Birmingham — Week of 20 Jul 2026

with Karl George MBE (Founder & Managing Director, The Governance Forum / Governance AI) · Alex Zarifeh (Founder, ATLP Futures Readiness) · Poonam Rajput (Education Lead, West Midlands, Code Your Future) + 1 more

The Lunar Society Birmingham hosts an expert panel at Unity Trust Bank, Brindley Place, exploring how AI is reshaping society, business, ethics, and life. Hear from Karl George MBE — governance authority, BCU visiting professor, and author of Reset Revolution — alongside Alex Zarifeh (ATLP Futures Readiness, shortlisted for EduFuturist of the Year 2026), Poonam Rajput (Code Your Future West Midlands), and Fiona Joseph (equity and inclusion leader). Join the debate on what AI means for creativity, the environment, access to work, and developing future talent. Doors 5:50 PM, main event 6:15 PM — venue locked at 6:45 PM so arrive early. Refreshments provided.

CoffeeOps Birmingham is back after a long pause — an early-morning lean-coffee hour at 200 Degrees on Lower Temple Street where the agenda is set by whoever turns up. Topics range across software delivery, reliability, operations, culture in tech, certifications, learning and remote work. No speakers, no slides: cards, votes, a timer and a moderator. Open to bootcamp and university students and graduates as well as anyone in a tech or tech-adjacent role. Drinks are self-funded for now while the group looks for a new sponsor — just buy something at the counter.

with Andy Mclean (Speaker, Circyl) · Jay Tuck (Speaker, Circyl) · Andy Taylor (Speaker, Circyl) + 2 more

Birmingham's Power BI community hands the July session over to Circyl for an evening squarely aimed at what AI is actually doing to BI practice. Andy Mclean opens, then Jay Tuck walks through the real use cases and what they mean for BI practitioners, and Andy Taylor covers the AI components now sitting in a modern developer's toolkit — MCP servers, skills and CLI tools. After pizza and drinks, Dom Tuck gives a live demo of Circyl's Claude-powered tooling. Hosted in the Robert Walters offices at Eleven Brindley Place, who also sponsor the food, drink and career advice. One of the most technically substantive Birmingham meetups running this month.

The Birmingham Network's weekly high-calibre networking at Albert's Schloss in Chamberlain Square — an Alpine bier hall five minutes from New Street Station. Business owners, tech founders, finance professionals, and investors. The organiser has run 70+ sold-out events and a 3,000-strong London community; recent editions have drawn YC, Antler, and Entrepreneur First founders alongside angel and VC investors. Complimentary welcome drink. Limited to 30 spots — register early.

Network One gathers Birmingham's healthtech community at Albert's Schloss — medtech founders, clinicians innovating through technology, digital health developers, wearable tech builders, and investors exploring health-focused startups. No pitches, no panels: a capped-attendance format to keep conversations genuine. Covers digital health platforms, AI diagnostics, wellness and mental health apps, and biotech. Welcome drink on arrival. Part of Network One's recurring vertical-themed series at Albert's Schloss.

Network One brings its small-business and entrepreneur edition to Albert's Schloss on Chamberlain Square — one of the most reliable fixtures on the Birmingham networking calendar through the summer. The format is deliberately low-pressure: no pitches, no panels, just founders, freelancers and small-business owners in a room with a non-alcoholic welcome drink and three hours to talk properly. Attendance is capped to keep the room manageable. Useful for anyone running a small tech or digital business in the West Midlands who wants to widen their network without sitting through a programme.

with Max Laverty (Host / Organiser, ProductTank Birmingham)

ProductTank Birmingham brings back its Lean Coffee format to tackle the tension every product team is living with right now: AI-accelerated delivery has moved faster than the case for doing discovery properly. There is no speaker on a stage — you pitch the discovery and delivery problems you actually have, the room votes, and you work through them in timed peer-to-peer rounds. Deliberately cross-functional, so PMs, engineers, designers, researchers and founders all belong in the room. Pizza and drinks courtesy of AND Digital, hosted at x+why Foundry in Brindley Place.

with Stuart Pearson (Organiser, fizzPOP Makerspace C.I.C.)

fizzPOP, Birmingham's makerspace, is running its weekly public open night again from its Coventry Street base. Come and take a tour, see the electronics room and workshop facilities, and find out whether membership makes sense for you. Free and open to anyone — makers, hardware tinkerers, and software people curious about the physical side. Hosted by organiser Stuart Pearson.

The weekly Friday after-work fixture for Birmingham's tech crowd, held upstairs at The Wellington on Bennetts Hill. Developers, data scientists, security people, product managers, students and career-changers all show up — the crowd skews practitioner rather than founder, and it is one of the better places in the city to hear about roles before they are advertised. £3 online only, no tickets on the door. Ask staff for Tech Social if you can't find the group.