structure suits participants who want to explore a new concept as well as teams ready to demonstrate a more developed prototype. Entrants should consult the official hackathon guidelines and rules before submitting.… Register for this event

Sponsors: University of Derby, UK · The American Society for Engineers

⌖ Edinburgh · Edinburgh Futures Institute

Hosted by Twin Path Ventures

Explore how Edinburgh’s founders, investors and researchers are building globally competitive AI businesses at this morning panel, demo and networking event. Hosted by Twin Path Ventures with Old College Capital, the AI Breakfast Club takes place at Edinburgh Futures Institute on Friday 9 October 2026, from 8:30am to 11:00am. It offers a focused look at the people, ideas and strategic advantages shaping the AI ecosystem in Edinburgh, with breakfast and coffee included. What to expect The morning begins with registration, breakfast and networking, giving attendees time to meet AI founders, investors, researchers and other members of Scotland’s technology ecosystem. A panel discussion will then examine what it takes to turn cutting-edge research and technical expertise into world-class AI companies, how Edinburgh’s local ecosystem supports innovators, and what businesses need to compete internationally. The panel brings together perspectives from investment, natural language processing, robotics and startup building: - Katharine Fox, Head of Investment at Old College Capital - Professor Alexandra Birch, Personal Chair of Multilingual Natural Language Processing and Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at Aveni - Professor Ram Ramamoorthy, Personal Chair of Robot Learning and Autonomy - Angus Duncan-Timpson of Aegiss, an AI startup building purpose-built tax technology - Chair: John Spindler, General Partner at Twin Path Ventures After the panel, the programme continues with demos, audience Q&A and further networking until 11:00am. The format is designed to encourage direct discussion rather than passive listening, so attendees should bring questions and be ready to exchange ideas with others working across AI research, investment and company creation. Attendance details The organiser currently lists this event as full. Use the registration page to join the waitlist; a place is not guaranteed. Check availability and registration

Sponsors: Barclays · Old College Capital

⌖ New York · New York, NY

Hosted by tokens&

Build a production-ready real-time video AI agent in New York on 9 October 2026, with expert support, GPU compute and a ready-to-use builder stack. The VAST Builders Challenge is a one-day technical hack event for turning video archives into useful, searchable AI applications. Rather than starting from scratch, teams receive videos, infrastructure and development tools so they can focus on creating a shippable prototype. This New York edition forms part of a three-city series spanning New York, London and San Francisco. What you’ll build Choose your own video-agent concept and experiment with a stack covering: - Video understanding: reason over clips using NVIDIA Cosmos - Semantic search: find moments across hours of footage with natural-language queries - Object detection: run real-time detection and tracking across frames with YOLO - LLM-powered logic: use models from Weights & Biases to drive agent behaviour and application workflows The VAST AI OS handles video ingestion and the data layer, while models run on CoreWeave GPUs. Builders will ship using Cursor, with expert guidance and compute available throughout the day. Format and schedule Doors open at 8:30am EDT with breakfast, followed by opening keynotes at 9:00am. Building begins at 9:30am and continues through lunch before teams present demos at 4:30pm. The event concludes with awards at 6:30pm. Projects will be assessed by AI and infrastructure specialists from NVIDIA, VAST Data, CoreWeave and Weights & Biases, including Diego Garzon, Ravi Garg, Ram B., Brian Verkley, Prashanth Nalubandhu, Brandon Kates and Vera A. View the event and registration details

Cursorn8n

Sponsors: VAST Data · CoreWeave +3

◎ Online

A practical online generative AI workshop for business owners and managers, taking place on Friday 9 October 2026 at 5:00pm, with live demos and Q&A. If you know AI could save time, improve routine work or create new opportunities, but the sheer number of tools and opinions makes it difficult to begin, this workshop offers a business-focused starting point. Rather than discussing generative AI only in theory, the session shows how widely available tools can be applied to ordinary tasks and real operational problems. Hosted by Larry G. M. for the AI Automations For SME Business community, the event creates space to see practical examples, ask questions about your own situation and learn from other owners and managers. Members are encouraged to share both successful experiments and attempts that did not work, giving attendees a more realistic picture of adopting AI in a business. What happens during the workshop The online session combines demonstrations, discussion and practical guidance. Expect: - Live demonstrations of Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI tools - Examples covering research, content creation and routine business procedures - An open Q&A where you can bring a challenge from your own business and ask how Claude or another tool might help - Conversation with a community of people exploring AI efficiencies and automation - A session recording and supporting files, available afterwards to community members Come prepared with the tasks, bottlenecks or repetitive processes you would most like to improve. The goal is to help you identify where AI can provide genuine value, rather than adopting a tool without a clear use case. Who should attend? This workshop is designed for business owners, department heads, consultants, freelancers and self-employed professionals. No technical background is required, and all experience levels are welcome. It is suitable whether you have never opened an AI tool or are already using one and want to make your approach more effective. View the event and registration details