Last week we hosted our first Searchability tech meetup since moving to our new HQ, and what an incredible night it was! Previously branded the Chester DevOps and Cloud Meetup which was hosted by our Director Chris Hopley, we chose to rebrand and broaden our tech topics to create a more inclusive event for tech professionals in and around the Chester area! In our re-brand to “Chester Tech MeetUp” we also brought on a new co-organizer, our Lead Recruiter Gabbi Trotter who has been hosting and attending meetups for several years including “Ministry of Testing” and “QABC Club”. You can join the MeetUp group here to stay up to date with the latest events, and in the meantime here are 5 top takeaways from our Data Innovation event last week.
#1 – Customising your data platform can save your business a lot of money
Our first speaker was James Reeves, Co-Founder at Bedrock data, who shared a talk on “Cost-effective Data Platforms”. James highlighted how customising your data platform to reflect the correct usage can save your businesses a huge amount of money, along with an in depth flow of Azure data storage setup. Attendees agreed that James set a good example of what organisations should be doing when taking the initial steps with data.
#2 – Data infrastructure can be key in a crisis
Our second speaker was Greg Smith, Digital Service Owner at Scottish Government, who shared a talk on “What the Scottish Government are currently doing for Ukrainian refugees, in relation to Data and Digital”. We learned that the Scottish Government’s agile approach enabled quick rapid response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, showing how quickly technology can enable solutions to real life problems.
#3 – Chester very much has it’s own tech community
As a Chester based company, we knew that this great City was home to lots of talented tech professionals, but the turnout to our first event really highlighted this. We’ve supported and attended Meetups all over the UK and have always been keen to bring similar experiences to our home city, and while there are other groups who meet in and around the city to talk tech, there seemingly was no dedicated venue that was home to a tech community to provide a meeting place specifically for tech professionals. We hope that our Chester Tech Meetup at Searchability HQ will plug this gap!
#4 – Tech professionals are always eager to learn
Our attendees were a real mix of levels, from attendees with no background at all in data, to Chief Technology Officers with decades of experience. All attending with one thing in common – a willingness to discover something new!
#5 – MeetUps are great for providing new connections and experiences
By providing the space and facilitating interesting talks, people will put themselves outside their comfort zones to attend. Events like these are great to aid the mental health of professionals attending, especially with so many working 100% from home who may otherwise not get the opportunity to meet face-to-face with likeminded professionals.
Our next event is set to take place in June 2024 – make sure you follow our MeetUp page and LinkedIn to keep updated!
