​Registration & Networking: 5:30 PM – 6:15 PM
(Food & drinks provided)

​AI, Data & the Modern Lakehouse — London Edition

​Join speakers from Dremio, Confluent, and Fivetran for an evening focused on AI, modern data architectures, streaming platforms, and the future of the lakehouse.

​Will Martin

​Data & AI Evangelist, Dremio

​AI is everywhere — but what does it actually mean in practice?

​Will Martin will give a practical, hype-free walkthrough of modern AI and how it fits into today’s data stack and lakehouse architectures, based on his upcoming book AI for Dummies.

​🚀 Topics include:

• ​What Agentic AI is — and how it differs from LLMs

• ​How LLMs work under the hood

• ​Fine-tuning vs RAG vs prompt engineering

• ​Connecting AI to your data, APIs, and lakehouse with MCP

• ​Real-world benefits, risks, and implementation considerations

​A clear introduction to how AI really works — and how to use it effectively.

​Alex Stuart

​Data Engineering Specialist at Confluent, Alex will explore how modern data architectures are evolving to support the rise of Agentic AI—and why streaming technologies and open table formats are becoming the foundation of the AI-ready data estate.

​🔍 What to expect:

• ​How Agentic AI is changing the requirements of modern data platforms

• ​Why context is critical for AI agents to operate effectively

• ​The role of Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, and Apache Iceberg in AI architectures

• ​How streaming and open table formats create a foundation for AI-driven systems

• ​Lessons learned from the evolution of modern data platforms

​Expect a practical, architecture-focused session on preparing your data estate for the next generation of AI applications and autonomous agents.

​About Alex:

​Alex works across EMEA and APAC at Confluent, helping organizations solve complex data challenges and optimize lakehouse, warehouse, and analytics architectures. He specializes in designing modern data platforms that enable scalable, real-time data-driven applications.

​Andrew Madson

​Head of Developer Relations, Fivetran

​Andrew brings a unique mix of hands-on data leadership and developer advocacy, with previous experience leading analytics and ML teams across organizations including J.P. Morgan Chase, MassMutual, and Arizona State University.

​Today, as Founding Head of Developer Relations at Fivetran, he works with modern data and AI startups building next-generation data infrastructure.

​🔍 Topics include:

• ​AI-ready data architectures

• ​Modern lakehouse and Apache Iceberg ecosystems

• ​Developer communities & data platform adoption

• ​Practical lessons from scaling analytics and ML platforms

​Andrew is also co-author of Apache Polaris: The Definitive Guide, educator, keynote speaker, and creator with a global audience across YouTube, LinkedIn, and technical learning platforms.

​Alex Merced

​Head of DevRel, Dremio & O’Reilly Author

​Alex will walk through key ideas from his latest work on Agentic Analytics and building data platforms that actually work for AI.

​🔍 What to expect:

• ​Why data silos break AI agents

• ​The role of the lakehouse, federation & semantic layers

• ​Apache Iceberg, open catalogs & modern architectures

• ​Why AI agents need context — not just data

• ​A roadmap toward autonomous, AI-driven analytics

​Expect a sharp, architecture-focused session connecting modern data platforms with the future of AI.