Hertfordshire Community Conference - 52 Years of Community

BCS Hertfordshire turns 52! Join us for our biggest event yet, bringing people together to learn, share and connect. Agenda Talks run side by side in Shuffle Room 1 and Shuffle Room 2. Each talk is 30 minutes, so you can switch rooms between sessions. Shuffle Room 2 is smaller, so arrive early for talks there. Read the full talk abstracts on our branch website 09:00 Registration and networking (Main Hall) 10:00 Opening ceremony and welcome keynote (Main Hall) 10:30 Shuffle Room 1: Why AI Isn't Delivering: The Missing Link Between Intelligence and Real Business Impact Muhammad Toqeer, Data & AI Manager, EG On The Move Shuffle Room 2: Beyond Building Agents: Why Harness Design and Optimisation Matter Renuka Kelkar, AI Instructor, Multiverse Lab: Hackathon kick-off and account setup 11:00 Networking break 11:15 Shuffle Room 1: Bridging the Digital Divide in Africa: Empowering the Next Generation Through Skills Sobere Opusunju, Secretary, BCS Hertfordshire Shuffle Room 2: Augmented, Not Automated: Engineering AI Agents an Organisation Can Trust Yavin Owens, Director, Innovation Forum Lab: Hackathon Round 1 11:45 Shuffle Room 1: Behind Every Card Swipe: The Hidden Economics of the Mainframe Meena Chand, Mainframe Performance & Capacity Graduate Analyst, SMT Data Shuffle Room 2: AI-Driven Robotics and Humanoid Automation in Healthcare, Laboratory Research, and Industrial Systems Nishenthaharan Balachandran, Founder and Director, Nyschey Robotics and Automation 12:15 Lunch and networking 13:00 Shuffle Room 1: AI, Organisational Memory and the Erosion of Information Asymmetry Keith Brown, CEO and Interim Director, Global Innovation Forum Shuffle Room 2: Enterprise Data: Using Ontologies and Knowledge Graphs to Create a Common Language Dr Maureen Okibe Lab: Hackathon Round 2 13:30 Shuffle Room 1: From Alert Overload to Intelligent, Autonomous Security Operations Jude Pereira, Owner / Managing Director, Nanjgel IT Solutions / Defenix.AI Shuffle Room 2: Bridging Universities, Capital, and Real-World Projects: A Translational Framework for Impact Measurement Dr Yaniv Proselkov, CTO, AIOS 14:00 Break 14:15 Shuffle Room 1: Talk to be confirmed Deepthi Ratyanake Shuffle Room 2: Building with a User Mindset Sammy Emojevbe, Product Manager, MS MAXIMS UK Lab: Hackathon final round 14:45 Networking, while hackathon teams present to the judges (Lab) 15:30 Awards and closing ceremony (Main Hall) 17:00 Close Synopsis Join us at the University of Hertfordshire for a day of talks, a hands-on hackathon and good company. Twelve speakers across two tracks, covering mainframes, robotics, AI agents, cyber security and digital inclusion.Everyone is welcome. You don't need to be a BCS member. Come as a student, a career-changer, a seasoned professional or just someone curious about tech.WHAT'S ON • 12 talks in two small rooms, so you can ask real questions and meet the speakers • An all-day hackathon, Beyond the Mainframe, with no coding required • Networking, refreshments and stands throughout the day • An awards and closing ceremony to finish THE HACKATHON: BEYOND THE MAINFRAME Co-created with Innovation Forum. Your team gets real-world style IT cost, usage and carbon data, and one challenge: find a single insight a finance director could act on.Not a dashboard, not a model. One finding, with the reasoning shown.You don't need to be a coder. Every team needs people who can design, analyse, build and standardise, so first-timers work side by side with experienced developers. Everyone who takes part receives a certificate of participation. COME AND CELEBRATE WITH US Whether you're coming for the talks, the hackathon or simply to meet people who love tech as much as you do, there's a place for you at the Hertfordshire Community Conference.Seats in the talk rooms are limited, so book your place early. Tickets are cheaper for BCS members and students. We can't wait to see you on 30 October. Ticket costs (Prices stated are inclusive of VAT and fees) Venue attendance • BCS members: £10.00 • Non-members: £15.00 • Students: £5.00 Online attendance • All tickets: £2.00 Refunds/cancellations A refund, excluding fees, will be issued if a cancellation request is received within 14 days of the booking date or by noon on Friday 24 October 2026, otherwise, name substitutions will be allowed after this date. Our events are for adults aged 16 years and over. This meeting is conducted in accordance with the BCS Code of Conduct for Meetings. BCS is a membership organisation. If you enjoy this event, please consider joining BCS. You’ll be very welcome. You’ll receive access to many exclusive career development tools, an introduction to a thriving professional community and also help us Make IT Good For Society. Join BCS today Please note, if you have any accessibility needs, please let us know via [email protected] and we’ll work with you to make suitable arrangements. BCS privacy notice: your data will be processed by BCS in accordance with our data privacy notice. Photography: by attending this event, you may be photographed or filmed. Please speak to a member of staff if you do not wish to be included. For overseas delegates who wish to attend the event, please note that BCS does not issue invitation letters. This event is brought to you by: Hertfordshire Branch